palladium ring wearers - share your experience

[oohsparkly]

Hi all. After just not being able to choose between platinum or the various white gold alloys, I ended up choosing none of them - instead have chosen palladium for my ring which should be started next week.

The reason I ended up surprising myself choosing palladium is because I figured out the trick to getting a white vs gun metal grey version of palladium (definitely wanted the white) - see this thread ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-yssie-white-gold-experts-my-head-is-done-in.175144/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-yssie-white-gold-experts-my-head-is-done-in.175144/[/URL]). I also concluded that palladium would end up looking whiter than 18 kt white gold/palladium which was my next choice.

On top of that palladium is supposed to be hard like platinum and wears very similar to platinum, repolishes easily, is a secure metal for holding stones safely. It is about as light as 14 kt gold which some people don't like but I do. On top of that it is inexpensive.

It does require a jeweller familiar with using it as it operates differently to plat and gold in the manufacturing process.

If anyone has anything to add to the above, or to correct if I am wrong, PLEASE weigh in, I would love to hear as my ring is being started very soon!

I would also love to hear from all 3 pricescopers who actually have palladium rings Okay hopefully there are more than that!!

The last time someone posted a thread on this topic there were NO ANSWERS! Sad. And the last time there was a lot of talk about palladium it was about 2006/7 so I'm thinking that people that got their palladium rings a while ago are in a position to inform the rest of us (ok, me) how they find Palladium wears over time.

Does it go dull? How often does it need to repolished? Does simple cleaning fix up the dullness or does it need a jeweller's polish for that. Are you happy with the color of the metal over time?

My jeweller loves palladium and says it is the metal of the future. So it's worth a thread, yeah??

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Brownie22]

I don't know if this will help you much but since you have no replies I figured I'd tell you my experience to see if it helps at all.

I don't have a palladium ring but we purchased one for my husband for our wedding. I don't know anything about what kind of alloys it's made from (if that's even how it works), I just know it's palladium. The ring was so beautiful and shiny when we received it but by the end of the wedding night it already had several scratches. By the time we returned from our two week honeymoon it was totally covered in scratches and completely lost its "mirror-like" shine.

My husband really wanted a shiny ring so we ended up purchasing a $25 tungsten ring for him that doesn't have a scratch on it almost a year later. I realize you're not going to have your ring made in tungsten, I'm just throwing that info in.

I will say that even with its scratches it does have a nice mix between the 18k wg and Platinum colors that I really like.

 

[shigidigi]

Hi oohsparkly! I have had my palladium wedding set for 5 years now and I have to say I still love the metal the exact same as the day I received them

The metal is a very gray color that has worn beautifully over the years. I like the fact that it gets a nice patina like platinum does over time yet doesn't have the weighty feel of platinum or lose metal like white gold would.

My set is brushed palladium and I love that I can actually rebrush the metal whenever I feel like it looks worn or gets visible scratches, basically being able to keep it fresh just like we all do when cleaning our jewelry, excepting taking it one step further!

I also recently had an OMC set into a pendant made in palladium and it is simply a stunning metal to wear on one's neck as well. Clearly I may be biased since I am a palladium wearer, but given the metal's reasonable cost and longevity I feel like you can't go wrong with it as a choice for your jewelry.

Especially since you have a jeweler willing to work with palladium (which can be hard to find), I think you certainly won't regret going with it for your rings!

Hope my $0.02 helps!

 

[geckodani]

My set is palladium.

Pros:
1. The color is fantastic. Very white, never needs to be rhodium plated.
2. More affordable than platinum.
3. Very light. Some might consider this a con, but I love how light my rings are.
4. It's extremely shiny, even after 3 years of wear. With the exception of where I have scratched it (more on that below) the band is still brilliantly shiny.

Cons:
1. My local jewelers don't know how to work with it, so any work I need done requires my rings to be mailed back to their makers.
2. It scratches/dings easily. Minor ones I can polish out with a cloth, the deeper ones were able to be polished out when I sent my rings back to their makers (Scott Kay and WF).

Happy to answer any questions!

 

[Gypsy]

Gecko summed it up. My Dh's original wedding band is a Scott Kay palladium. The scratching drove him bonkers and now it sits in storage. It's not for everyone and certainly seems to scratch a LOT easier than my platinum and my gold.

 

[oohsparkly]

The ring was so beautiful and shiny when we received it but by the end of the wedding night it already had several scratches. By the time we returned from our two week honeymoon it was totally covered in scratches and completely lost its "mirror-like" shine.

Brownie22 - that is terrible! I nearly fell off my chair in fright!

And Gypsy with a similar experience, yikes!

Yet from shigidigi a very reassuring report and geckodani - love the pro and con list - none of your cons are a worry to me, so that was reassuring as well.

It seems that palladium can be very mysterious!

I am wondering if one issue is that wedding bands are moving all around the finger so what got dinged on the bottom ends up on the top where you can see it, whereas an engagement ring is kept in place so the worst bottom dings stay where they can't be seen. Also wedding bands are often all metal so there is a lot to scratch.

I am planning a cutdown pave ring where the metal is completely minimised, so that may make a big difference?

Also, while the idea of dings and scratches is off putting, my understanding is that platinum is pretty dingable too. On my last (related) thread ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-yssie-white-gold-experts-my-head-is-done-in.175144/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-yssie-white-gold-experts-my-head-is-done-in.175144/[/URL]) excellent pictures from thbmok showed the scratches on her 14 months-of-moderate-wear, not-been-polished platinum. These are great close up photos and they show some scratches that could really bother some people. (However they were all on the bottom and the top still looked good).

So the question would be: is palladium noticeably more dingable than platinum?

I am planning to get my ring repolished every 6-12 months.

Also would love to hear from palladium wearers whether they find their metal goes a duller, greyer color over time or not?

 

[geckodani]

I just snapped some pics for you. These were re-polished in January, and came back looking like new. I have since slammed my solitaire against my desk several times, and it has a good scrape. That said, it's hard to see unless you take macro pictures! In my experience, the bottoms patina, and the tops stay nice and shiny unless you smack it. Even then, they are still pretty darned shiny!

ETA: So yes, a plain band that spins will patina like platinum. Something that stays stationary will patina on the bottom, and scratch if you smack it. Other than that, they stay uber shiny.

 

[geckodani]

Here's a pic of how crazy shiny the metal is. Taken in better light than the last ones (I was trying to show the scratches in those; not the most flattering pics!).

ETA: More pics on this page from when they were fairly new. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-adwar-bezel-band-has-arrived.100955/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-adwar-bezel-band-has-arrived.100955/[/URL]

They look much the same now.

 

[oohsparkly]

Thank you so much gecko!! What fabulous pictures. I looked on the thread you posted and absolutely loved the pictures you took of your rings hanging from a branch. What artistry! And it certainly showed the palladium in an extremely flattering light.

I am dropping off to sleep as I type right now so will post again tomorrow. In my brain fog what I am grasping from this and other threads on this topic is that the ONLY real downside of palladium is the scratching issue, which can be polished out anyway.

I really appreciate the helpful info on what seems a metal that the jury is still a little out on/there are mixed reports for due to not many people having it so far.

 

[geckodani]

Thank you so much gecko!! What fabulous pictures. I looked on the thread you posted and absolutely loved the pictures you took of your rings hanging from a branch. What artistry! And it certainly showed the palladium in an extremely flattering light.

I am dropping off to sleep as I type right now so will post again tomorrow. In my brain fog what I am grasping from this and other threads on this topic is that the ONLY real downside of palladium is the scratching issue, which can be polished out anyway.

I really appreciate the helpful info on what seems a metal that the jury is still a little out on/there are mixed reports for due to not many people having it so far.

The biggest downfall to me is that it's hard to find a jeweler that works with the stuff. If you're okay sending them back to their makers for any work, then you are good to go.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would really like to know the hardness of palladium compared to the various platinum alloys because that might help in understanding how it would hold up.

 

[thbmok]

I would really like to know the hardness of palladium compared to the various platinum alloys because that might help in understanding how it would hold up.

It'll depend on what it is alloyed with ...

For a rough idea: http://www.hooverandstrong.com/category/Casting+Grain+Specifications/

In terms of Vickers hardness:

.902 platinum, iridium 115HV
.952 platinum, ruthenium 130HV

.952 palladium, others 115HV

 

[oohsparkly]

Okay they don’t call me OCD for nothing folks. I think I’ve read through every thread on palladium now… and with the help of many I think I’ve come up with the Palladium story so far….

1. Palladium stays shinier than platinum

rkp2be
it stays shiny (except for the bottom of the ring - not dented, but is a little scratched, developing into a patina). i''ve had it since for 5 months today(!) and the main part of the ring is just as shiny as it was when i first got it... and all i ever do to it is clean it w/ dish soap and water w/ a soft toothbrush. it''s not too lightweight - the same weight as WG. and when i''ve compared it to friends'' platinum, the only difference in looks is that it''s shinier.

2. Palladium is only very slightly less white than platinum, and does not need to be rhodium plated.

See geckodani’s fabulous comparison pictures ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-adwar-bezel-band-has-arrived.100955/page-3']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-adwar-bezel-band-has-arrived.100955/page-3[/URL])

It will go grey in color if heated and left unquenched, so the manufacturing is important if you want white.

3. It’s trickier to find a jeweller willing/able to work with palladium as it is not so well known.

4. Palladium MAY scratch a little worse than platinum…

neatfreak
My platinum ring "patinas" while my palladium ring scratches. By this, I mean that my platinum ring after awhile looks like it has been brushed with a brillo pad or something, all even tiny little scratches everywhere. My palladium ring on the other hand has fewer scratches, but the scratches look like scratches, NOT like a uniform patina.

Gypsy
My Dh's original wedding band is a Scott Kay palladium. The scratching drove him bonkers and now it sits in storage. It's not for everyone and certainly seems to scratch a LOT easier than my platinum and my gold.

…..BUT THEN others have not found this to be the case.

krockie
We''re married just a few weeks shy of a year, so I''ve had the e-ring for about two years. I''ve never had it polished, and the metal seems just as lustrous as when I first got it. There is what I would consider normal wear and tear on any piece of jewelry that''s worn every day... I NEVER take it off, ever. And I''m pretty clumsy and hard on the ring, too.

HollyS
I don't think any of those 'problems' with Palladium are a reality, and I'll tell you why: my DH has one, loves it, wouldn't want to trade it for gold. It does not scratch (he has a tiny miniscule scratch after a year of daily wear)

Diamond*Dana
I did have a palladium wedding set before I decided on a new setting, and I had no problems with it for daily wear.


I am wondering if the scratch issue might be lessened if the ring is hand forged, thus making the metal less porous? The following poster had a ring (don’t know how it was made) that did scratch up and a handmade palladium ring that didn’t scratch up.


elsie
In my (limited) experience, it seems like the quality of the ring might have to do with the one who makes it. I have a simple plain palladium wedding band I got from e-weddingbands.com, and after wearing it for about 4 months, it just looked scratched up and dull, so I bought one in white gold.

However, I also have a handmade palladium ring that looks wonderful (although I admittedly do not wear it every day). Still, this handmade ring feels more "solid" (possibly more dense) than the band, and I can hardly tell there are any scratches on it.

The posts below mention the problems with porosity etc. that may occur when a palladium ring is not made well, and that cast palladium will not end up as hard.


Yosef
There is an art to casting platinum, and palladium is just as fussy, if it's not cast right you could have porosity or other issues and the temperature to melt them is much higher then karat gold, so the skill level required to work with palladium and platinum is higher. Anyone can cast gold alloys, those that knock platinum or palladium either don't have the experience with it, or just don't like the hassles that come with working with it.

JohnQuixote
The hardness depends on the makeup of the alloy, whether it was cast, cold-worked, etc. Typical platinum 950/900 alloys can finish anywhere between 80-135 HV when cast. Alloys finish harder when cold-worked.

So that’s pretty much it so far. It seems to me that if you have a jeweller that knows what they are doing with palladium, will quench it to keep it from greying, and hand-forges it to keep it harder – it may just be a great option…

 

[lknvrb4]

I had a Verragio halo that was palladium and I really liked it. I also have a plain 1.5mm band that is also palladium. I like the color and for the price I think it is an excellent option as to buying platinum.

 

[oohsparkly]

Thanks lknvrb4. How did you go with the scratch issue? Are/were your rings handmade?

Speaking of that, if people know whether their rings were handmade or cast would everybody/anybody chime in with how you go with scratches/dents? Just to try to get to the bottom of this and know whether hand-forging would really help out as far as lessening scratches?

 

[rainydaze]

reading through your thread, one thing struck me - there has been a great deal of discussion and dissection on PS regarding the alloys used with platinum, how the alloys affect wear and durability, and how they affect the color.

i see you are exploring the effect that the type of manufacture has on palladium; have you explored the effect the alloys have? maybe that also plays a role in the differences people are reporting in the wear of the palladium rings, much as it does with platinum?

 

[geckodani]

My rings were cast. Honestly, any metal is going to scratch. I seem to smack my rings in the exact same spot repeatedly (it's the edge of my desk at work). My original white gold set had scratches in the exact same spot as my palladium set. Methinks it has a lot to do with the wearer, and not just the metal.

 

[oohsparkly]

Post by geckodani » May 13th, 2012, 3:45 pm
My rings were cast. Honestly, any metal is going to scratch. I seem to smack my rings in the exact same spot repeatedly (it's the edge of my desk at work). My original white gold set had scratches in the exact same spot as my palladium set. Methinks it has a lot to do with the wearer, and not just the metal.

That's interesting gecko. You have said you're hard on your rings (that's right isn't it?), and they're cast, but the bottom scratches on your rings seem just like patina to me - nothing to get bothered about and as you say other metals will scratch that way too. The top of your ring looks great, even with the macro photo showing up your favorite desk smacking spot!

I did notice through all the threads that the wearer is a big part of how we can expect the ring to hold up. I'm pretty kind to my engagement ring, not through care but just because I like it off when I get home because I'm in work mode and I don't do anything rough when I'm out.

This is the day I would need to call my jeweller if I want to back out of palladium but I'm thinking... palladium's going to rock!

 

[oohsparkly]

Here is omc111's 6 year old palladium ring. Don't know if it was cast or handmade but the palladium looks really lovely!
(this is the best I can figure out about transferring photos - my apologies - is there anything on pricescope that tells you how to do that?)

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/forum/download/file.php?id=300808']https://www.pricescope.com/forum/download/file.php?id=300808[/URL]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The only thing I may disagree with you about is your statement that "palladium stays shinier than platinum". I do not believe there is evidence to support that. I do agree that how shiny ANY ring stays has to do with how it is cared for. My understanding was that during WWII, platinum was needed for something military, and palladium began being used as an alternative for rings. But just as soon as the war was over, jewelers went back to using platinum. I believe if it was superior to platinum in appearance and wear, you'd see much more of it today and less platinum. That would concern me. I also agree with John Pollard that I would want fine jewelry in a fine metal, and those would be platinum or gold. Most of the cost of a ring is the labor because such a small amount of metal is used. I just wouldn't talk myself into a metal that we don't know too much about the long term wear when platinum and white gold are available and can be worked on by any jeweler. I think it would be good to try an inexpensive ring in palladium and then see how it looks in a few years before considering it for an e-ring. But that is just me.

 

[geckodani]

Post by geckodani » May 13th, 2012, 3:45 pm
My rings were cast. Honestly, any metal is going to scratch. I seem to smack my rings in the exact same spot repeatedly (it's the edge of my desk at work). My original white gold set had scratches in the exact same spot as my palladium set. Methinks it has a lot to do with the wearer, and not just the metal.

That's interesting gecko. You have said you're hard on your rings (that's right isn't it?), and they're cast, but the bottom scratches on your rings seem just like patina to me - nothing to get bothered about and as you say other metals will scratch that way too. The top of your ring looks great, even with the macro photo showing up your favorite desk smacking spot!

I did notice through all the threads that the wearer is a big part of how we can expect the ring to hold up. I'm pretty kind to my engagement ring, not through care but just because I like it off when I get home because I'm in work mode and I don't do anything rough when I'm out.

This is the day I would need to call my jeweller if I want to back out of palladium but I'm thinking... palladium's going to rock!

I take mine off when I get home from work, but I am a GIANT klutz, and they get beat up a bit.

Shinier than platinum... I don't own anything platinum so I can't speak 100% to that. But, my sister has platinum, and with the exception of my favorite smacking spot, my rings do appear shinier to me than hers do after a similar amount of wear. *shrug* I'm happy with my choice, since I hated having to re-rhodium my rings, and platinum was frankly too expensive for me when I got my reset.

ETA: Are we talking about your ering, wedding ring, both or something else entirely? If you've already got the ering (you said you baby it?) then you might want to get the second ring in the same metal, to keep one from chewing away at the other.

 

[oohsparkly]

Are we talking about your ering, wedding ring, both or something else entirely? If you've already got the ering (you said you baby it?) then you might want to get the second ring in the same metal, to keep one from chewing away at the other.

This is my new ering, 20 years down the track. It is a big upgrade but the main reason for it is I was never happy with my original custom made ring. So it is definitely an extremely special ring for me, and falls into the category of ring diamondseeker is cautioning about taking risks with! I have never had anything like this before.

I am planning to get a new w ring as well at some point to match as my other set is yellow gold. I do want both rings in the same metal.

 

[oohsparkly]

by diamondseeker2006 » 13 May 2012 17:56
My understanding was that during WWII, platinum was needed for something military, and palladium began being used as an alternative for rings. But just as soon as the war was over, jewelers went back to using platinum. I believe if it was superior to platinum in appearance and wear, you'd see much more of it today and less platinum. That would concern me. I also agree with John Pollard that I would want fine jewelry in a fine metal, and those would be platinum or gold. Most of the cost of a ring is the labor because such a small amount of metal is used. I just wouldn't talk myself into a metal that we don't know too much about the long term wear when platinum and white gold are available and can be worked on by any jeweler.

Hi diamondseeker, thanks for your input and viewpoint.

I am here only to learn. Myself, I have never had a white gold, platinum or palladium ring. I do have one plain 18k yellow ring that was a great grandmother's and is noticeably worn away. My wedding set was the unusual choice of 9 ct gold (common in Australia but not for wedding sets) because I preferred the color to 18 kt. So I don't have experience in any of the metals that are up for consideration right now.

Just for discussion's sake, I will say why I don't consider the fact that palladium is not currently widely used to be a dealbreaker in itself. In the 1800s a Hungarian doctor suggested that if doctors attending women in labour would wash their hands they could reduce maternal deaths. Because this was a new suggestion, he was laughed at and criticized, to the point he actually ended up in an insane asylum. Later they found that the deaths were from infections and hand washing was a huge factor in preventing them.

Just because it's not yet widely known doesn't mean in itself the deal should be off.

I looked up palladium on wikipedia and it said that as recently as 2001, palladium was actually MORE expensive than platinum, and was rarely used in jewelry because there were technical obstacles with casting. Then the casting problem was resolved, and in 2004 it became cheaper and started to be used more in jewelry.

I also agree that special pieces should be set in fine metals. But so far, I haven't come across any evidence that palladium is not a fine metal.

And about the reason palladium was not used much after the war - had to google around for that one! Found this :

During WW II, the use of platinum and nickel for non-war related applications was prohibited. As a result, palladium based white gold alloys became the only choice for consumers in the U.S. In addition to higher costs, white gold jewelry based on palladium alloys are denser and heavier than nickel based alloys. They are also not as white in color. After the war, lower cost nickel based white gold quickly reclaimed the lead as the dominant choice of the jewelry industry worldwide.

Not much info on that though. The war would not have been enough time to really test wear, but appearance we can test here on pricescope and it seems fine appearance wise.

Platinum would always have been a stretch for us budget-wise but if I set my heart on it I know DH would be up for it. but all the plat I have seen on friends rings in real life always seems so grey and dull though. Which my jeweller agreed does happen. But I guess my friends don't bother with a repolish.

So it's not like in choosing palladium I'm giving up the chance to have an always bright and shiny white metal, because plat just isn't that.

Been thinking all day and night and day... and still haven't called my jeweller to go back on the palladium.

 

[geckodani]

I did this same sort of thing when I was choosing my rings. For a while there I regretted the decision because I mistakenly thought that the deeper scratches could not be polished out. Since that was not the case, and my rings were able to be polished back to their original non-abused state, I no longer have any reservations about my metal choice.

 

[stargurl78]

My husband's band is palladium and after only a few weeks of being married, his ring looked TERRIBLE. He refuses to let me contact ArtCarved or the company we purchased the ring from, and says he is fine with it, but I am not happy with our choice of metal. The middle of the ring is supposed to have a brushed look with polished bevel edges and the whole ring now just looks like a scratched up mess.

I know there have definitely been a few threads on here since 2007 regarding this topic. I would try using the google search rather than pricescope search to try to find more threads (search for palladium site:pricescope.com).

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The platinum that is too soft and turns gray is the 95% platinum and 5% iridium. I would never use that for a ring, personally. The 90/10iridium and 95/5ruthenium are the harder alloys for platinum.

 

[Mike R]

The platinum that is too soft and turns gray is the 95% platinum and 5% iridium. I would never use that for a ring, personally. The 90/10iridium and 95/5ruthenium are the harder alloys for platinum.

Great post DS, this is very true.

I think it is almost impossible to compare the scratch resistancy of the two metals in real life situations, there are just too many variables.
Cast vs Forged, different alloys, different styles (wider, flatter rings will show more scratches than thinner rounded ones) and finally how the ring is worn, one person could wear the same ring on two different days, one day she might not put a scratch on it and then the other day she might absolutely punish it.

I think you have to accept that all metals will scratch, even stainless steal and titanium scratch, and some people even scratch and damage diamonds too.

I don't have a lot of experience myself with palladium, when I was starting out I often had to size two tone rings with palladium on the outside of gold, those experiences have put me off ever wanting to work with palladium again, also I have never seen a palladium piece that wasn't a (personally unapealing to me) dark colour (to my sensitive eyes)
Visible solder joins can also be a problem, I have also had a few clients come in to buy platinum rings because they were not happy with how their palladium rings were looking. (I'm sure others love the look, my concern for you is that if I'm remembering correctly you didn't like the darkness of your jewellers WG, I really don't think any type of palladium will have a whiter colour than WG)

Most of my friends don't work with palladium either so if you have found a great jeweller capable of hand forging a ring in the metal you are very lucky, if palladium is what fits the budget go for it, if it means you only have to save for only a little longer to get Pt950/Ruthenium , personally I would recommend doing that.

 

[oohsparkly]

by diamondseeker2006 » 14 May 2012 08:56
The platinum that is too soft and turns gray is the 95% platinum and 5% iridium. I would never use that for a ring, personally. The 90/10iridium and 95/5ruthenium are the harder alloys for platinum.

That is interesting diamondseeker. So are those second 2 alloys you mention a kind that will stay white/shiny over time?

 

[oohsparkly]

by Mike R » 14 May 2012 10:47
I think it is almost impossible to compare the scratch resistancy of the two metals in real life situations, there are just too many variables.
Cast vs Forged, different alloys, different styles (wider, flatter rings will show more scratches than thinner rounded ones) and finally how the ring is worn, one person could wear the same ring on two different days, one day she might not put a scratch on it and then the other day she might absolutely punish it.

I think you have to accept that all metals will scratch, even stainless steal and titanium scratch, and some people even scratch and damage diamonds too.

Hi again Mike R! I think you have nicely summed up a lot of the issues we have been trying to get to the bottom of.

Now you might be interested to know that YOU are responsible for me even being on the palladium trail in the first place!

I rang Morris and Watson when you recommended their white gold as being very white and not grey at all. (You did remember correctly that 'grey' is something I really want to avoid). The lady who answered the phone was very helpful and a jeweller herself. She spent some time comparing all their different alloys and commenting on the color and their long-term properties.

She had silver, pd/wg, two types of plat and 950 pd (couldn't tell me what the pd was alloyed with - their secret formula). So she got them all out and even asked one of her colleagues and whiteness-wise she said that it went from most white to most grey
silver
plat
pd
pd/wg

She said there was almost no difference between the palladium and the platinum, but the pd/wg was noticeably the greyest.

So I thought that since you said their wg was particularly white, and she said their pd was whiter than their wg, then the pd has to be whiter!

She also went on a lot about what a beautiful metal the palladium was.

She also confirmed on a later call after I researched a bit more that pd will go grey if it is heated too high and not quenched. My jeweller also confirmed this and said that if I want pd he will quench it all the way through the manufacturing process to keep it from going grey.

So I am wondering if the grey pd you have seen was not made very well.

My jeweller also particularly likes palladium and calls it the metal of the future. He has not guided me in any direction - in fact he is so into 'letting me decide' that I've mostly gone elsewhere for help in making the decision. Yet at least I know he is very happy with the metal, happy to work with it and knows how to, which appears to be a crucial factor because experience in this metal is obviously thin on the ground.

However I believe it is not too late to change my mind. Do you have any further thoughts wrt the above?

 

[oohsparkly]

I did this same sort of thing when I was choosing my rings. For a while there I regretted the decision because I mistakenly thought that the deeper scratches could not be polished out. Since that was not the case, and my rings were able to be polished back to their original non-abused state, I no longer have any reservations about my metal choice.

Hey gecko, if you are still checking out this thread, I just wanted to say how much I have appreciated your helpful insights and photos! It has been a great help.