100% palladium ring???

[monte]

I was talking with a jeweler about palladium/white gold rings and he mentioned that they make a 100% palladium ring...no gold. Has anybody heard of this? I''ve searched past forums and have only seen mixtures of gold with palladium. Pros/Cons/Advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[belle]

did he offer to explain the differences?

 

[JohnQuixote]

Palladium is from the same group of metals as platinum, so it would be expensive.

 

[monte]

That''s what I''m wondering, the differences. I would assume palladium is white all the way through if it we''re 100% palladium ring, which then would not need rhodium plating and as much upkeep, but I''m new to this and slightly confused. I didn''t even know you could make a 100% palladium ring! How would it look? Any worries? Better than 14/18k white gold?
Thanks again for your prompt and continued responses!

 

[oldminer]

Palladium is costly, but not as expensive as platinum. It is much lighter in specific gravity so it will feel much more like a 14kt white gold ring than a platinum one. Because it is way lighter, you''ll pay for less metal weight. It shouldl be quite a bit less than platinum, if you can find one. Likely as not, the few people that offer such rings for sale will get some sort of premium price because of the relative "rarity" of their product..... If you want it, that''s the price!

The downside it that palladium tends to grey out more than platinum. It doesn''t really oxidize or tarnish, but it generally will appear less shiny than platinum. It certainly can be repolished readily.
For a wedding ring, it may prove perfectly satisfactory. Come to think of it, my mother''s simple wedding ring was palladium because she was married right at the end of WWII and there had been no platinum available for jewelry in that period of the 1940''s. Her ring worked fine for her.

 

[monte]

So, it''s not as shiny as white gold? My future fiancee likes the shine of white gold and I''d go with white gold if I we''re buying locally because of the "free upkeep", ie, rhodium plating. I want her to be happy but I don''t want to have to worry about forking out $$$ everytime she wants the ring replated. Do I have any other options?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Dave is right - Palladium has an SG of 12, 14k = 12.7, and platinum is about 21 (times heavier than water).

Palladium costs $200 oz, gold $474 and platinum is over $900 = so platinum costs about 9 times more for the same wedder.

Some men like gray wedders - eg titanium and tungsten - i have yet to meet a lady who does

 

[monte]

What I've heard is that you can mix palladium with white gold and presto - a white gold with a shiny appearance that doesn't need the upkeep or for that matter rhodium plating. If this is available through my jeweler would this be the way to go?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Nickel wg is better for wedders.
palladium wg is better for settings - it is still a little grey in 18k

but lower carat palladium platinum silver wg''s are the best color - some are better than platinum

 

[belle]

garry, isn''t nickel highly allergenic? it seems the palladium combo would be better for wg. even in wedders.

 

[monte]

Wedders vs. Settings??? What''s this mean? I''m fairly new to the forum and don''t have all the lingo down as of yet. Thanks!

This would be in a cathedral type setting with 5-6 round diamonds on each side...also it will have a matching band with 12 or so diamonds.

 

[qtiekiki]

Wedders = wedding bands

Isn''t Nickel wg alloy more likely to turn yellow than Palladium wg alloy? Then Palladium wg would still require less upkeep?

 

[lumpkin]

I''d like to know the answer to that question as well. And, what questions need to be asked at a local jeweler to get the alloy you want? Will they even know what the alloy is that the manufacturer of the ring uses?

I have a wedding ring that just is not very white. I''ve had it dipped twice, and it doesn''t look any different than before it was dipped. It''s an extremely substantial ring, I don''t know how many grams, but it''s a 5mm flat, comfort fit band. I really don''t understand why the dipping doesn''t seem to "take." Are there also different alloys used for dipping white gold? Are there different dipping processes?

 

[Michael_E]

I have zero personal experience with this metal, so I have no views yet on it. BUT, these guys do have experience with it and also some good pics at the end of their informative article. They only sell raw materials, but the views about quality and so forth are meaningful. Here''s the link:
http://www.preciousmetalswest.com/ click on the left hand side at "950 Palladium" for the info.