Thoughts on Palladium vs. Platinum for Ritani setting?

I don''t know the specifics of the exact brand and style you are buying, but I was considering Palladium highly. I did the research, and went around and checked palladium out. I had finally decided I was going to give palladium a try but then I my jeweler found a setting I really liked that was 18K with Platinum prongs. So I didn''t go with Palladium, but if I was going to go the custom route, I was going to give it a try.

Thanks much!  I know it''s cheaper and very durable but I''m hoping to chose something that''s the best choice for the long run!

I researched the heck out of palladium. Some of the things I learned, but don''t quote me or hold me to any of them because I am rattling off the top of my head:

-Palladium is very strong like platinum
-Palladium is very pure
-Palladium will age like platinum, but doesn''t loose its finish like white gold/rhodium plating
-Palladium is a little bit more expensive than white gold, but a lot less than platinum
-Palladium and Platinum look very similar in color
-Palladium is much lighter than Platinum, much like white gold
-Palladium used to be used many years back when platinum was needed for the war...or something along those lines


To my eye, I couldn''t really tell the difference between platinum or palladium, however I didn''t shop a ton of platinum.

The biggest down side to palladium is that not as many jewelers know how to work with it. If you know of a few locally that do you will be ok, but if you aren''t sure I would call around and see who locally deals with it.

Thanks again - I had heard that Palladium was more difficult to work with.  That''s an important consideration.  So many decisions!!!!
:)

Hey you! Do a search on "palladium" on here and see what turns up, I was considering it for my ring, and did a search and was interested in the reading.

So Ritani MAKES palladium rings? Fascinating. I wouldn't worry about the workability of it then. If Ritani is offering it for sale, they've likely go the bugs worked out. They are a good company.

ETA: I went with Platinum, but mostly because I was going custom. If I had found a 'stock' setting that I loved from a designer like Ritani, I would have had no problem with palladium.

Thank you, Gypsy! 
I''ve been leading toward platinum but I didn''t know that palladium would be an optiong.  So many decisions!  Now I''m trying to figure out if I should have Ritani set the ring or have it done with the jeweler.  I''ve read a horror story on here that makes me worried about having it done at the jeweler.   Ahhhh.  I''ll be REALLY happy when the wheels are set in motion!
Then I can start obsessing over the band...
:)

Years ago the palladium jewelry I worked on, left over from the WWII era, was no problem to handle.  It had some of the plus aspects of platinum and a couple of the negative ones of an unusaal metal and of metals like white gold.

When heated with a jeweler''s torch, palladium gets a bit of a gray coating on it.  Gold darkens with the same heat, but platinum just keeps its finish and color.  The darkening or taarnish can be prevented with certain coatings, but when making highly complex pieces, one might want to pre-polish the components before assembling them.  When platinum is used, the polish remains after the assembly is done.  With gold and palladium one must go to extremes to keep the metal shiny after assembly.  If the parts do get tarnised or dark, then the jeweler needs to attempt polishing the parts in place which often is nearly impossible.  For this reason, platinum is a better metal for complex assemblies.

Today, we have few truly hand made complex items.  Very few would be in the style of an engagement ring.  Jewelers have worked on updated techniques to manufacture jewelry which allows for the use of palladium.  Palladium in these new items seems an excellent alternative choice.  Unless the price of palladium does something strange, I''d expect it to become a largre part of the business over time.  I have heard a rumor some time back about experimentation with other colors of palladium coming out.  I have never seen any, but maybe someday, who knows?

David,
Thanks much for your insight - I appreciate it.  I will definitely consider the option.  Hopefully I can find some palladium pieces nearby to check out before we buy!
Thanks!!
Olympia

Well I assume if you are getting it custom make you would always want to go to that jeweler to get any resizes or future work done on it.
but if you were hoping to be able to take care of small things like resizes, etc on your own locally, then you should find a local jeweler who is familiar with palladium and charges a fair price, or it can become a bit of a problem. but if you plan to send it back to this guy for all future work, then thats a non-issue.

If the price difference is tiny, I''d get the platinum.  I just love the way platinum *feels* and the heft of it. 

However, if the price difference is larger I''d get the palladium.  I have a palladium ring that I love.  It looks a lot like platinum, but the weight is much lighter.  It''s worn similar to platinum as well.  It''s about ready for a polish at this point.  Here are some pictures: http://www.pricescope.com/forum/colored-stones/my-antique-garnet-ring-is-done-pics-inside-t48251.html

My husband also has his wedding band in palladium and is very happy with it.  It seems to get dented up pretty fast since he wears his rings quite a bit harder than me, but the jeweler said that these will polish out without a problem. 

Thanks kcoursolle,
Very pretty palladium ring :)  Do you think the palladium looks as good as the platinum over time?  I''m so bad at making up my mind!  It''s probably about 33% more to get the platinum but I definitely want it to be sturdy - esp since the setting I like best is very delicate.
Thanks!!