Hybrid Settings?

[EuroStyle]

As I continue to research an emerald cut stone, I am left to pnder the choice of metals.....I know everyone says how great platnium is, but many people I know locally have not been satisfied with theirs......it got out of round easy, and turns into a brushed look too easily. I have seen some white gold that have platnium prongs. is this a better answer? Wouldn''t the metals look different in the same setting? I am going to be using a solitaire set up.....there has been so much info on stones, I am hoping for some on settings. In the end, price or name of the metal is not important to me....it''s which is going to be easier to live with, and stay shiny on my brides hand....


Sean

 

[valeria101]

Yeah.. thare isn''t much you can do to prevent platinum from getting it''s patina. Same thing for all other jewelry metals. Gold wll dull as well (in a different way). Which does it faster is a bit immateral, IMO, in a year either gold or platinum will no longer have the mirror finish.

About the rings getting "out of round" that is not the metal''s fault. The rings were just too thin and this is common. Platinum will keep it''s shape better than gold, but being more expensive, some platinum rings are made thin. The price sounds good, but the downside is not all that often explained. On the other hand, thin ring bands have been fashionable and there seems to be a comeback. There''s no way a wire-like 1.5mm ring shank is going to keep it''s round shape for good. It will bend, and that''s one thing to consider before going for the look. Not that this is a big issue - just a tradeoff to consider if very thin, dainty rings are preffered.

About color: well, white gold and platinum do not have the same color. Something called "gray gold" comes closer (and doesn''t turn yellow either). I am not sure why this alloy is not as popular though - there might be a practical reason.

There have been several recent threads about mix-metal rings. If you follow the posts of "Fedaykin" and "Platinumsmith" (both bench jewelers) chances are you will gather the bulk of technical information about jewelry metals that''s tossed around on this forum

Hope some of this helps

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Sean...

It''s really personal preference....people on this board will tell you platinum is a stronger metal and white gold tends to become laden with a yellow cast if the person''s skin acidity is too strong. My sister has a beautiful EC engagement ring in platinum and she''s told me that she wished she had it in 18K WG because of the "patina" (dulling) of the platinum...I, on the other hand, recently bought a 18K WG setting and plan to have an EC center stone placed in it as I know I don''t have the acidity problem that many people have when it comes to gold metals...

If you can, you may want to find out what your bride-to-be''s tastes are...with either metal, there is some upkeep, but it''s the type of upkeep that she''s going to have to deal with for some time...find out her needs/wants/desires and that''ll help you move you in the right direction...

 

[sparkling]

I do alot with my hands and my white gold looked terrible after only 5 years-ering was plain solitaire comfort fit band w/plain wedding band from baily banks and biddle-should have been a relatively good quality but I washed dogs, dishes, and did pastels in them and low and behold scratchy and yellow. On the otherhand while my tiffany platinum right hand ring isn''t shiny, it is still a cool white color and its 5 years older. I''d go with the platinum, myself. You could get engraving if you don''t want to start out with a shiny look.

 

[Demelza]

One thing to keep in mind: all white gold yellows once the rhodium plating wears off. That means that the only way to keep it looking icy white is to get it replated as necessary. Depending on the wearer, that could be as much as every few months or once a year. I would think over a liftetime, the cost of replating would cover the cost of platinum. This is one of the main reasons I prefer platinum -- it may get dull, but so does white gold -- it won''t, howerver, turn yellow.

 

[EuroStyle]

You are all touching on the ideas I have been throwing around in my head....again, price is not an issue between the 2 metals...either will be a solitaire setting, I just would be upset to see a ring I am spending so much on be bend out of round while she is wearing it. I know technically one may be better or worse, but I am really jsut thinking on a user level which "wears" better and which is easier to keep looking shiny...I think that shiny metal makes the stone look correct. As a person, having to mantain the ring is a given, no matter which metal it is...I always believe in keeping up with things you own. Salespeople use the WG wiull turn yellow right away as a sales tactic, but I am looking for opiinions of people that have them. Also, one person said in WG they would go 14k not 18k, as it is "tougher" and has less gold and more filers, so it might be less likely to qucikly yellow. Any toughts on that?



Sean

 

[Demelza]

I don''t think it''s a sales tactic to say that WG turns yellow. It does; and for a lot of people who choose platinum, that is the reason why. I''ve owned both white gold and platinum jewelry. They are both lovely metals, but in my experience, there is less upkeep involved with platinum. They both need to be buffed to stay shiny, but only one needs to be plated to say white. Also, gold does wear away over time in a way that platinum won''t. I have seen platinum rings bend out of shape, but gold will do that as well. As long as your fiancee doesn''t do very strenuous activity (lifting heavy weights, for example) with her rings on, either metal should keep its shape.

 

[Patty]

18k white gold mixed with palladium instead of nickle is less likely to cause allergies and less likely to yellow. I do like the patina that platinum takes on so I went with white gold for my 3 stone ring. I probably would have been fine with platinum since very little metal shows, but I''m happy with the 18k white gold.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

I''ve seen hundreds and hundreds of platinum and diamond rings over the years while performing appraisals.
Some over 75 years old. Yes, they take on a nice patina but most of the time the prongs, although worn, are still intact.
Platinum gets my vote for heft, durability, and low maintenance. Last week, a client was wearing a diamond engagement ring and wedding band...total 22.9 grams! Now that''s a heavy set of rings!.



Jeff Averbook, GG, NAJA
Metro Jewelry Appraisers



www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[elepri]

I just bought a white gold wedding band (for traveling) and even new it doesn't look as white as my platinum ering that i've worn for 8 months. Although I don't see it yet, I really don't mind the patina you get on platinum rings, so it was an easy choice for me. Oh and I recently saw a gold setting from fi's grandmother's ering. It's paper-thin on the bottom and looks competely worn out. I'd stay away from gold for rings that you're going to wear every day.