Palladium 950 (ruthenium alloy)?

[jsh]

We selected Palladium for the metal for my e-ring. I''ve been reading on pricescope that Palladium 950 is hard to work with, and that ruthenium is a hard alloy to cast. Should I be worried about my ring? We could still do platinum or white gold, but platinum is 3 times more expensive than palladium. I''m just worried about the craftsmanship. Is this a valid concern?

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 11/12/2009 1:46:13 PM
Author:jsh
We selected Palladium for the metal for my e-ring. I''ve been reading on pricescope that Palladium 950 is hard to work with, and that ruthenium is a hard alloy to cast. Should I be worried about my ring? We could still do platinum or white gold, but platinum is 3 times more expensive than palladium. I''m just worried about the craftsmanship. Is this a valid concern?

Yes. And so is longevity, it is a brittle metal and will often crack after a period of time. We no longer use it in any of our rings it was nothing but a nightmare for us.

Wink

 

[EyeElle]

My e-ring is made out of palladium.

Yes, it is a hard metal to work with – but having said that it can be done without trouble. It is not an easy metal to mold and hence not used frequently as gold or platinum. It does take a skilled and patient jeweler to use this metal and a good craftsman do mold and cast it.

If you are going to go to a jewelry “chain” type of store, they do not typically use it because they do not invest that kind of time into making their jewelry. I for example went and had mine custom made and they were more then willing to use this metal.

The guy made it without any trouble, I had it resized since and still not trouble, no cracks, not breaks, no diamonds fell out (I have a pave band) absolutely flawless craftsmanship.

It is in the platinum family and hence just as strong as platinum – pretty much same in most aspects of its makeup. It holds up very well, does not break or crack as its tough.

I would suggest you go and talk to someone who uses both metals and let them explain everything to you. I did that and they were very knowledgeable and showed everything I needed to know. It will ease you mind a bit.

Palladium is a great metal!! Don’t be scared with how difficult it is to use it because a good jeweler would be not scared of by that and neither should you. You will love the outcome.

This is just my personal experience with it all that I wanted to share with you.

 

[clgwli]

The only personal experience I have with palladium is a ring that is about 60-70 years old. It is a beautiful setting that holds a topaz. It had never been worked on before, but I am quite fond of it. The only negative I have heard to palladium is that it can discolor or crack with repeated heating/cooling if the jeweler does not know how to work with it.

I had looked at palladium settings for a future ring and I am still not sure which I will pick. I do think it is a lovely metal though. The ring I speak of still looks almost new even to this day. It definitely is one that I am considering since due to arthritis in a few fingers I can no longer wear platinum for long periods of time.

 

[tallchickbarbara]

Date: 11/12/2009 1:46:13 PM
Author:jsh
We selected Palladium for the metal for my e-ring. I''ve been reading on pricescope that Palladium 950 is hard to work with, and that ruthenium is a hard alloy to cast. Should I be worried about my ring? We could still do platinum or white gold, but platinum is 3 times more expensive than palladium. I''m just worried about the craftsmanship. Is this a valid concern?

Hi Jsh,

I''ve been working with Palladium for about 4 years now with no more or fewer issues than that of any other metal (Gold or Platinum) and it continues to be popular for folks looking to buy engagement rings from us, especially with gold at the price that it is. We have customers who have now come back to purchase their wedding bands in the metal because they love the way it wears and the fact that it holds its color and have even bought fashion pieces as well.

If you''re worried about craftsmanship then that is a valid concern, so talk to the person doing the crafting and find out about their experience with it. It took our casters several months before they got the casting process down to a science and practically alleviated the "brittle" factor often associated with the metal. I agree with EyeElle - don''t fear this metal! If it is casted properly and crafted properly, then you will likely fall in love with it.

On a personal note, and I''ve mentioned this in other threads, I went ahead and purchased a palladium eternity ring for myself for my 35th birthday last year so that I could see what my own experience with it would be once I wore it. I wear it like a stack ring between a white gold and a platinum ring right now and absolutely love how it has worn, now a year and a half later.

And lastly, there are several threads (both pro and con) on the topic on this forum, so read away!!

Good luck with your decision, whatever it may be!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 11/12/2009 1:46:13 PM
Author:jsh
We selected Palladium for the metal for my e-ring. I''ve been reading on pricescope that Palladium 950 is hard to work with, and that ruthenium is a hard alloy to cast. Should I be worried about my ring? We could still do platinum or white gold, but platinum is 3 times more expensive than palladium. I''m just worried about the craftsmanship. Is this a valid concern?

Hi jsh! My rings are palladium, and my only complaint is that due to the brittle nature of the metal, it does get banged up a bit more than my WG seemed to. If you''re going for a sleek style with a lot of metal showing - I''d go for white gold personally. If you''ve got sidestones or engraving/filigree, I''d say you''re good to go. It''s such a shiny metal that the little dings show up quite a bit on my solitaire.