How do I know if my platinum ring is authentic?

[akanesama]

Hi, all. I really don''t know where to post this kind of question. I apologize if it''s in the wrong section.

Aside from the weight, is there a way to authenticate whether your ring is true platinum or not? My ring is heavy but it also has diamonds in it. It''s a half eternity band.

The piece in question is my wedding band. I purchased it in platinum. I have a few scratches on it already but there''s one marking on the outside of the band that almost looks "peeled". It''s really small and I don''t have a way to magnify it to be sure. Maybe I''m just freaking out. It just looks very white right in that spot and it''s that platinum color all around it, which is why it looks like a little chip or peel.

The inside of the band is stamped platinum. There''s no number next to it and the platinum stamping is kinda worn away. I was married in December 2008.

I thought platinum didn''t peel or chip. Is there a way for me to check it out? Would a jeweler that didn''t make the ring tell me the truth?

Thanks, all!

 

[musey]

It does sound quite fishy (based upon the stamp and "peeling"), so you should definitely have it checked out. Yes a jeweler would tell you the truth, without question. They may even volunteer the information without being asked

(that happened to me once, I think they thought I thought my ring was plat when it was actually silver).

Anyway, find a preferably independent jeweler (not a chain, someone that has their own shop) to check it out. They''ll tell you what''s up!

 

[oldmancoyote]

The fact that it''s heavy is a good point in favour - diamonds are very light compared to any precious metal, so they won''t add to the feeling of weight, in fact the opposite. However, the "very white underneath" a peeling appearance makes me suspect platinum-plated silver... have a jeweller check it, if necessary perform an acid test.

 

[D&T]

Date: 5/27/2009 3:55:09 PM
Author: oldmancoyote
The fact that it''s heavy is a good point in favour - diamonds are very light compared to any precious metal, so they won''t add to the feeling of weight, in fact the opposite. However, the ''very white underneath'' a peeling appearance makes me suspect platinum-plated silver... have a jeweller check it, if necessary perform an acid test.

maybe a stupid question, how do you acid test platinum home remedy? just wondering... this is interesting to me, I don''t own any plat jewelry... so I''m just curious if you can perform something at home to detect?no?

 

[oldmancoyote]

Basic method uses appropriately mixed aqua regia (nitric + chloridric acid) on a touchstone. Alternatively, potassium iodide and chloridric acid are also a quick way to distinguish gold/silver, palladium and platinum, though it can't be used to determine purity

 

[D&T]

Date: 5/28/2009 4:56:09 PM
Author: oldmancoyote
Basic method uses appropriately mixed aqua regia (nitric + chloridric acid) on a touchstone. Alternatively, potassium iodide and chloridric acid are also a quick way to distinguish gold/silver, palladium and platinum, though it can''t be used to determine purity

quite interesting... THanks!

 

[oldmancoyote]

You are welcome. Aqua regia kits are on sale on eBay and jeweller''s supply stores.

One thought for the OP: to tell whether it''s plated silver, you could put the ring into a cup of fresh (or defrosted) peas and leave it there for a day or so. Peas develop sulphur-containing compounds which will tarnish silver pretty quickly but leave platinum and gold unaltered.

 

[AGBF]

After my mother's death a year ago, I ended up with a band my father bought my mother when I was born. She always said it was, " just diamond chips". I took it with me to my local jeweler when I was in Connecticut along with some interesting copper pieces she had owned. I asked them to clean it. They asked if it was platinum or white gold and I said I assumed that it was white gold. First of all, her wedding band had been white gold, and second platinum would have cost more and my parents did not have a lot of money. They said, "Let's test it"...and it was platinum. I can also see (now that I am a grown-up) that what she called, "chips" are fully cut diamonds. I don't know what kind of cut they are. I doubt they are very good color or clarity. They do not sparkle much. I haven't even looked at the ring with my loupe, and my skills with a loupe have deteriorated badly over the years! They are not, however, just pavé, which is what I think I thought ,"chips" meant when I was a child. I am sorry if I have strayed off-topic! This thread just got me thinking .

AGBF

 

[MisterG]

Take it to a jeweler and find out.

The thing about platinum is that when it gets "scratched," it actually just displaces the metal... so maybe what appears to be "peeling" is just some displacement.

But a jeweler will be able to tell you whether or not it''s platinum and if is, he can polish the ring and move the metal back into place at that spot.

 

[pyramid]

Some platinum is rhodium plated to give it a nice showroom look, I don''t know, would it look like peeling when it wore off? - does anyone with rhodium plated white gold know if that is the case?

 

[oldmancoyote]

Yes it would. Any plating that is not properly attached to the base will look like very thin tinfoil peeling off. What leaves me perplexed is the fact that the metal underneath the "peeling" is very white. Platinum is greyer than rhodium, while silver is the whitest of grey metals.