Question on gold vs platinum

[lizzyann]

hey there, I posted in Rocky talky but didn''t get much of a response so I wanted to see if anyone here could help. My wedding set and three stone RHR are all in platinum and I am looking to start buying some stackers (a la Tiffany celebration rings but not TIff''s!) Platinum is not in the budget so I need to decide between 14 karat white gold and 18 karat white gold. Which will stay whiter longer and look ok if I on occasion wear one of the stackers with my platinum e-ring? What are the true benefits of 14 vs 18 karat gold? Thanks!

 

[ma re]

There are so many alloys that nothing is written in stone, but generally speaking 14k white is whiter than 18k white, simply because there is less pure gold in it, which is (of course) yellow. 14k will also most probably be somewhat harder i.e. hold on better in terms of scratch resistance, but each would get scratched eventually, so it''s not that big of a difference. However 18k might be less brittle, so in some cases (at least in theory) it might do a better job of holding stones in place, but I don''t know if this difference is really dramatic or only really noticable on paper. 14k should of course be quite a bit cheaper, especially now when prices of precious metals are so high.

 

[lizzyann]

Thanks Ma re! I was originally thinking 18 karat would stay the whitest as it cost more but I guess I was wrong! So I guess that leads me to my next question of why are more engagement rings in 18karat white gold vs. 14 karat white gold? Is it because it is less brittle like you said so it will hold larger stones better? I am looking to do a ring like the Tiffany swing. link here so the stones are small 5 pointers and 3 pointers. I have heard that babies can be allergic to white gold. I have an 11 month old son, so I am curious about this? Is it the nickel in it or the gold?

 

[RaiKai]

Darn it, posted a long thread and it got lost...


It is not quite as simple as saying one is whiter than the other, as it really depends on the alloys used (nickel, palladium, silver, etc), and of course, if they are rhodium plated it is kind of mute. Many plate their white gold to get that VERY white look, and if they do, how long they stay white depends on the quality of plating, acidity of your skin, wear, etc......and how they appear when the plating wears depends on the alloys used underneath (you can replate them of course).

For example, nickel white golds often seem to be more of a buttery yellow-white and palladium white golds more of a brown/gray-white....however you can find allows that are extremely white as well using those alloys or others (i.e. Stuller X1 or Cobb's Precise White are both very white 14k white gold alloys).

Here are a couple helpful links:

Link to Comparison Photos

Common Alloys

You can also search for unplated white gold on the forums and find examples of some unplated white gold rings PS members have.

It is really important to know what colour the white gold is UNDER the plating, in my opinion, and buy from someone with a good reputation. Some maul jewelers have gone and plated regular yellow gold white rhodium to sell it as white, and of course when it wears it is VERY apparent that it is yellow - this has led to a bad rep for white gold about needing plating, etc. Good quality white gold does NOT need plating, and looks wonderful (not as white as platinum which is a cool-white, but still very white - a warm-white). Some will still plate their good quality white gold and recommend it (i.e. Whiteflash still recommends plating palladium white gold to get that ultra white look closer to platinum) but I personally prefer the unplated look as I am not looking to mimic platinum.

Many prefer 18K gold (white or yellow) as it is considered "fine" jewelery, as it has a higher gold content. It is also a bit heavier than 14k, and wears and feels a bit different than 14K. In yellow gold, it is softer than the 14k, but I have heard in white it is harder than the 14K. Often in white gold I have seen that there is more nickel (which is very hard) in the 18K alloys than in 14K which may use more of other elements (i.e. zinc), for example. Again, that may differ depending on alloys used. In Europe, 18K gold is considered the "standard", whereas in the US/North America 14K is most common "standard" for daily wear (take a poll around your workplace!). Each has its followers. I wear both.

Nickel sensitivities can develop in people, and most often appear in women after long term wear of white gold with high nickel release in pierced ears, etc. That being said, I have worn unplated white gold for years (prefer the warmer colour...though also have plated white gold) without issue and I have very sensitive skin (fair skinned redhead!). Some countries have banned nickel/high release nickel due to concerns, but that in North America there is no such ban so you need to check with manufacturer. Your baby is unlikely to have a reaction to the nickel white gold YOU are wearing. Some people also find they have allergies to palladium, platinum, gold itself (although these are all more rare as the pure metals are considered hypoallergenic...it happens) as well.

 

[lizzyann]

Thanks Raikai, I am working with a PS vendor so I definitely trust them. I think I am going to go with the 18K.