white gold vs. Platinum

For most jewelry white gold is going to do the same job as platinum. Platinum is heavier and a bit more durable. It can be fabricated better when making complex items than gold, but simple solitaire rings generally are not made in a way that platinum is totally required. Platinum is easier to hand engrave, but there is plenty of engraved white gold jewelery, too.

When not rhodium plated, white gold is a bit yellowish and platinum is more grayish in color. Rhodium on a ring is a short term plating anyway so it is only an intial "look".

People will almost always recommend platinum, if you can afford it. I basically agree, but I wear a nice 14kt white gold diamond ring every day and it is light weight and looks just fine....So the answer is really a matter of choice in most cases.

David,

Thanks for the info. The ring I looked it is an engagement ring with round diamonds throughout the band. It is white 14K gold with Rhodium plating. My girlfriend likes the look of the rhodium plating, which is why I am considering platinum. She does not like the look of white 14k gold without rhodium plating however. How long will the rhodium plating last? I've heard that it needs to be touched up every few years or so.

The price difference between white gold and platinum is $1,000 on the ring I am looking at and I don't know if it's worth it.

Thanks ,

Hmm a question I was thinking of myself!

But what I do know is white gold does quickly fade to yellowish especially in jewellery that gets lots of wear... like rings. A friend's white gold wedding band faded less than a year after getting married, and he's a total white collar bloke, if ya know what I mean!

Though, white gold is a lot whiter and shinier then platinum, which tends to be greyier and can dull through wear, I would have white gold if only the plating always lasts!

So, IMHO, I think for the eventual hassle go for platinum for the ring, the extra cost now will save you time and extra money later!

Though, if time isn't an issue... maybe look into how much it would cost to replate the ring when you have to.

The price difference is hard to swallow, but if you know for sure already that she only likes the look of it when it's rhodium plated, then I think you have your answer. I have a friend who just got engaged with a white gold ring. Her fiance chose not to have it plated. From a distance, it's hard to tell whether it's supposed to be white or yellow gold. To me, it just doesn't look right, but she doesn't mind it.

I've heard that white gold alloyed with certain metals can keep its colour. Maybe some of the experts can comment on which mixes are best?

The other option is getting a white gold ring with a palladium alloy instead of the usual nickel. No need to be plated and will still look silvery-white.

Still, if price isn't an object, I'd go with platinum. Not as many worries if you jump into a pool.

Yeah, I agree with Hest. Maybe when you pay upfront for it, which you mention will be a thousand dollars more, it seems like helluva of money. That's the unfortunate part, but correct me if I'm wrong...I heard that chlorine attacks white gold. I don't know if it is a discoloration or what. I just think I read somewhere about that effect. I'm not saying that your significant other would go around cleaning the house wearing her precious ring, but if she decided to go for a dip then she may want to or should take off her white gold ring. Good luck on your selection.

Some people can also have a skin reaction to white gold.

I have very sensitive skin, my skin reacts very negatively to white gold. I had pretty bad eczema as a child, which might explain it. To be more precise, I think it's the nickel mixed to make the gold white. I don't know if there are mixes that don't use at least a little nickel, but my skin always reacts to white gold. If I wear white gold earrings, then my ears get really hot, puffy, and infected. If I wear a white gold necklace, the area where the necklace touches my skin breaks out in a rash. Don't know about rings because I've never tried a white gold ring. I just basically stay away from white gold because of my skin sensitivity. I also can't wear any yellow gold under 18k.

However platinum doesn't pose a problem for people with sensitive skin.

palladium alloy really? It will make the white gold ring stay white? cool! I'll look into it.

I love platinum...I have a platinum etoile band that I want to use for my wedding band. It's so heavy, it feels real good. But i heard platinum scratches easier. My ering is white gold and it's still real shiny. I like the shiny part of white gold. So shine or heaviness? Decisions decisionsI wish there was a metal that was as heavy as platinum but had a nice luster like white gold. Maybe someone can put white gold over platinum???

You are right Sumi. a lot of people react to the nickle in white gold because I am one of them, also. I went to a dermatologist and got tested and hr said it is very common. I'm also taking the GIA course and I just finished the part where it teaches how chlorine and other household chemicals can eat up and pit 14KT gold by eating up the alloys in it. The photos were amazing. I wish I had a way to scan them in. I'm never going swimming with my rings on again!

The bad part is platinum was 840.00 the last time I looked.

But platinum really is forever.

Hi,
Some manufacturers make a very white white gold without a rhodium finish. Jabel has a terrific 'recipe'and their white is always very white and never buttery looking. Most AGS type of higher end stores will carry the line. Take a peak. All die struck and about as strong as you will ever find. Cindy

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On 1/22/2004 11:16:06 AM hoss wrote:

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My girlfriend likes the look of the rhodium plating, which is why I am considering platinum. She does not like the look of white 14k gold without rhodium plating however.
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No metal is going to deliver exactly that: platinum will get a patina and loose the bright polish rodium plated stuff has in a matter on month. The plating is not very lasting: after a while (it can be a year, but I'd say less) it will go away in patches. I believe that 14K YG is more likely to be and remain white than 18k YG, but if a manufacturer manages it, why not?

What exactly does she like about the Rhod. plating? Because if it's shineyer, in a week that platinum ring will take on a warm patina & not super shiney.

Also, my jabel setting head is as white as the day we bought it (20+ years). It's not rhod plated.

No ring stays the color it is in the store. Stores Rhodium thier Plat as well as thier White gold and Silver pieces, as the Plat gets gray as people have mentioned.
I'd go with a 14k Palladium white. It does tend to stay more silvery-white than anything else, and it doesn't have the allergy or other problems nickel based white gold does. I would recommend the 14k, as it is more white than 18K.
I'd say just save the $1000 for something else.

I had a white gold wedding band for 25 years and it kept it's shine although it did tend to yellow rather quickly.

The most common 950 platinum does tend to dull to a grayish patina. I searched for a long time to upgrade my setting over a year ago and went back and forth on white gold/versus platinum as I prefered the shiney look of the white gold. Every local jeweler told me that the platinum would dull quickly and that there was no way to keep the shine other than having it professionally polished once a year.

I finally found a platinumsmith/designer that suggested an alloy of 900 plat./ 100 iridium as the iridium is harder and helps keep the shine. My setting has a lot of smooth, shiney surface (see page 5 under Eye Candy folder) and has kept it's shine extremely well for the year. No need for polishing and no grayish hue.

I highly suggest if you want platinum that keeps its shine - go for the abovementioned alloy.

White gold may yellow and need a rhodium dip. Unless you have an allergy to an alloy, then other than the fading, it's as good as platinum in most cases.

persoanlly, i LOVE the weight of platinum...I like feeling it on my hand even when I am sitting still. I don't know if it is the maketing hype of the "forever metal" or what, but something about platinum really floats my boat.

Platinum is ALWAYS worth the extra cost over gold!

Course I'm bias on the subject being I love platinum the way I do!

Platinum is heavier, the color is soothing (course that is more of a "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" attitude), it scrathes like gold does but doesn't lose any of the precious metal content (more or less displaces the metal when scratched), it is worth more in the long run if you ever want to get rid of it for what ever reason (that's bad news to my ears though), and if supporting a diamond or two, platinum really gives a diamond a nice clean look.
Plus there is nothing like the feel of platinum on your finger ..... a very luxurious feel it has!

If going with white gold, I would opt for the 18K myself and remember alot of 14k White gold is Rhodium plated now a days...with MOST Platinum's there is no need for Rhodium plating especially if it is the 950 Platinum S1 or 950 Platinum Ru which definetly does not require Rhodium plating.

I must also mention that with 950 Platinum S1 is doesn't scratch easily ... gold scratches much easier. Even 950 Platinum Ru is tougher to scratch than the other Platinum Mixes.

Edited to add:
If you go to the link I provided below in my signature area,
there are links in there that will give you information on just about all that you want to know regarding platinum and some on diamonds. Hope this helps!

I have a WG ring made with gold, silver, and palladium. It is nice and white.

I also dearly love my 30g platinum band. It has a nice patina from being scratched and beat up, and frankly I don't want to restore it to a high polish. It just seems like it's made to take the battle scars. I can see how ladies would feel differently about their e-rings, however.

I paid $1,060 for mine when platinum was $540/oz. Obviously today it would be much more.