Need advice on setting and wedding band!

[jimtheideaman]

I picked out a diamond and had it mounted in a solitair setting with a matching wedding band all on BlueNile.com. At the time, I did a lot of research about diamonds and I believe I picked out a good one! I did NOT however do ANY research on the settings. I ended up ordering this in 18K white gold.

She''s been wearing this engagement ring for 6 months now and the bottom part of the ring (palm side) is looking yellow. I know I can get it replated with rhodium and I''ve called around town for prices. They range from $25 to $100. The 2 places that sounded the best are $65 and $75. I am not sure (didn''t know to ask at the time) what the $25 place does as far as prep, if any, before they replate. I know the other places strip off the old rhodium before they replate it and they went into details I couldn''t re-explain.

We called Blue Nile about possibly sending back the wedding band and repurchasing the platinum version and also mailing back the engagement ring to have the diamond taken out and remounted into the platinum version of that ring. This will cost $1,425 to do the switch and I will have an "extra" solitaire ring setting in white gold with yellow showing through the bottom that I can resell??? Can''t be worth anything. Or, we can keep what we''ve got and just get the rings replated as needed. Any advice? Are we better off spending the extra $1,425 now or replating as needed. I''m guessing we''re looking at about $140 each time we need replating once she''s wearing the matching wedding band.

 

[Manmountain]

The plating problem is just one problem with eighteen karat white gold. Most white gold alloys in the USA are alloyed with nickel and are subject to stress corrosion. Chlorine attacks these alloys. Hot tubs and swimming pools are a no-no. Your rings won''t turn green, but they can form cracks, expecially in areas where the metal has been stressed. Like where the prongs have been folded down onto the stone. Sometimes these prong tips can fall off without warning.

If you don''t like the real color of white gold, platinum definately has some advantages,

 

[Gypsy]

You can get a paladium alloy WG that does need replating for less than that. If it''s just a solitare you have lots of options. You don''t have to go with BN. If I were to pay the $$ for the platinum with metal prices SO high right now, I''d make sure it was my forever setting. If she wants to upgrade or change the setting at any point in the forseeable future I''d just replate the one I have.

 

[jimtheideaman]

>>Your rings won''t turn green, but they can form cracks, expecially in areas where the metal has been stressed. Like where the prongs have been folded down onto the stone. Sometimes these prong tips can fall off without warning.
The prongs are platinum so I don''t think I have to worry about that. Plus, she takes the ring off for swimming, cleaning, etc.

>>You don''t have to go with BN. If I were to pay the $$ for the platinum with metal prices SO high right now, I''d make sure it was my forerer setting. If she wants to upgrade or change the setting at any point in the forseeable future I''d just replate the one I have.
Well I am sort of stuck with Blue Nile, at least for the wedding band because it''s been over 6 months now since my purchase I can''t return it, but they will consider an exchange to the platinum wedding band. Maybe my best option is to exchange/upgrade the wedding band only. The difference in cost at Blue Nile is only $325 for the wedding band. The cost difference on the setting is a whopping $750!

Should I exchange the wedding band through Blue Nile for $325 and then get a setting at a local jeweler and have them remount my diamond? Can I do that for under $1100? If so, that''s the less expensive alternative and I develop a relationship with a local jeweler which might be nice in the future.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I''d stick with what you have for now and get them rhodium plated. Is the ring getting a lot of wear and tear? Does she remove it while doing housework, dishes, working out, yard work, etc.? The problem with that wide shiny setting in platinum is that it will turn gray and get scratched up, so you''ll still have to take it to get it polished. So you can really rhodium plate many times before you''d reach the cost of platinum. And she may want a new setting someday anyway, so I''d wait on the platinum.

 

[FireGoddess]

I''d just do the rhodium plating for now. Maybe she can get a more elaborate setting in a few years if her tastes change, and then you can deal with what metal she would want.

 

[Manmountain]

>You can get a paladium alloy WG that does need replating for less than that.

My experience doesn''t quite match this. I have done my own alloys and used palladium alloys formulated by others and these alloys always appear brown to me. They are very malleable and easy to set diamonds into. They are also much less subject to stress corosion, perhaa\ps entirely free of it. They also offer better contrast against yellow gold, but they still carry color. Pure palladium and ruthenium palladium are whiter. Seems that any time you add gold, you are going to have some color