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micropave in gold vs. platinum?

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crispy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 1, 2005
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Hello all! I''m a long-time lurker, first time poster. This site is so wonderful! Like so many others, I''ve fallen in love with the halo rings and am considering whether I can stretch my budget to get one. I had assumed that the only way to do one is in platinum, but now I see a lot of white gold as well. I''m considering white gold because it would save some money, but I am concerned about the durability. Any thoughts about these potential pros and cons? Thanks!
 

lawdog

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
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11

Do a search on Platinum v. White Gold and you will get like a thousand hits on the topic. Bottom line is that it is all personel preference as to what you want. I personally checked out both when I had a custom designed ring made. My jewler discussed the pros and cons of each choice so that I could make a decision. The bottom line to me came down to what was in the white gold...that is the question. If you can get 18K or 19K white gold that is made with palladium then you have a piece of metal that in my opinion after seeing both side by side new and after wear (white gold v. platinum) wears better than platinum, is no less durable then platinum, and doesn''t require quarterly buffings like platinum to remove patina and get back that nice white shine that most of us covet, and the palladium white gold never needs re-platted because of the makeup in alloys it stays white.



My jewler makes all his own alloys up and when we discussed the options it was his opinion that Platinum is a hype that is pushed by the industry for only one reason money. It costs about twice as much to make a ring in platinum as white gold, he assured me that if I want platinum I can have platinum and he will make the ring as I want. He said he usually encounters two kinds of clients those that must have platinum and then learn the misery of its upkeep and the next time they get the white gold, or those who are on the fence who decide on white gold and are ecstatic with that decision.



Platinum does weigh more and has that heavy feel to it, so if you like that you should go platinum and if you want to pay the premium to say it is platinum then get platinum. If you want to spend every possible cent on the best cut center stone you can find and yet still get a gorgeous ring that visually is identical to platinum yet costs half as much and will stay brighter without buffing or plating like some lesser grade white gold alloys then get a good 18K/19K white gold w/ palladium....



It is funny how some think just because it costs more it is automatically better or the best. I do my research and make my decision, for me it was white gold, for you it may be platinum. Just like some people have to have a Tiffany Engagement Ring, while others would rather not pay for the name and get what is usually a much better diamond for substantially less money, I equate that to this case. Save your money make sure the white gold is a good alloy and spend that extra cash on the center bling... remember down the line you can always switch no matter what you choose, chances are you will not switch the center stone too often.



People will probably jump in and say platinum hands down, I attribute it to hype and self assuring statements that the extra money they spent on the platinum was well worth it. I can disagree but won''t and am not trying to rain on anyones parade, just trying to offer an honest opinion. You know it is funny, my jewler has made custom designed pieces for professional athletes, movie stars, and political dignitaries including our current President George W. and the everyday joe, and even those with all the money in the world choose white gold over platinum. Kinda makes you go hmmm...



In the end look at all the options and choose what is best for you.

 

belle

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 19, 2004
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10,285
hey crispy! glad you came out of lurkdom
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i still don''t know what the secret to good wg is. i have wg jewelry that has stayed ''white'' for many years, but i know of others who haven''t had such luck. i would look at the big picture...how close is the pricing? is it worth a few hundred $$$ to be certain that your ring doesnt'' start to yellow? or do you even mind?
 

Choose Ring Soon

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2005
Messages
14
Thank you for your very informative post, Lawdog. I have been debating white gold vs platinum as well. I''ve seen a couple of white gold rings that have lost their white shine only 3 months after rhodium plating. Very disappointing. I''ll ask about the white gold with palladium option.
 

crispy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 1, 2005
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5
Hmmm, those are all good things to consider, thanks for the feedback! I think I''m overall more worried about the potential that the melee could be more likely to fall out of the white gold (but clearly that''s a risk with platinum too--as evidenced by some recent posts) than the upkeep of the metal itself. It''s a little daunting with all these options!
 

Sundial

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
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5,532
I have three sided micro pave on the band of my white gold three stone ring and have had absolutely no problems with it.
 

Odilia

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 1, 2005
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1,621
I''m no expert, but I had a jeweler recently tell me much of what Lawdog said. I think the key is in getting the right grade of white gold. He said if you get the good stuff (not sure of the terminology), it should stay white and is as good as plat. Another consideration (maybe Lawdog addressed it; didn''t read the whole thing) is when you go to resize etc..., it seems it''s usually much cheaper to work with WG. I have no idea about micropave in WG though. Although I have a friend with yellow gold pave, so apparently it is done, anyway. Also Scott Kay does pave with 19kt yellow gold. And white gold would be stronger than yellow. So I would guess it''s okay. (????)
 
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