Plat or Wt gold???

[btrflygrl23]

Hi everyone,

I know lots of people have asked this question before but I''m getting ready to actually have my ring made and I need to decide soon so would like some fresh advice.
I am going to be placing a 2ct princess cut diamond in a eternity setting from WF and I''m debating if I should go with platinum or 18k white gold. I''m not sure what to do.
Most of my friends have white gold rings and they love them and say that platinum is not worth the extra money when you can get the same look with white gold. My best friend has her e-ring and wb set in 19k white gold, hadn''t heard of it until she got it. She has had it for a year and she is a nurse and pretty hard on it and I saw it the other day and it looks great, very white etc.
When I spoke to the WF rep who is very sweet she told me that if I could afford it I should go with platinum as it will stay white longer and she also said that sometimes when you take things in to be rhodium plated it can have little bubbles on it after etc. Plus with plat if you bash it you don''t lose any of the metal with gold you do.

I checked on the setting I want and the diff in price is around $300-350 b/w plat and 18k white gold so not a huge budget buster.

What should I do?? What would you do??

I would really appreciate it if those of you who know so much more about this topic would advise. I have never owned a single piece of plat jewelery, never even handled the stuff, the WF rep said it is nice and heavy and that I would like it.
Thanks so much

 

[belle]

if it''s only $300 different, i would do the plat. i have wg, and love it but $300 isn''t that much different. wg does yellow on some people, so if you don''t know how it reacts to your skin, you should probably just go for the plat.

 

[mrssalvo]

I''d go with plat...

 

[Maisie]

I agree with Belle, Platinum is worth the extra $300.

 

[asscherisme]

My opinion, its a no brainer. If you can afford it, go with platinum. Plus, I love the extra weight of platinum. It feels substantial.

 

[NYCsparkle]

i''d go for the platinum, but some people don''t like the look of platinum after awhile. why don''t you compare the 2 side by side and then decide. it tends to look steely gray as oppossed to the slight warmth of white gold.

 

[btrflygrl23]

Thanks everybody!
Just to let you know I was leaning toward the platinum I don''t want to cut corners so to speak now and then regret it later and have to change and pay extra.
Also, the WF rep said that my particular setting does not have a whole lot of metal showing so plat is a good idea b/c I probably won''t see tons of metal so when it does start to dull with wear I won''t notice it as much and that for the money plat is the way to go.
I will go into a store though before and ask to see some rings set in plat and some set in wht gold. I have to admit when she told me it would be nice and weighty and really present on my finger in plat I was excited!!!

 

[belle]

when you go to the stores, the plat and wg won''t look different. the difference between them comes with wear. you will be able to notice the difference in weight though.

i hope you will post your ring when it''s done!

 

[btrflygrl23]

Thanks guys

Belle of course I will post once it is all done the pics they e-mail me, the wax, the whole kit and caboodle!! LOL!

Actually once I make the purchase in the next little while I will post specs etc.. you guys already helped me choose the stone I posted when I got down to 2 I really liked. So thanks for that b/c I didn''t know too much about how to pic a really good princess until I found PS so am very, very happy I found you guys plus everyone is soo nice and helpful!
I ended up choosing a ACA princess from WF 2ct.

Enjoy your day everybody

 

[kcoursolle]

For a $350 difference I would definitely get platinum. Rhodium is getting expensive and costs about $50 to do...and I need this about every six months with my white gold ring, what a pain! Polishing on the other hand is often free with a jeweler you''ve purchased things from. Do you like the silvery color of platinum, or the white white color of white gold?

 

[jaz464]

Another vote for platinum. For the small extra money, I would say definetely go with the platinum. Of course I have heard some people say that they don''t like the weight of it, but I love it. And I love that I never have to think about it yellowing.

Consider what you will do for your w-band. You will most likely want to go with the same metal if the two rings will be worn together.

 

[btrflygrl23]

kcoursolle I''m not sure which I like better b/c I have not done a comparison yet but I probably will but I think the consensus is go for the plat b/c the price diff isn''t worth trying to save and I think in the long term it is the better option. I have one friend with a plat ring and she never polishes it and it looks pretty good steely and she says she really likes the weight so I might ask her to take it off and hold it and stuff and get a feel and then take a look at some white gold rings that my other friends have but I''m pretty much leaning 90% towards plat right now.
Thanks

 

[btrflygrl23]

jazmine thanks! I would be getting a WF shared prong eternity to go with the e-ring and yes if I get the e-ring in plat I would do the w-band in plat also like I say it looks like you nice folks all agree plat is the best choice and that the price diff is negligible.

 

[FireGoddess]

I''d go platinum.

 

[aquarius_ser]

platinum..... no question!

 

[niku414]

Not that you need another vote for Platinum -- but I will go for it I just placed my order for my e-ring two weeks ago-- and at that time I was debating the same thing you are -- Platinum vs WG . I also have a share prong setting -- what tipped me over for PL was the fact that I read somewhere on this forum that PL is a stronger metal so less likely for the little diamonds to fall out ?? <-- everyone DON"T kill me if i got this wrong. The other thing is that I wouldn''t lose metal over time I plan to get my ring checked every 6-8 months and figure I''ll have it polish at the same time...

 

[jaz464]

I just wanted to add something else. My e-ring and w-band are both covered in pave. Because there is no open platinum, the patina really doesn't present itself. You said yours will be shared prong. So the patina is not going to be as much of a worry. Also, platinum does to to scratch easier than gold but again, without empty areas in the ring, this should not be a problem.

Of course, all platinum is not equal. Ask about the alloys used. I prefer either 900 plat, 100 iridium or 950 plat, 50 ruthenium.

 

[iheartscience]

i''m in the minority here, but i prefer white gold to platinum as well.

i''m not a fan of how platinum looks once it is worn for a while-it looks very metal-ish and not shiny. plus i like that white gold has a bit of gold undertone in it. but i also don''t have problems with my white gold ring i already have turning colors...i think it''s just personal preference.

do you have any friends who have a platinum ring they''ve worn for a while that you can look at and compare to your friends who have white gold sets?

 

[bujiatang]

For three hundred dollars I''d go Platinum. I don''t care for Pd. And WG does have warmth to say it nicely.

 

[btrflygrl23]

A big thanks to all who gave advice those who are for plat and those who are for white gold. I really appreciate all the great info and different reasons b/c I was having trouble deciding. A special thanks to Jazmine who told me about the diff alloys I will ask the vendor beforehand.

I''m pretty certain I will go for the plat I was leaning that way and the majority of you have made a great case for it.
Once the ring is in I will post pics won''t be long now but the wait might kill me!!

 

[jaz464]

WF generally uses 95% Plat. 5% Iridium. You will be just fine with that.

 

[Fly Girl]

A 2 ct diamond ring deserves platinum. I take mine in every year, or so, and it gets all polished up and looks like new again.

Looking forward to ring pics!

 

[btrflygrl23]

thanks so much Fly Girl!! I can hardly wait!!!

 

[Cind11]

I vote for platinum too especially if the Whiteflash rep said not much metal is showing. That''s what my ring is like-there is really only metal showing on the bottom of the shank. I like the weight of the ring and the fact I won''t have to fool around with ever having to rhodium plate it again.

 

[Gothgrrl]

I vote platinum. If white gold stays white and didn''t need plating, then maybe I would have chose wg. I also like the weight of it. After wearing it for a while, you don''t notice the weight at all.

 

[tawn]

My wedding ring is plat (from WF), and my eternity bands are platinum from SP....and all three rings are whiter than the white gold ring I wear on my right hand! I''ve been wearing most of them for well over a year, and they still look lovely and white! I also like the weight, but that may not be for everyone!

I eventually wear the inside of the gold bands out and have to have them replaced every few years! I''m a busy clumsy girl and I didn''t want to worry about the upkeep for the white gold. Still love my white gold stuff though...just like the plat a lot more so far!

 

[tanalasta]

Have a look at the common alloys FAQ section of the PS forums.

How platinum will look also depends, like white gold on the type of alloy. Not all white gold is the same. Not all platinum is the same. Some white gold alloys have nickel and are more allergenic whereas some do not or are made to appear whiter etc...

Whiteflash use a Pt/Iridium mix although I think they do custom work if you specifically request a different platinum alloy. It''s a little ''soft'' from the reading I have done on this forum but still quite acceptable and there are many people happy with the WF platinum rings.

Most people recommend platinum over white gold. It looks gorgeous and Pt/Iridium has a lovely shine. After a while, it may develop the platinum patina which is just part of it''s charm.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

platinum...platinum...platinum

 

[jaz464]

Date: 3/2/2007 4:59:27 AM
Author: tanalasta
Have a look at the common alloys FAQ section of the PS forums.

How platinum will look also depends, like white gold on the type of alloy. Not all white gold is the same. Not all platinum is the same. Some white gold alloys have nickel and are more allergenic whereas some do not or are made to appear whiter etc...

Whiteflash use a Pt/Iridium mix although I think they do custom work if you specifically request a different platinum alloy. It''s a little ''soft'' from the reading I have done on this forum but still quite acceptable and there are many people happy with the WF platinum rings.

Most people recommend platinum over white gold. It looks gorgeous and Pt/Iridium has a lovely shine. After a while, it may develop the platinum patina which is just part of it''s charm.

When I ordered my ring about 1.5 years ago, I requested a particular alloy but was told they would only use the Plat/Iridium (5%) mix. Don''t know if that is still the case now or not.

 

[diamondfan]

I guess if the cost is minimal I would just go for the plat...not a big choice to me when cost is not a factor...