19k white gold - thoughts/experience?

[maplefemme]

I was recenty told by a local bench that 19k white gold never needs rhodium plating and stays bright white always, is this correct?
Are there pros and cons to 19k? I have no experience with it personally.
I am hoping to get my stone set in a hand wrought custom setting by either Steven Kirsch, LM, or Victor Canera. I'm not sure if they work with 19k. I haven't contacted any of them yet to discuss design or for a quote, as the stone we bought is on layaway and we won't have it for a couple of months still. I didn't want to prematurely waste their time asking questions until D-day gets closer.
I know I'd like cut down pave on a 2mm (at least) shank and I'm wondering if 19k is a suitable option, durability wise?

Thanks in advance!

Naomi

 

[stone-cold11]

Nope, it is not the just the purity of the gold alloy that determines if a white gold is white or whatever color hue but also the metal used for the alloying mix.

Same thing with durability, but that also depends on the how the piece is manufactured.

 

[Victor Canera]

The information you received is incorrect. The more pure you go in gold, the yellower and softer it will become. It's the alloy mixtures that give gold its whitish tint. The higher you go in the purity scale the less alloy you can mix hence the more yellow it will become.
If you're looking for durability and a pure white color Platinum is the way to go. Personally, I use 18K gold when needed and on unusual occasions 22K in areas like underneath a fancy yellow colored diamond to help bring out the color of the diamond.

Good luck.

 

[maplefemme]

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The information you received is incorrect. The more pure you go in gold, the yellower and softer it will become. It's the alloy mixtures that give gold its whitish tint. The higher you go in the purity scale the less alloy you can mix hence the more yellow it will become.
If you're looking for durability and a pure white color Platinum is the way to go. Personally, I use 18K gold when needed and on unusual occasions 22K in areas like underneath a fancy yellow colored diamond to help bring out the color of the diamond.

Good luck.

Thank you Stone Cold and Victor

This makes sense....
I was set on platinum and having it made in the US, I really could not find anyone here who could match the skill and artistry of the designers I mentioned. But because I'm in Canada I wanted to try to source someone local to polish the ring when needed afterwards, as opposed to sending it across the border each time. It's proving to be hard to find...if I have to send it to the original creator in the US each time then so be it.
One designer I called last week asked why I wanted platinum and I said for durability and whiteness. Also, I find white gold doesn't work so well with my skin chemistry, I'm not at all hard on my rings but the rhodium plating typically needs doing every 6-8 months, it yellows so quickly on me. He told me platinum was not durable and too soft to secure melee over years of wear and that 19k was superior.
I was skeptical so I knew I'd get some truth from PS members in the know.
I notice however, that my art deco period WG rings never yellow, why is this? Did they use different alloys back then?
Victor, is it true that a 95% platinum / 5% ruthenium composition is less likely to get as grey of a patina compared to other compositions of platinum?

Thank you in advance

 

[Victor Canera]

Hi,
If I had to guess, your art-deco period rings probably were mixed with Palladium (a Platinum metal). That's the reason why they've stayed whiter. Platinum is more durable than gold. It's a more elastic type of substance but approximately 60% more dense than gold which is more brittle. With re-polishing a platinum piece will lose basically no weight whereas a gold piece could lose 10% of its metal weight. On delicate pave work, re-polishing a gold piece will wear away the beading and lead to loss of mele. Platinum doesn't wear away in this way and it'll last you a lot longer.
I personally use a 90% 10% mixture with Iridium. It gives us the nicest white color and is relatively hard for a platinum mixture. The petina will be a very subtle thing over time.

Good luck.

 

[maplefemme]

Thank you Victor, this has been really helpful, I appreciate your replies and knowledge, very much appreciated!

 

[wreckem]

For some reason 19k white gold is popular in Canada and Australia. Stuller's X1 comes in 19k and that could be what the bench jeweler is talking about.