Platinum or WG for final upgrade?

[Susan7639]

I finally have a pair I am thrilled with! ACA 2.86 VS1 G color. This takes up all my ear real estate and I have no space or money left to ever go bigger. Unfortunately the eight prong martini has already stretched my thin lobes so they need to be redone. I have both platinum and wg jewelry, which would you choose for your final setting? Many thanks!

 

[PintoBean]

I'd pick white gold bc it is lighter than platinum.

 

[JPie]

I picked 18K WG for mine because they're cheaper and no one can tell when they're in my ears.

 

[tyty333]

Agree with white gold due to weight.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I finally have a pair I am thrilled with! ACA 2.86 VS1 G color. This takes up all my ear real estate and I have no space or money left to ever go bigger. Unfortunately the eight prong martini has already stretched my thin lobes so they need to be redone. I have both platinum and wg jewelry, which would you choose for your final setting? Many thanks!

My stars those are gorgeous! I think I would be tempted to go with white gold because of the weight but of course they require rhodium plating from time to time. Lots of other here have done platinum so hopefully they will weigh in too!

We must have ear shots of those beauties when all is said and done - do you have the specs of those stones?

 

[Miss Marple]

White gold, due to weight. Platinum if you’re at all sensitive to gold or any of the white gold alloys.

 

[elizat]

I’m with the others re: weight and white gold too.

 

[kmoro]

I finally have a pair I am thrilled with! ACA 2.86 VS1 G color. This takes up all my ear real estate and I have no space or money left to ever go bigger. Unfortunately the eight prong martini has already stretched my thin lobes so they need to be redone. I have both platinum and wg jewelry, which would you choose for your final setting? Many thanks!

Whoa ... I am having one of my dumb moments. I don’t get it, lol. The eight prongs have stretched your thin lobes so they need to be redone? What am I missing here? How can a different setting make any difference? I’m so sorry .... I have these moments and hope for your patience and further explanation.

For your question, I always go for platinum, but I agree with the others that WG is probably better due to weight if you are experiencing stretching due to weight. (I still don’t understand how a new setting will help, lol)

Those are GORGEOUS diamonds!!! Congrats!!

 

[LittleRed]

I’m curious about how much more platinum can weigh than white gold when it’s as small as an earring setting. Does it really make that much of a difference for an earring?

I ask because I have sensitivities and was going to one day get some studs in platinum. I also have thin lobes so don’t need extra weight.

 

[coda72]

If your ears are sensitive, and you intend to wear your studs daily, you should probably go with platinum. I have platinum and white gold earrings, and I don’t find the weight difference to be a lot, but the platinum ones feel better in my ears than the white gold ones because my ears are a bit sensitive to white gold as well.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Whoa ... I am having one of my dumb moments. I don’t get it, lol. The eight prongs have stretched your thin lobes so they need to be redone? What am I missing here? How can a different setting make any difference? I’m so sorry .... I have these moments and hope for your patience and further explanation.

For your question, I always go for platinum, but I agree with the others that WG is probably better due to weight if you are experiencing stretching due to weight. (I still don’t understand how a new setting will help, lol)

Those are GORGEOUS diamonds!!! Congrats!!

I am assuming her lobes were stretched due to the martini settings. While they would still be eight prongs - and again, I am assuming - that they wouldn't be martini settings. The point of those settings tend to settle in the earring hole. I had them for awhile but went back to a setting with a flat base because I didn't care for the way the martini settings sat on my ear.

 

[kmoro]

I am assuming her lobes were stretched due to the martini settings. While they would still be eight prongs - and again, I am assuming - that they wouldn't be martini settings. The point of those settings tend to settle in the earring hole. I had them for awhile but went back to a setting with a flat base because I didn't care for the way the martini settings sat on my ear.

Thank you for this! I was truly confused ... I have martini earrings too but three prong and they’re much lighter with .45 each. So ... it is a flat base that is necessary in a case like this ... thanks!

To the OP: I do agree with others that if you have any metal sensitivity that you may want to go platinum ... and that it can’t weigh that much more in an earring setting. Also, it is lower maintenance.

 

[yssie]

1. 18k palladium white gold if you're having WF make the settings: Lighter than platinum + no plating required
2. Thicker posts: Thin posts are wires that work to cleave skin under the piercing over time, thicker posts - as thick as you can comfortably manage - will distribute the weight in a less knife-like way
3. Jumbo backs

 

[Wewechew]

Whoa ... I am having one of my dumb moments. I don’t get it, lol. The eight prongs have stretched your thin lobes so they need to be redone? What am I missing here? How can a different setting make any difference? I’m so sorry .... I have these moments and hope for your patience and further explanation.

For your question, I always go for platinum, but I agree with the others that WG is probably better due to weight if you are experiencing stretching due to weight. (I still don’t understand how a new setting will help, lol)

Those are GORGEOUS diamonds!!! Congrats!!

Were you reading this as her needing to have her lobes redone, as opposed to the setting redone?

 

[Susan7639]

Thank you for this! I was truly confused ... I have martini earrings too but three prong and they’re much lighter with .45 each. So ... it is a flat base that is necessary in a case like this ... thanks!

To the OP: I do agree with others that if you have any metal sensitivity that you may want to go platinum ... and that it can’t weigh that much more in an earring setting. Also, it is lower maintenance.

The stretching is from these earrings they come to a slightly rounded martini point and then have a bead of metal at the base that is maybe 1.5 mm round, that bead goes completely into the hole of my ear.

 

[Susan7639]

Were you reading this as her needing to have her lobes redone, as opposed to the setting redone?

Smile. I actually had my lobes redone as my xmas gift three years ago, I think. They are still very fragile and not like back in the day :0

 

[Susan7639]

My stars those are gorgeous! I think I would be tempted to go with white gold because of the weight but of course they require rhodium plating from time to time. Lots of other here have done platinum so hopefully they will weigh in too!

We must have ear shots of those beauties when all is said and done - do you have the specs of those stones?

Here you go!

 

[Susan7639]

Thank you all, I am going for the white gold for the weight, my ears are already a mess. For anyone considering this style, they really are pretty and much less prong-y looking than in the pictures.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Here you go!

Thanks for the photos but I can’t read the numbers - ha! Was just wondering about crown/pavilion angles but no worries. They are gloriously beautiful stones and should be stunning on the ear! Can’t wait to see.

 

[yssie]

I can't see the reports - are these stones 2.86 each or 2.86 total?

 

[Susan7639]

I can't see the reports - are these stones 2.86 each or 2.86 total?

TOTAL!!! i wish......

 

[missy]

If your ears are sensitive, and you intend to wear your studs daily, you should probably go with platinum. I have platinum and white gold earrings, and I don’t find the weight difference to be a lot, but the platinum ones feel better in my ears than the white gold ones because my ears are a bit sensitive to white gold as well.

In the past I would have answered this question with white gold for earrings due to the weight issue but as others have pointed out how much weight difference are we actually talking about re stud earrings and the sensitivity to metals question also comes into play. I recently discovered I might be sensitive to gold. So my answer has changed to platinum just in case. In the past I was fine with gold so you just never know. Though you can be allergic to platinum as well. I guess it depends on various factors.
Good luck with your earrings! They are going to be GORGEOUS.

 

[sparklynurse]

Allergies and sensitivities can happen at any time. I had no issues with WG until recently when I noticed that my lobes were itchy, flaky and bright red. I realized right away that it was due to the earrings (18k WG settings.) I took them to my jeweller who replated them - this helped for a couple of months and then the reaction started again. As soon as the plating starts to wear off (usually within two or three months for me) I cannot wear them for more than 15 or 20 minutes at a time. For this reason I prefer platinum.

 

[lambskin]

Plat if you have the $.

 

[TreeScientist]

I’m curious about how much more platinum can weigh than white gold when it’s as small as an earring setting. Does it really make that much of a difference for an earring?

I ask because I have sensitivities and was going to one day get some studs in platinum. I also have thin lobes so don’t need extra weight.

It's really not that much. I think people over-exaggerate the weight of platinum studs. If you look on Stuller's website at their earring mounts, the very popular lightweight 4 prong basket in 7mm size is .43g for 18kt WG and .62g in platinum.
https://www.stuller.com/products/18...tionType=recommendation&recommendationId=9042

By contrast, the normal (non-lightweight) 4-prong basket in 7mm size is .76g for the 18kt WG, heavier than the lightweight 4-prong in platinum.
https://www.stuller.com/products/21...tionType=recommendation&recommendationId=9050

When it comes to weight, I would be more concerned with the type of setting rather than the metal for studs. I think the only time where platinum may pose an issue is if you wanted to get large (7mm+) bezel studs with a closed back, as that would be quite a bit of metal. But for pretty much every prong setting, I highly doubt you would be able to feel the difference between WG and Plat.

My fiancée and I recently purchased a pair of 1.1ctw studs with the 6-prong wire basket Stuller settings in Platinum for our upcoming wedding.
https://www.stuller.com/products/29...onType=recommendation&recommendationId=102621

Listed weight on the website for the 5.5mm size is .62 grams. Her current daily earrings are a pair of 5mm silver/CZ studs, and she couldn't tell the difference at all when she tried on the platinum studs.

In the past I would have answered this question with white gold for earrings due to the weight issue but as others have pointed out how much weight difference are we actually talking about re stud earrings and the sensitivity to metals question also comes into play. I recently discovered I might be sensitive to gold. So my answer has changed to platinum just in case. In the past I was fine with gold so you just never know. Though you can be allergic to platinum as well. I guess it depends on various factors.
Good luck with your earrings! They are going to be GORGEOUS.

Yes, I think platinum is always the best choice unless you can ensure that the people setting your studs can source a WG/palladium alloy (which is still fairly uncommon, and not really all that much cheaper than platinum anyway). Piercings are usually the most susceptible to developing metal sensitivities, and they can appear at any time out of the blue. My fiancée is mildly sensitive to nickel with bracelets/rings/necklaces (she can wear WG in these cases, but may get a slight itch if she wears it all day) but if she tries to wear WG earrings, she's practically tearing them out of her ears within 30 minutes. My mom was able to wear WG up until she got pregnant, but something with the hormonal changes during pregnancy made her sensitive to nickel, and she hasn't been able to wear WG ever sense.

 

[missy]

Yes, I think platinum is always the best choice unless you can ensure that the people setting your studs can source a WG/palladium alloy (which is still fairly uncommon, and not really all that much cheaper than platinum anyway). Piercings are usually the most susceptible to developing metal sensitivities, and they can appear at any time out of the blue. My fiancée is mildly sensitive to nickel with bracelets/rings/necklaces (she can wear WG in these cases, but may get a slight itch if she wears it all day) but if she tries to wear WG earrings, she's practically tearing them out of her ears within 30 minutes. My mom was able to wear WG up until she got pregnant, but something with the hormonal changes during pregnancy made her sensitive to nickel, and she hasn't been able to wear WG ever sense.

Thanks @TreeScientist that is informative. I didn’t realize that piercings were so susceptible to developing allergies though I should have known that given my very allergic history only first starting in my thirties. One of the issues with the earrings I wear is the earrings are vintage or antique so they are what they were originally and most are not platinum. If I buy earrings in the future I still prefer antique earrings so then I have to alter/retrofit them if they don’t have platinum leverbacks/posts/backs.

 

[headlight]

I say gold because it is lighter weight. I can't imagine you are going to be showering or swimming in those beauties in which case it will be a very long time before you would have the need to rhodium plate them. Also, now that I am back in a 14k WG ring mounting after plat for so many years, I forgot what nice luster the gold has and I'm really loving it. As for the martinis, I have 2 pairs in martini settings which are 3 prongs. They sit so nicely that it helps to keep my ear lobes from stretching, its like they just settle into place vs trying to defy gravity!
Those diamonds are INSANE and I'm so happy for you. Wear them in the best of health and happiness!

 

[kmoro]

Thanks @TreeScientist that is informative. I didn’t realize that piercings were so susceptible to developing allergies though I should have known that given my very allergic history only first starting in my thirties. One of the issues with the earrings I wear is the earrings are vintage or antique so they are what they were originally and most are not platinum. If I buy earrings in the future I still prefer antique earrings so then I have to alter/retrofit them if they don’t have platinum leverbacks/posts/backs.

Allergies and the proneness to their development are why all body-jewelry (like for body piercings) is made with nickel-free alloys.

I use platinum for all. The best metal, imo. It is a beautiful white/grey, considered a white metal ... low maintenance ...hypo allergenic ... will not wear away ... fabulous for jewellery ... very difficult to break ... love it! lol

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My studs settings are platinum from WF and my diamonds are almost 1.3 cts each. I'd say a flat base is more important than the metal when it comes to stretching the piercing. I am pretty sure m2b has platinum and her studs are about 2.5 cts each. I just like platinum and pretty much make all my white metal jewelry in platinum now. I will say, though, that studs settings are mostly invisible, so I think it doesn't really matter except for people who develop sensitivity to the gold alloys.

 

[missy]

Allergies and the proneness to their development are why all body-jewelry (like for body piercings) is made with nickel-free alloys.

I use platinum for all. The best metal, imo. It is a beautiful white/grey, considered a white metal ... low maintenance ...hypo allergenic ... will not wear away ... fabulous for jewellery ... very difficult to break ... love it! lol

I agree. But my problem is I purchase antique jewelry and need to alter and retro fit my earrings which will destroy them in a way. I have to contemplate what I will do. At this moment in time I am not sure I do have a gold (alloy) allergy or nickel allergy or any specifics. But should it turn out that I do then the earrings I own will no longer be in their original state and that makes me sad.

If one buys new earrings it is an easy peasy decision obviously but if one collects antique earrings the decision is more complex.

 

[Austina]

I can wear my platinum studs all day and all night with no problems at all. White gold is fine for a few hours, but my ears do start to feel sore and itch after that.