Matte or shiny finish for platinum men's ring?

[Sjla]

Hey everyone! I purchased a matte wedding band as well as a shiny finish wedding band. Both platinum. I understand that platinum patinas but how quickly does it happen? I wanted to choose the matte finish because I figured eventually if it's going to patina anyway but I do prefer the shiny finish because it looks a little nicer. There's also a bit of a price difference between the two. The shiny one costs $300 more because it's matte in the middle and shiny on the sides.

 

[OoohShiny]

All shiny precious metal rings will scratch and 'patina' over time - I hate small scratches in an otherwise perfectly polished item, so I skipped the shiny stage and went straight for a ring with a 'patina' finish

If you can live with random scratches in a shiny surface until it is all scratched, go with the shiny!

 

[LinSF]

It doesn't take long at all for the shiny to be gone, maybe 2 years? If you don't like the in-between then definitely just buy the matte one. Platinum will never stay shiny without constant buffing.

 

[Stephan]

German finish!

 

[yssie]

What alloy(s) of platinum?

My DH has platinum & palladium bands. He prefers a subtle finish - matte, brush, anything but high polish.

Scratches on a brush/matte finish look "more shiny" than the surrounding metal. Scratches on a high-polish finish look "more matte" than the surrounding metal. Shiny-on-matte is more noticeable than matte-on-shiny. So at first scratching on a matte/brushed band will actually be more visible and noticeable than scratching on a high-polish band!

All metal scratches, though, as previous posters have stated! So either way, eventually the ring will patina all over. Some alloys of platinum retain finish much better than others - avoid 950/Ir if original finish is important to you.

 

[RichardS_VA]

No high polish. If possible, purchase from a local jeweler who can work platinum (not all can) so that it could be resized if necessary and "touched up" every once in awhile if there are any deep gouges from constant wear -- a big concern of mine since my watch bands go through heck.

 

[david b]

Platinum never patina, it get scratches, yes, I suppose it will be harder to find a craftsman to renew partly matte and polished.

 

[Sjla]

Sorry what is 950/Ir?

What alloy(s) of platinum?

My DH has platinum & palladium bands. He prefers a subtle finish - matte, brush, anything but high polish.

Scratches on a brush/matte finish look "more shiny" than the surrounding metal. Scratches on a high-polish finish look "more matte" than the surrounding metal. Shiny-on-matte is more noticeable than matte-on-shiny. So at first scratching on a matte/brushed band will actually be more visible and noticeable than scratching on a high-polish band!

All metal scratches, though, as previous posters have stated! So either way, eventually the ring will patina all over. Some alloys of platinum retain finish much better than others - avoid 950/Ir if original finish is important to you.

 

[Stephan]

95% platinum, 5% iridium.

 

[kmoro]

Platinum is known for scratching. Unlike gold, the molecules just get shoved around with no weight loss - gold will actual lose weight over time, but doesn’t get the same look. If you want shiny, platinum might not be the way to go ... but the scratched color will still be white-grey. I still prefer platinum for color and strength, but steer away from wide shiny polished bands because of the scratching.

 

[sledge]

I know me, and I know I wouldn't ever baby a ring. So it's going to see some abuse. I think a fully polished ring looks nice but is setting yourself up for failure personally.

Also, having looked at many bands for myself and knowing I want something that isn't perfect has made me understand that "matte" can mean many different things to different people. Below are a couple of rings I always consider nice as I've embarked on this particular journey.

I've heard this first one called a Florentine, or German, finish. I know I talked with Caysie and it's expensive -- about $3k in platinum.

The other one is a tungsten metal and is "brushed". It's considerably cheaper not being a precious metal and I dig the black color in the finishing. In both cases, the inside and outside edges of the ring are polished, along with the offset channels.

FYI, here is a thread I started with many suggestions, pictures, etc.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-my-turn-deciding-on-mens-wedding-band.243008/



https://www.titanjewellery.co.uk/Mens/Tungsten-Carbide-Ring-TURM3.html

 

[AV_]

To say it otherwise: if you get the polished band, you will have a matte one with an interesting finish in a couple of years.

2c

I am amused by how rings live my life too.

 

[yssie]

To say it otherwise: if you get the polished band, you will have a matte one with an interesting finish in a couple of years.

- And if you get the matte band, you will have a matte one with that same interesting finish in a couple of years

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I personally like matte finishes as they feel more lux and bespoke to me since I so rarely see costume pieces with that sort of finish. It's a look I associate with fine or custom jewelry so I actually really like incorporating that finish into pieces when it fits.