Help me with WG vs Plat. CADs are finished!

[hoofbeats95]

I'm doing an upgrade and custom ering/band set through BGD. CADs are finished and casting is Monday. I have to tell them Monday morning if I want WG or Plat.

I've never had Plat. Here is what I know. Help me decide what I want:

I wear the plating off of WG quickly. That annoys me. I like the metal to be white. (so upfront cost of Plat might be realized quickly by not paying for replating!)

Scratches annoy me. I am going from a plain solitaire to one with channel set sides stones. So less metal is visible.

I haven't seen the patina on platinum in person. I found this thread with montly pics: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-vs-white-gold.147732/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-vs-white-gold.147732/[/URL]

But What do I see in those pics? I'm confused by the photos that look much more yellow? That has to be a lighting issue. I don't see "patina". I see some wear - scratches. Just like my WG ring looks after a few months. So what am I missing?

I understand Plat doesn't wear down in the same way. Polishing moves the metal around. With WG, you lose metal.

My initial thoughts are that I'd love to have Plat cause I know it's "rare", heavy (I like weight) and I've secretly always wanted to try it out.

But is it worth "trying" it with this ring? I don't know. My BGD rep said she's had a lot of long time WG people go to Plat and LOVE it and wish they went earlier. She said Plat scratches easier. Which I think is true based on the hardness rating? But others have told me it scratches less?? I don't know what to do!!!!

I have CAD images, but I'm fuzzy on the rules. Where can CADs be posted? I don't think I can remove the logo as it's smack in the middle.

I'd appreciate some thoughts and advice on this. Help me work this metal issue out in my head. The budget would be REALY stretched for Plat. But I want to do it right!

 

[Gypsy]

Post CADs in RT if you are asking for opinions and trying to make decisions. If it is in RT a logo is alright.

Since you are trying to make a decision and it is hard for us to tell you without seeing the design you should be fine posting your CADS (with logo) in RT.

I will tell you that all my (regular wear) rings are platinum and I love it. But I do have to remember to get it polished every 6-8 months on my engagement ring (because the entire cathedral shank is plain metal) if I don't care for the patina (and I don't on that ring). But for the rest of my rings... I don't even both to check and just wear them.

 

[hoofbeats95]

Polishing every 6-8 months doesn't bug me. I find myself wanting to replate a ring that I wear daily every 3-4 months! Off to post CADs. Do you think the design will determine whether I will prefer one metal over the other?

 

[hoofbeats95]

The only thing not accurate in the design is that the channels will not terminate in a taper. They will be squared off. But no new CAD needed for that.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I read and read about metals before deciding what I wanted, too. I definitely recommend platinum, but only with certain alloys. My personal preference is 95%platinum/5% ruthenium. It is the hardest (scratches the least easily and stays shiny longer) of the choices and is used by Leon Mege and Tiffany's. Next is the combination of 90% platinum and 10% iridium which is used by Mark Morrell and Maytal Hannah. This is a good choice, too. The most common platinum is 95%plat/5% iridium and it is softer, scratches more easily, and turns the gray color (patina) sooner. I would not choose a ring with this kind of platinum. My rings are 4 years old and still very shiny. I have only had it polished once and that was only because I happened to be in NYC and paid Leon a visit and he did it for me. It really didn't need it then.

Mark Morrell has written a good explanation of the different platinum alloys. He explains why he prefers working with 90plat/10irid. However, the plat/ruthenium would still be my first choice because it is only a potential problem during the ring making and not for the buyer.

http://www.mwmjewelry.com/platinum_purity.htm

 

[hoofbeats95]

Does anyone know what combo of platinum BGD uses? I don't know and I have to decide by Monday!

 

[stone-cold11]

Probably 5% Ru as that is what WF uses. No harm asking to confirm.

 

[hoofbeats95]

I will ask, but I don't think I'll be able to get an answer till Monday.

Scratches happen to all metals. I just want shine and whiteness. Not sure which is the best option for me. I get annoyed with feeling like I want to replate all the time. I believe for replating I need to send back to BGD to keep the warranty. For polishing I don't. So that means plating costs me some $$. I just don't see anything different in the pics in the link I posted that I saw on my WG ring - well other than those photos that look really yellow!

 

[Gypsy]

Yes, for me it does. If the design is really delicate or has a lot of bezel work or anything like that I prefer platinum. However for a straight up solitaire to me it's personal preference.

With your design you aren't really going to notice the scratches that much as the metal, top down, is minimal. You won't get any yellow with platinum and I think you'll enjoy knowing your ring is platinum. I love the weight of my platinum rings.

Platinum gets my vote.

 

[slg47]

hoofbeats...when you ask BGD can you post what plat alloy they use? I would be interested to know! also I really like the design of your ring

 

[hoofbeats95]

hoofbeats...when you ask BGD can you post what plat alloy they use? I would be interested to know! also I really like the design of your ring

I would be glad to let you know.

Thanks for the comment on the design. I was wondering what people would think. It's nothing fancy, but I was unable to find what I wanted. A thin shank cathedral (with channel set princesses) where the shoulders of the cathedral didn't arch up, but came up in more of a "U" - up and underneath, close to the stone. Does that make sense? My old ring was a cathedral and the shoulders (I have no other word) came up pretty high and in an arch. It visually shrank the stone. But I love the profile of a cathedral. I don't like the tiffany type profile where the head just sits on the shank. I pointed out several details of various BGD settings, but the main base for the ring was the Jurica. I can't wait to see it finished!

 

[Gypsy]

Terrible to admit this as a PSer, but I have a BGD platinum ring and did not ask the alloy. All I know is that it is platinum 950. I will say that part of the reason I didn't care is because I knew my ring was going to be a challenge requiring hand wiring of prongs and I wanted the bench and Brian to use whatever they thought would give them the best result.

All this after I grilled poor Ocean on all the alloys possible for my first custom project.

I love the gallery of your design. Very smart and lovely for a flush fit.

I did request Ocean use the same alloy as MWM and I will say that I think it's pretty scratch prone. It wasn't her favored alloy though.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Probably 5% Ru as that is what WF uses. No harm asking to confirm.

I think WF's standard platinum is 95plat/5iridium which is the one that gets the patina so fast. I think Yssie has posted a thread on how scratched one of her rings got in just a few months. I think you'd have to ask to get one of the others.

Hoofbeats...you need to ask BGD if they will make your ring with the platinum/alloy combination you want. Standard is often the 95plat/5iridium.

 

[yssie]

hoofbeats those month by month photos are of my old ring (I had it remade with white gold because I couldn't stand the patina).

Yes, the lighting is different in all the pictures. Look at the last month, where I am wearing two rings - the plain band (thinner) is almost brand new, also platinum, my Ering is almost 6months old. Can you see how it looks matte grey - not clearly reflecting? That's the patina - "patina" refers to the multitude of surface scratches that create that matte non-reflective grey appearance. By 6months it was uniform on the shank, some portions of the head were still quite shiny - those portions would likely have become patina'd too in a few more months without polishing.

I still have that band, which is 950/ru alloy. It is now a year old. I have worn it around the house when I don't want to wear my set, for chores and dishes and such, and it has acquired quite the patina much like my Ering in those 5-6month photos - but as it's strictly a 'home ring' I don't care, and the ease of cleaning plat. is a plus.

IMO, having tried both wg and different plat alloys, if you "hate" scratches/patina platinum - any alloy - is not for you unless you are willing to keep up on polishing every few months. Ask about specialty wg alloys like w/ palladium or I believe the 19k proprietary mix. wg wears differently from platinum - the metal shines and reflects clearly through the scratches, the scratches don't create a matte finish.


WF alloys w/ Ir by default, I don't know if that's 900 (slightly harder to scratch) or 950, but I think 950.

 

[hoofbeats95]

Hoofbeats...you need to ask BGD if they will make your ring with the platinum/alloy combination you want. Standard is often the 95plat/5iridium.

If I knew which one I wanted, if any, I would ask! lol

Yssie - I do see the difference, but it's not as obvious as I thought. (In the two ring pics) I should have taken a picture of my WG ring before I sent it to BGD. I swear it looked almost the same!!! If I get Plat and regret it, that's a pretty pricey mistake! I have no idea what to do!

 

[atroop711]

I'm doing an upgrade and custom engagement ring/band set through BGD. CADs are finished and casting is Monday. I have to tell them Monday morning if I want WG or Plat.

I've never had Plat. Here is what I know. Help me decide what I want:

I wear the plating off of WG quickly. That annoys me. I like the metal to be white. (so upfront cost of Plat might be realized quickly by not paying for replating!)

Scratches annoy me. I am going from a plain solitaire to one with channel set sides stones. So less metal is visible.

I haven't seen the patina on platinum in person. I found this thread with montly pics: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-vs-white-gold.147732/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-vs-white-gold.147732/[/URL]

But What do I see in those pics? I'm confused by the photos that look much more yellow? That has to be a lighting issue. I don't see "patina". I see some wear - scratches. Just like my WG ring looks after a few months. So what am I missing?

I understand Plat doesn't wear down in the same way. Polishing moves the metal around. With WG, you lose metal.

My initial thoughts are that I'd love to have Plat cause I know it's "rare", heavy (I like weight) and I've secretly always wanted to try it out.

But is it worth "trying" it with this ring? I don't know. My BGD rep said she's had a lot of long time WG people go to Plat and LOVE it and wish they went earlier. She said Plat scratches easier. Which I think is true based on the hardness rating? But others have told me it scratches less?? I don't know what to do!!!!

I have CAD images, but I'm fuzzy on the rules. Where can CADs be posted? I don't think I can remove the logo as it's smack in the middle.

I'd appreciate some thoughts and advice on this. Help me work this metal issue out in my head. The budget would be REALY stretched for Plat. But I want to do it right!

I had Plat with my first set and I couldn't stand the scratches. My ring looked so warn and I also didn't like the weight. So when I had my new set made it was made in WG but I've never had to replate my WG. It still looks new today as it did 5+ yrs ago. I think if the polishing won't bother you, the weight won't bother you..then go for it! I know many ppl love their Plat..I'm just not one of them. I can't wait to see the end product..looks like it will be great! Congrats

 

[tyty333]

Here is a picture of my plat rings. The 5-stone is brand new (in the picture) and I've been wearing my e-ring for 10
years. I have never had it polished. I do see little sratches, but they dont seem to bother me. Personally, I
like the weight of plat.

 

[atroop711]

Here is a picture of my plat rings. The 5-stone is brand new (in the picture) and I've been wearing my e-ring for 10
years. I have never had it polished. I do see little sratches, but they dont seem to bother me. Personally, I
like the weight of plat.

wow tyty..you're ring looks great and I couldn't see any scratches. I must have been horrible to my set because it was all beat up but with big scratches, very dull and some dents.

 

[stone-cold11]

Hoofbeats...you need to ask BGD if they will make your ring with the platinum/alloy combination you want. Standard is often the 95plat/5iridium.

If I knew which one I wanted, if any, I would ask! lol

Yssie - I do see the difference, but it's not as obvious as I thought. (In the two ring pics) I should have taken a picture of my WG ring before I sent it to BGD. I swear it looked almost the same!!! If I get Plat and regret it, that's a pretty pricey mistake! I have no idea what to do!

How about WG/Pd mix? Not sure if BGD does that though?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hoofbeats...you need to ask BGD if they will make your ring with the platinum/alloy combination you want. Standard is often the 95plat/5iridium.

If I knew which one I wanted, if any, I would ask! lol

Yssie - I do see the difference, but it's not as obvious as I thought. (In the two ring pics) I should have taken a picture of my WG ring before I sent it to BGD. I swear it looked almost the same!!! If I get Plat and regret it, that's a pretty pricey mistake! I have no idea what to do!

Hoofbeats, this is what I suggest (copied from my post above):

"My personal preference is 95%platinum/5% ruthenium. It is the hardest (scratches the least easily and stays shiny longer) of the choices and is used by Leon Mege and Tiffany's. Next is the combination of 90% platinum and 10% iridium which is used by Mark Morrell and Maytal Hannah. This is a good choice, too."

I don't hear a lot of Tiffany, LM, MMM, and MH people complaining about their platinum. Most of the complaints are from people with the 95plat/5iridium.

Regardless of what metal you use, the good platinum or white gold, you should take care of them and take them off when doing cleaning, cooking, yard work, working out, etc. Those are all times that you are grasping things or likely to hit your rings on something. While platinum may get tiny scratches, so will white gold. And white gold can wear away over time. I have a 30 year old e-ring in yg to prove it! When I stated buying white metal rings, I did start with wg. One ring totally has the rhodium worn off and it is a light yellow, and the other was not worn long because I reset the diamond. But it has a chrome-like appearance because of the rhodium. I am sure I will get future RHR rings in white gold with palladium if platinum stays so high. But I hope my wedding set will be heirlooms and I am glad I have the most durable platinum. I know that I will have it polished much less often than I'd be rhodium plating white gold.

 

[hoofbeats95]

Thanks everyone. I would like to say that this his helping, but I'm not sure it is! lol. I still don't know what I want. The pic that tyty posted would really not bother me. I really think my WG ering looked worse than that! If that's possible? I don't think I'm hard on my jewelry. I do not wear it around the house. I wear it to work. I work at a computer all day. I don't wear to the gym. I don't wear to the barn. I wear it shopping and when going out. Am I hard on jewelry? I didn't think so, but that old e-ring looked like crap. I'm not sure why? I'm going to see if I can get ahold of BGD tomorrow. I'd like to talk to Lesley and see what she suggests. I thought about taking a stab at her email address (based on the email that I have for my customer service rep) but that seems too obvious of an address! Ha ha. We had obvious address at my company before my time and they had to stop using those (ex: [email protected]) because of so many spam emails! A big part of me would really like plat. There are concepts about it that I like. But the worrier in me is concerned that it will be a costly mistake!

 

[hoofbeats95]

tyty - do you know the alloy makeup of your platinum?


I just spoke with Brian and Lesley. BGD uses 950 - Ruthenium by default. There are rings that they will make with Iridium for certain reasons, but Ru is the default.

I thought I would share that with everyone.

I am leaning towards plat because of the whiteness. I think I much prefer dealing with scratches (which happens with WG as well!) than having scratches AND yellowing However, many of you have me worried about this "patina" and exactly what I'm going to see in real life. So far what I've seen in pictures has been mostly ok with me. I'm worried about the unknown. I was told by by rep that everyone that she has had switch to Plat from WG has not regretted it. I don't want to be one of the few that do. And knowing my luck I will be!! But. . . Plat has a lot of qualities that I like. So I will be sleeping and thinking on this through Monday morning.

 

[yssie]

tyty - do you know the alloy makeup of your platinum?


I just spoke with Brian and Lesley. BGD uses 950 - Ruthenium by default. There are rings that they will make with Iridium for certain reasons, but Ru is the default.

I thought I would share that with everyone.

I am leaning towards plat because of the whiteness. I think I much prefer dealing with scratches (which happens with WG as well!) than having scratches AND yellowing However, many of you have me worried about this "patina" and exactly what I'm going to see in real life. So far what I've seen in pictures has been mostly ok with me. I'm worried about the unknown. I was told by by rep that everyone that she has had switch to Plat from WG has not regretted it. I don't want to be one of the few that do. And knowing my luck I will be!! But. . . Plat has a lot of qualities that I like. So I will be sleeping and thinking on this through Monday morning.

Good luck hoofbeats! There is really no 'wrong' answer to this - you prefer what you prefer, and as long as you make an educated choice about which sacrifices you would rather make, I think you'll be happy with that choice.

You might go to your local jeweller and ask if they happen to have any used pieces (if they take consignments perhaps) that haven't yet been re-polished? Just thinking out loud...

 

[slg47]

hoofbeats that is good to know about the alloy, thanks for posting that! I think you'll be really happy with your platinum ring

 

[hoofbeats95]

hoofbeats that is good to know about the alloy, thanks for posting that! I think you'll be really happy with your platinum ring

Does it sound as though I've decided!?

The wrong answer for me is that I get platinum and I HATE it! Then I'd be SOL and out a lot of cash.

The only person I know with a plat ring is my FMIL. We don't have the best relationship. And she can't know about this since it's technically my 4th e-ring. (And yes she might see the ring, but it might take her a while to realize it, if she does at all). She also doesn't wear her wedding rings daily. So I'd have to request to see them and I'm just not sure I can come up with a believable excuse that I'm comfortable with! And make it real enough so that later she doesn't realize I was lying. Ya know! I have looked at them before, but I wasn't looking from the perspective of "do I like plat?". Though I don't think I realized that they were initially. Of course if they were scratched and dinged I may have just thought "wow she need to get this plated!". Cause I realize I'm more picky about my jewelry than the average person. As Lesley pointed out to me on the phone. That's what we are all about her on PS, right?!!? LOL

 

[marymm]

OP - I've been reading your thread, and I just re-read your first post , and have two thoughts:

(1) If you would really be stretching to get Plat and have this many doubts about whether to choose it for your upgrade set, I might default to WG.

(2) if your old WG ring had so many scratches and dents in it that were noticeable to you, regardless of what you say is your level of care or activity, it seems likely that your new set will also get visible scratches and dents - which may well be even more noticeable to you in Plat than it was in WG - and generally speaking the patina Plat gets over time makes the metal look flat/matte and grey.

So regardless of metal choice if you are determined to keep a white polished finish, you will have to commit to a regular schedule of either re-polishing (Plat) or re-plating (WG). You mentioned that BGD requires re-plating to be done in-house to keep the warranty, but not Plat polishing... have you priced what the cost of Plat polishing would be in your area? It sounds like you would be having it done maybe 2-3 times a year? And do you have someone local you would trust to do this work for you?

If having Plat is important to you, and having a white polished finish is important to you, and you can commit to (and afford) a regular polishing schedule, then I probably would go w/ Plat even if it is stretching the budget.

(To throw a spanner in the works, if BGD offers Palladium WG then you wouldn't have to worry about re-plating....although since you'd still be getting the scratches and dents, maybe Plat really IS the best choice for you?)

I think this new ring set will be lovely whichever you choose - good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thank you for asking BGD about their usual platinum. That is very good to hear!

I am going to attempt to take pictures of my rings for you to help you see what plat/ruth looks like. I am not the best at getting close up shots but I will try!

 

[yssie]

OP - I've been reading your thread, and I just re-read your first post , and have two thoughts:

(1) If you would really be stretching to get Plat and have this many doubts about whether to choose it for your upgrade set, I might default to WG.

(2) if your old WG ring had so many scratches and dents in it that were noticeable to you, regardless of what you say is your level of care or activity, it seems likely that your new set will also get visible scratches and dents - which may well be even more noticeable to you in Plat than it was in WG - and generally speaking the patina Plat gets over time makes the metal look flat/matte and grey.

So regardless of metal choice if you are determined to keep a white polished finish, you will have to commit to a regular schedule of either re-polishing (Plat) or re-plating (WG). You mentioned that BGD requires re-plating to be done in-house to keep the warranty, but not Plat polishing... have you priced what the cost of Plat polishing would be in your area? It sounds like you would be having it done maybe 2-3 times a year? And do you have someone local you would trust to do this work for you?

If having Plat is important to you, and having a white polished finish is important to you, and you can commit to (and afford) a regular polishing schedule, then I probably would go w/ Plat even if it is stretching the budget.

(To throw a spanner in the works, if BGD offers Palladium WG then you wouldn't have to worry about re-plating....although since you'd still be getting the scratches and dents, maybe Plat really IS the best choice for you?)

I think this new ring set will be lovely whichever you choose - good luck!

Yup that pretty much covers it all! Getting polishing priced in your area before you choose is a very good idea - shipping it back to bgd 3+ times a year will get pricey (and I think that's what you're looking at if you want your rings to stay bright and shiny) and you may be without your ring(s) for several weeks, neither of which you'd want to deal with if you can avoid it.

 

[slg47]

hoofbeats that is good to know about the alloy, thanks for posting that! I think you'll be really happy with your platinum ring

Does it sound as though I've decided!?

The wrong answer for me is that I get platinum and I HATE it! Then I'd be SOL and out a lot of cash.

The only person I know with a plat ring is my FMIL. We don't have the best relationship. And she can't know about this since it's technically my 4th e-ring. (And yes she might see the ring, but it might take her a while to realize it, if she does at all). She also doesn't wear her wedding rings daily. So I'd have to request to see them and I'm just not sure I can come up with a believable excuse that I'm comfortable with! And make it real enough so that later she doesn't realize I was lying. Ya know! I have looked at them before, but I wasn't looking from the perspective of "do I like plat?". Though I don't think I realized that they were initially. Of course if they were scratched and dinged I may have just thought "wow she need to get this plated!". Cause I realize I'm more picky about my jewelry than the average person. As Lesley pointed out to me on the phone. That's what we are all about her on PS, right?!!? LOL

haha, I thought you had decided? but no worries. we are definitely picky about jewelry here mary brings up a good point about polishing, if BGD would need to do that to maintain warranty?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Unless you are VERY rough on your rings, you won't need to have them polished 3 times a year! Mine has been polished ONE time in 4 years, and that was only because I was in NYC and wanted to stop in and meet Leon. I just asked him to check the ring for me and he had someone clean and polish it for me. I apologize for taking pictures without an ultrasonic cleaning, but here is the reality of 4 year old platinum/ruthenium rings. The e-ring was polished over a year and a half ago (and looked this good before it was polished). All I can tell you is that yes, you can see some tiny scratches with macro, but from a normal viewing distance, my ring looks very shiny.

I really am not trying to talk you into platinum. I just wanted to show that plat/ruth holds up very well. If I decided against plat., I wouold check into 18k palladium white gold.