My new ring vs. chlorine

[jennyann2]

hi guys,

i''''m confused....i thought i had read enough information about chlorine not effecting platinum. i got engaged 2 weeks ago and have a beautiful stuller soltice platinum solitaire. (stamped PLAT on the inside). so i thought there would be no issues taking a dip in my sister''''s hot tub on saturday night. well after about 40 minutes we got out and i noticed the bottom half of the shank feels a bit rougher than it did hours earlier. after examination i noticed some very small pitting on the underneath side only that was definitely not there earlier. i feel like i have ruined my gorgeous ring and now i''''m not sure if i should take it on my honeymoon as i know we''''ll be in the water all the time. what happened? did i do something wrong?

jenny

 

[AndyRosse]

Did you scrap the bottom of the ring on like concrete around the hot tub maybe? Or on any rough surface near the hot tub?

 

[jennyann2]

nope no scratching. it looks like a few tiny little circular pits on the underneath side a about 1/2 way up.

i wonder if it was sized with white gold as around the area sized is the worst although it does go up the sides as well.

 

[mrssalvo]

hmmm. I used to be and Aquatics Director for a YMCA and I wore my ring around the pool, in the pool, in the hot tub all the time and never noticed any damage to the ring/platinum. this was pre pricescope so I probably wouln''t subject it to those types of envirronments if i was still working there but what happended to you sounds unusual to me. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in. I know there was a recent thread about taking/wearing your rings on your honeymoom. here''s the link

 

[IrishEyes]

interesting. I know that chlorine can pit gold alloys, but never heard of it effecting platinum. Wonder what could be the problem.....

 

[AndyRosse]

Jenny, is it possible to post some pics of what is happening to the ring?? Maybe one of the experts could take a look at it and give a general opinion. Otherwise, you should take it down to a jeweler and see what they think. That is going to be your best option to get a more definitive answer.

Also, I just thought I would give a couple more suggestions. First, have you cleaned the ring after the hot tub? I would, because I find that sometimes I get something on the bottom shank of my ring that makes it feel less smooth than the rest of the ring. A nice dip in some warm water and soap and a brushing with a toothbrush would be nice for it

. Also, maybe these markings were there before, but because the ring was a little dirty, you didn''t notice and then that nice hot tub gave your ring a nice cleaning??

Just my random thoughts lol!

Secondly, I''ve had my ring for nine months, so this may not be very applicable to you, but the bottom shank of my ring definitely does not feel as smooth as the sides and top. Basically, that exposed part of the ring takes a beating and eventually develops a nice patina....But for a while, it can really feel off and look rather unpleasant (in my opinion of course). A jeweler should be able to let you know if there is a problem with your ring in particular though.

Okies, I''ll stop rambling with my crazy suggestions and thoughts and get back to work!!

 

[jennyann2]

Thanks Stretch, I am really hoping this is normal and do plan on stopping by my jeweler. In the mean time when I get home tonight I''ll see if I can get any pictures, but we are talking tiny tiny, easier to feel than see kind of things.

 

[AndyRosse]

Date: 3/21/2005 11:500 AM
Author: jennyann2
In the mean time when I get home tonight I''ll see if I can get any pictures, but we are talking tiny tiny, easier to feel than see kind of things.

LOL, Jenny I know exactly what you are talking about! I wanted to take some pics of little minute things with my ring, and after like 100 shots, I didn''t have a single one that even slightly resembled what I wanted!

So, I''ve resigned myself to finding a new digital camera with a super macro mode, and hence if you ever see a girl in a Best Buy or Circuit City taking pictures of her hand with every single camera, you''ll know it''s me!! LOL

 

[Michael_E]

Jenny,
The length of time that you spend in a hot tub would have very little effect on a white gold ring and no effect on a platinum ring. There are two possibilities here. One is that the platinum had some small suface pitting that your jeweler missed when putting this together for you and you have just now noticed it. Platinum has a tendency to get small pits in the surface of the casting because it cools and hardens so quickly as well as being so hot when it is cast. The second possibility is that you had pressed the ring against some grainy material like sand which would cause indentations in the platinum that could look like pits. Platinum is fairly soft and can get scuffed and slightly dented rather easily. This all evens out over time and forms a "patina" or frosty appearance on the metal. Your jeweler can fix those pits easily if they are small. If they are larger then he may need to laser weld some additional platinum into them to fill them. In any case your ring is not ruined and taking it on your honeymoon will cause no additional problems at all. Have a great honeymoon !

 

[Mara]

yep chlorine should not bother platinum at all!!

i have worn my rings in various chlorinated and saltwater pools and hot tubs, no effect at all.

maybe your platinum was mixed with another alloy that reacts? or maybe you just banged it somewhere or something and the closest incident in your mind may have been the hot tub?

i have a WG 10 stone ring and was wearing it one day and suddenly realized that the WG part of the bottom band was all pitted and rough and scratchy! i was shocked as i had no idea what i would have done to suddenly get the whole bottom of the shank so dug up and pitted. maybe it was a reaction to a chemical, who knows. i was traveling when it happened.

very hard to say, i would just get it polished and forget about it!