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Kirk Kara Charolette - Platinum or Gold?

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ipc

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
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1
first of all, thank you. Pricescope''s forums were a big help in forming my opinion of that the ''perfect diamond'' would be for my girlfriend. I read and read and read and then read some more and then searched for months until I found one that was right. Here''s the diamond I bought:

Radiant Cut
H color
VS2 clarity
Excellent Polish
Very Good Symmetry
7.12mmx6.81mmx4.81mm (1.05:1)
63% Table
70.6% Depth
Slightly Thick Girdle
No Culet (pointed)
Strong Blue Fluorescence
2.02 ct.

Now I just needed to find a setting. I had a few that I liked but ultimately I proposed with the naked diamond as I decided that only she could pick her ''perfect ring''. She said yes and away we went to look at the rings I liked and she didn''t really like them as much as I did (whew! I''m glad I went the route I did). On one of the sites we looked at had the Kirk Kara Charolette and she adored the Charolette with sapphires.

http://kirkkara.com/

So we went to look at it today at a local jeweler and indeed, it''s as beautiful as the picture.

All set, right? No! I was sure we wanted platinum but then the jeweler strongly suggested we go with white gold. He told me things contrary to what I believed about platinum (e.g. it''s softer than gold and more easily scratched!) so now I''m all confused. Well, we asked for a quote on the 18K white gold version and while we wait for that I hit the interwebs. I confirmed what he said but overwhelmingly the information seemed to indicate ''it depends''. Well, I play a lot of poker and I''m used to ''it depends'' answers
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so here''s are all of the criteria I think it depends on and I hope you can give me more direct advice!
  • cost is not a factor.
  • - I want the ring to last. I mean seriously, heirloom quality here. I want this to be a ring that a grandchild could _happily_ accept and use without cannibalizing it.
  • I want to preserve the details of the craftsmanship. The details in this ring are so cool and I don''t want it to get dented/smudged, etc.
  • The ring is going to be worn every day and she''s a director of the special care unit at a nursing home. A bit of paperwork and a lot of activities (crafts, dancing, etc) with the residents.
  • She likes ''sparkly''. Maybe I should have listed this first!
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    White is better than Gray in this regard.
Is there anything else to consider? I''ve looked at the pictures of patina, scratches, etc and I have to say the platinum doesn''t look like it wears as well as gold. We only have gold jewelry in the house so I don''t have any direct experience here. I also emailed the designer to get his opinion; if he intended it to be platinum, that''s important to me. Please help!

KirkKara_Charolette_6685-R.jpg
 

vintagelover229

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
3,550
I''m not an expert here, but I have heard the same thing about WG vs platinum. I''ve heard it from more than one jewler as well. I love that setting, but I''m waiting for my centerstone to catch up with the setting before I get it! I LOVE IT! You did a great job! I cant wait to see pics!
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allycat0303

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 19, 2004
Messages
3,450
Well my engagement ring is platinum. And I have an eternity band that is WG. Recently I got my wedding band (also platinum) and the difference in color between new platinum and old platinum is HUGE. I refuse to post pictures of my new band with e-ring because they are so differnt. My e-ring looks very dull next to the new wedding band.

As for the softness, I agree that it is very hard to maintain. My ring was very scratched after 1 week of wearing it, not so for WG which I''ve had for about 6-7 years. I noticed the same thing with my fiancé''s wedding band, he hasn''t even worn it yet, it stays in the box, and he occasionally wears it around the house, and it already has scratches on it! I would seriously consider WG. Especially if your fiancée-to-be doesn`t want to baby her rings.
 

atroop711

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
2,844
My original e-ring setting was platinum (and our wedding bands). The platinum drove me nuts. It scratched easily and dulled out. I know ppl love platinum but I had to give it up. I know I could have had the platinum setting polished but I didn't want to keep doing this. The banged up look annoyed me beyond belief. Mind you I'm not hard on my rings. I take them off as soon as I get home.

I had my new set in WG and it's been so much better for me. My new e-ring setting is over 4yr old and it looks brand new. I also love the light feeling of the gold instead of the heaviness of platinum. I'm in the minority but I prefer WG for those reasons...GL
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beechezz

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 15, 2008
Messages
1,515
My e-ring and wedding band are both platinum, and my husband''s wedding band is platinum and we love it. Yes, it gets scratched, but to me that is the beauty of it. I prefer the look of the platinum over time, mine have aged to a shiny silvery light gray over that of white gold that has to be redipped since the plating essentially wears away over time (like my 5 year anniversary ring, which needed to be redipped within 2 years). I don''t want to the hassle of redipping.

The best part of platinum is if the scratches and dullness bother you, you can have it polished and shined up! This is what my jeweler did for me right before I got married so both my e-ring and wedding band looked brand new. I haven''t had it done again since and I have been married for 8 years. Oh, and I almost forgot, I love the weightiness of my platinum rings. You know you have something really solid with platinum when you feel the weight in your hand. To me, platinum is something that will last and be that heirloom piece you are wanting!

Good Luck, and definitely post hand shots when you get that beautiful Radiant set!
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Cookiesmom

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
23
The setting is just lovely!

I usually don''t make comments but I thought I would bring up a hidden issue with White Gold. It can have Nickel in it - my sister developed a very bad allergy to the nickel. Ok extreme and she is a drama queen.

I am not sure that you can ask what the nickel level is in a ring and her jeweler told her that there are lots of alloys in white gold. I think the point was you can try on one ring and not have a problem and then another one might have a problem. Of course this may be moot with such a reputable manufacturer.

Now she ended up have the ring re-done in platinum because her doctor told her she couldn''t wear her rings anymore.
 

NeverEndingUpgrade

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
1,823
I saw a Kirk Kara platinum band like the one you posted in real life and it was gorgeous. My platinum Tacori set has bands with baguettes set end to end like the Kirk Kara (see avatar). I definitely wanted platinum. It is true that is it pretty heavy when I have both rings on. I had to get used to wearing the set together, but now I love the weight. As for the look of platinum vs. white gold, I own both and all my right hand rings are white gold. I have never had to replate any of them and when I turn my hands over to look at the bottom of the bands, you can''t tell the difference between the platinum and the white gold. I think that maybe my skin''s chemistry is such that it doesn''t cause the rhodium to wear off that fast. Also, I get my platinum rings checked and polished periodically.

I had a ring custom made by Richard Landi this summer, and he recommended platinum because there was a lot of engraving on the ring which he said would be better in platinum. Whichever metal you choose, I think you can rest assured that Kirk Kara will use the best quality of either metal and the ring will be stunning. I love his wedding sets that have the colord stones!
 

decodelighted

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
11,534
My ering is a very similar design (though not the same designer) ... it is 900 platinum and has been worn 24 hrs a day - through all sorts of crazy conditions - for 3 1/2 years & there hasn''t been any wear on the engraved, miligrained parts or on the prongs -- only on the tiny 1/4" spacing bar in the back that is solid, polished metal. Because of the *type* of ring it is -- ornate -- I''d guess it would wear well in platinum. Now, I''m not a shiny, shiny lover ... so the very slight patina my rings must have doesn''t bother me in the least. On the contrary ... it makes my diamond stand out MORE!
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FWIW -- I first saw my setting in white gold & I asked for it to be recreated in platinum ... that''s how much I wanted platinum.

Does Kirk Kara use 950 or 900? 900 is more rigid I hear.
 

Tacori E-ring

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 15, 2005
Messages
20,041
First off that is one of my favorite settings! No matter what metal you chose it will be beautiful. My setting is PLT and I do like the weight and the color. It does have some scratches but since my ring also has an antique feel they so not bother me. Plus a quick polish and it looks as good as new.
 
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