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Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Rings

fiberartist

Rough_Rock
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Oct 9, 2011
Messages
11
Hello, I am new to Price Scope. I have been looking around for the answer to my multiple questions, but have come up short so far. We are shopping for my engagement ring, but I am trying to keep my wedding band in mind also. I have also been thinking about my will be husband's band, partially because we're considering trying to get the same metal if possible. Below are my questions listed by number.

My boyfriend and I have mutually decided on a three stone round diamond ring for my engagement ring. The store we are looking at starts at 1 ct tw for a platinum band and 1/2 ct tw for a white gold band in their three stone rings. I would actually prefer the 1/2 ct tw, but my research is making me thinking a platinum band would be a better choice for me. To custom make a 1/2 ct tw platinum ring would cost as much as a 1 ct tw, in which case there's no point in not just getting a 1 ct tw! So I have two questions toward this particular matter.

1. When it comes to the jewelry I wear daily, I mostly wear southwestern Native American jewelry, which of course is usually set in silver. Because the jewelry in the store is nice and polished and not scratched up or needing a rhodium dip, I can't compare my jewelry to how my rings will look after a few months or years when in need of a jeweler. So my question is, which would go with silver better: platinum or white gold?

2. For my band, I would like for the first few years a simple solid metal band (In years to come, I can hopefully acquire anniversary bands in addition). I'm a wanna-be professional artist, so I'm very hard on my hands. I would probably end up not wearing my diamond engagement ring while working or wearing it on a chain around my neck to prevent hard chemical interactions, scratches, and pigment getting stuck around the stones. It seems from research that a platinum wedding band would be best for me since I am so rough on my hands, no? Now the question though is would a white gold engagement ring next to a platinum wedding band look too clashing? Is this just completely outlandish of an idea? Because I would be wanting to not remove my wedding band but highly consider removing my engagement ring is why I came up with this idea.

3. Now I have a question toward my to be husband's ring. He too works with his hands, specifically with electricity. I got to thinking that maybe we should look for a metal that would not conduct electricity as well, does this sound like it would be a problem? I know gold is suppose to conduct electricity well but I don't know about platinum or the newer popularity of titanium, tungsten, or palladium? Is this something people who know about jewelry have ever even heard of being a problem? I may just be over thinking stuff.

Thank you for reading my post and additionally an extra thank you in advance for your reply :wavey:
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

Silver will eat into both, but plat should fare better than gold.

Not literally eat, of course, but silver is a very soft metal - soft enough to allow granules of much harder substances to become embedded in the surface, and those granules will damage adjacent rings long-term. If you're only wearing them together occasionally I wouldn't worry about it.

ETA: silver will eat plat, plat will eat gold*


Re. his work - if he's in real danger of getting zapped he'll be in gloves sans ring anyway, right? Quick search found this page http://www.wisetool.com/designation/cond.htm
 

fiberartist

Rough_Rock
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Oct 9, 2011
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

Thank you so much for your reply Yssie. I didn't realize about metals "eating" each other, very good information to know. I think I am going to end up going toward platinum for both myself and my to be husband.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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58,547
Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

I would advise you both to not wear rings when you are working with your hands. Fine jewelry will look better longer when we do that!

One option for men that I really like is Tungsten. My son-in-law has worn his for almost a year and it still looks perfect. It is faaar more scratch resistant than platinum or gold. In fact, if you just want an alternate band to wear while you work with your hands, you could get one of the tungsten bands for yourself. I love the 4mm Bella band with 3 tiny diamonds! Here's the site my son-in-law got his from:

http://www.tungstenworld.com/

I prefer platinum for my rings. But the harder alloy combinations are 95% platinum/ 5% ruthenium and 90% plat/10 iridium. Very common are settings made with 95plat/5iridium and it is softer and gets scratched up and gray looking much more quickly because it is softer. So I would avoid that.
 

fiberartist

Rough_Rock
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Oct 9, 2011
Messages
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

Thank you for your reply diamondseeker. After looking into the tungsten, I think this would be a great option for both of us. I was wanting a plain band for when I'm working on stuff anyway and hoping to get a sparkley one maybe for an early anniversary. The tungsten would be a great affordable option for "working" band. I'd even consider getting my husband to be a "dress" ring and a tungsten one for every day work, depending on how he feels about it.
 

distracts

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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

I have a platinum engagement ring and it goes quite well with my silver jewelry, colorwise. (Stylewise is a different matter entirely as I like deconstructed geometric pieces and my engagement ring is, well, what you see in my user picture.)

Whenever I do anything with my hands, I either wear it on a chain around my neck (long enough to tuck into my shirt) or leave it on the ring stand at home. When I'm at my silversmithing classes, I always leave it at home, but when I used to work at a job where my hands were bashed around a lot but the rest of me was not near anything potentially damaging, I wore it around my neck. I also have a cheap plain ring I wear when I'm doing things where I'm covered in sunscreen, because I don't want to gunk up the pave and then have to struggle to clean it. Easier just to keep it clean, imo! I'll do the same when I get married, though I'll probably be more likely to wear a plain silver band than nothing.

For the non-conductive wedding band question... I've seen SafeRingz linked before.

Yssie, when you say silver will eat into platinum, do you mean that the silver will damage the platinum? I would have thought it would be the other way around... but granted I don't know. Can you explain it better to me? I was contemplating wearing a plain silver band as a spacer between my engagement and wedding rings (both 3 sided pave), but I thought that the silver would get damaged, not the platinum. I'm not okay with the fancy rings getting damaged!
 

PositivelyPeanut

Shiny_Rock
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Aug 31, 2011
Messages
132
Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

fiberartist|1318227661|3036928 said:
1. When it comes to the jewelry I wear daily, I mostly wear southwestern Native American jewelry, which of course is usually set in silver. Because the jewelry in the store is nice and polished and not scratched up or needing a rhodium dip, I can't compare my jewelry to how my rings will look after a few months or years when in need of a jeweler. So my question is, which would go with silver better: platinum or white gold?
It sounds like you're concerned here with just wearing the silver jewelry at the same time and not within contact of the other metals. I have a polished silver band that I wear on my left index finger everyday and it looks just fine with any of my other rings (18k white gold, platinum, rose gold). I think it probably comes down to the style of the jewelry looking good together more than the specific metals. The metals can be made to have different surface finishes/treatments as well to compliment your current style.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

distracts|1318921834|3042581 said:
Yssie, when you say silver will eat into platinum, do you mean that the silver will damage the platinum? I would have thought it would be the other way around... but granted I don't know. Can you explain it better to me? I was contemplating wearing a plain silver band as a spacer between my engagement and wedding rings (both 3 sided pave), but I thought that the silver would get damaged, not the platinum. I'm not okay with the fancy rings getting damaged!


Yes - I mean the silver will wear away the platinum. You've probably heard that platinum "lasts forever" - but, unfortunately, it does not. LGK detailed her observations in this thread [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/disappointed-with-platinum.165047/page-2']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/disappointed-with-platinum.165047/page-2[/URL]

Re. why there will be damage - [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/silver-on-white-gold.154699/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/silver-on-white-gold.154699/[/URL]
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

fiberartist|1318915796|3042558 said:
Thank you for your reply diamondseeker. After looking into the tungsten, I think this would be a great option for both of us. I was wanting a plain band for when I'm working on stuff anyway and hoping to get a sparkley one maybe for an early anniversary. The tungsten would be a great affordable option for "working" band. I'd even consider getting my husband to be a "dress" ring and a tungsten one for every day work, depending on how he feels about it.

I think you'll be really pleased with it! My son-in-law has one for his only band, and honestly, it looks like very fine quality. It is so smooth to the touch and I could see myself just playing with it if I had one! It is also a substantial weight and not flimsy feeling. And it would be perfect for you to wear while working and then switch to a sparkly one when going out, or whatever!
 

geckodani

Ideal_Rock
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

Ditto tungsten as a GREAT metal if you want something you can beat the crap out of. I attached a pic of DH's. This was taken a while ago, but the ring is 5 years old and still looks brand new.

Just be forewarned, tungsten is HEAVY. I had a tungsten travel ring, and found it too heavy to wear comfortably.

mrgeckoring.jpg
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

But speaking of the weight, it reminds me of platinum in that it is heavier than gold.
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
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Re: Multiple Metal Questions for Engagement and Wedding Ring

Yssie|1318956275|3042782 said:

Thanks, Yssie! I guess I either need to look into getting a platinum spacer band or having the wedding ring and engagement ring soldered together after we get hitched.
 
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