Platinum/Palladium?

[jmarshall]

Anyone have a ring made from this alloy? 95/5? Problems? thoughts? concerns?

 

[TC1987]

Palladium itself is a weird metal to work with. It was "hawt" 2-4 years ago and seems to have been dropped like a hot potato. I don't know anything about the various platinum alloys, but I'd presume that palladium in it might make it more brittle, or less workable, or not as amenable to resizing and repairs over the years. http://www.johnsonmattheyny.com/public/miniHome_technical/platinumTutorials/A%20guide%20to%20Pt%20alloys.pdf (johnsonmattheyny dot com in case mods take out the link) has a PDF document that talks about various alloys.

 

[SMC]

Anyone have a ring made from this alloy? 95/5? Problems? thoughts? concerns?

I remember googling this awhile back and here is what I learned (if I remember correctly):
- palladium is lighter than platinum (keep in mind that the amount of metal in an e-ring is typically so small that I doubt you'd really notice the difference in weight anyway)
- palladium is more brittle than platinum therefore is harder to size
- lots of jewelers have less experience with palladium and charge more to fix palladium rings. You might have to go through more work to to find a jeweler who will work on your ring
- palladium gets grey faster than platinum
- both are hypoallergenic and good for people who are allergic to alloys in gold
- unless cost is an issue, most jewelers recommend platinum due to what's been mentioned above

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It would be my last choice following platinum and 18k white gold with palladium alloy.

 

[chloeishere]

I'm confused by what you are asking, so if you could clarify:

Do you mean an alloy of 95% platinum, 5% palladium? I've honestly never heard of that mixture before.

Do you want people to compare 95/5 platinum to 95/5 palladium?

I have a 950 palladium engagement ring that I've been wearing for over a year with no issues, but I don't want to go into specific details if that isn't the question you are asking. I don't own any platinum, but I've compared it visually and feel-wise with a good friend's platinum wedding set.

 

[jmarshall]

I'm confused by what you are asking, so if you could clarify:

Do you mean an alloy of 95% platinum, 5% palladium? I've honestly never heard of that mixture before.

Do you want people to compare 95/5 platinum to 95/5 palladium?

I have a 950 palladium engagement ring that I've been wearing for over a year with no issues, but I don't want to go into specific details if that isn't the question you are asking. I don't own any platinum, but I've compared it visually and feel-wise with a good friend's platinum wedding set.

Yes, I am talking an alloy of 95% platinum and 5% palladium. It is the mixture used by Gabriel and Co.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'm confused by what you are asking, so if you could clarify:

Do you mean an alloy of 95% platinum, 5% palladium? I've honestly never heard of that mixture before.

Do you want people to compare 95/5 platinum to 95/5 palladium?

I have a 950 palladium engagement ring that I've been wearing for over a year with no issues, but I don't want to go into specific details if that isn't the question you are asking. I don't own any platinum, but I've compared it visually and feel-wise with a good friend's platinum wedding set.

Yes, I am talking an alloy of 95% platinum and 5% palladium. It is the mixture used by Gabriel and Co.

Okay, I misunderstood, too. Who told you that is what Gabriel uses? This is the very first time I have heard of that being used here!

 

[jmarshall]

I'm confused by what you are asking, so if you could clarify:

Do you mean an alloy of 95% platinum, 5% palladium? I've honestly never heard of that mixture before.

Do you want people to compare 95/5 platinum to 95/5 palladium?

I have a 950 palladium engagement ring that I've been wearing for over a year with no issues, but I don't want to go into specific details if that isn't the question you are asking. I don't own any platinum, but I've compared it visually and feel-wise with a good friend's platinum wedding set.

Yes, I am talking an alloy of 95% platinum and 5% palladium. It is the mixture used by Gabriel and Co.

Okay, I misunderstood, too. Who told you that is what Gabriel uses? This is the very first time I have heard of that on their forum!

Marie @GOG. She asked Gabriel and Co herself.

 

[SMC]

I'm confused by what you are asking, so if you could clarify:

Do you mean an alloy of 95% platinum, 5% palladium? I've honestly never heard of that mixture before.

Do you want people to compare 95/5 platinum to 95/5 palladium?

I have a 950 palladium engagement ring that I've been wearing for over a year with no issues, but I don't want to go into specific details if that isn't the question you are asking. I don't own any platinum, but I've compared it visually and feel-wise with a good friend's platinum wedding set.

Yes, I am talking an alloy of 95% platinum and 5% palladium. It is the mixture used by Gabriel and Co.

Oh I see. Sorry for the misunderstanding! I don't REALLY think that there is much of a difference between the different platinum alloys - if there were huge differences jewelers would stress which one they used, rather than simply stating the metal as "platinum".

I looked up platinum/palladium alloys and found this info: http://www.johnsonmattheyny.com/public/miniHome_technical/platinumTutorials/A%20guide%20to%20Pt%20alloys.pdf

This PS guide is helpful too: https://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The PS guide doesn't even mention platinum alloyed with palladium. The Johnson Mathey site seems to say it is softer than the other alloys. So I would have to think hard about that.

 

[jmarshall]

I mean really, when comparing the qualities of a metal that makes up 5 percent of the total quality, will the difference in hardness be that noticeable from one to another? Sure, it would matter in theory, but will the difference in them really be discernable to the average untrained eye?

Ps Jan, yu have mail.

 

[SMC]

I mean really, when comparing the qualities of a metal that makes up 5 percent of the total quality, will the difference in hardness be that noticeable from one to another? Sure, it would matter in theory, but will the difference in them really be discernable to the average untrained eye?

Ps Jan, yu have mail.

I'm going to say no. Like I said before, most jewelers don't even advertise what alloy they use. If there were significant differences, they would mention it. It's not like the difference between 14K and 18K gold.

 

[TC1987]

I'd ask GOG if they have had any problems with resizing or repairing rings of that alloy. The palladium rings have the reputation of being once-and-done. The palladium was now real workable like gold or platinum, and resizing a ring never seemed to work very well.

If the jewelers have had no problems with making changes and repairs to the Gabriel rings, then there is probably not anything to worry about.