Platinum not so good...?Your thoughts?

[arjunajane]

Ok, so I know many ppl won''t be happy with what I''m going to post, but here goes..(may be controversial..?)

I am looking to buy a setting in a coloured (yellow or rose) gold, and am trying to decide whether white gold prongs are sufficient, seeing as the general strong consensus is you should ALways go with platinum where you can,especially with prongs for longevity and security. Right?
Apparently not so?

So I am discussing this dilemma with a respected bridal jeweller in Sydney Australia, when to my surprise, he tells me he thinks the whole concept of platinum being "better, longer lasting, more hard wearing, durable, better finish, etc" is pretty much a total marketing ploy...
He goes on to tell me he would recommend white gold over plat Any Day to any customer..
Without paraphrasing too much, his opnion is that all the tests that are performed to come to these conslusions are mainly laboratory based, and do not represent the daily wear of a ring - hence, platinum is likely to get scratched, dinged, etc and these will need to be polished out, which in turn will thin out your ring/prongs.

Now, as I have read nearly every thread on this forum on this topic, and as we know the consensus is Plat wins hands down for most consumers, especially PS''ers who really know their stuff.
My question is, does he have a point? If it was around the other way around, I would be skeptical of his argument, but this way he looks to lose rather than gain money, so I''m sure he''s not financially motivated in trying to expand my limited knowledge!

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Personal stories? I especially would be interested to hear from those "in the business" who have the benefit of seeing these metals both in lab test environments and IRL wear and tear?

Cheers!

 

[ByGoneEraBride]

Unfortunately, I''m not one of those who can give an expert opinion. But what I was told was that Plat was more durable, and is just more valuable. But that you have to polish out ''issues'' whereas with white gold I can re-rhodium till my hearts content and never wear anything ''thin.''

But that''s what I remember being told, I could be wrong.

I''d go with the general consensus in most instances, but its hard to not take a good jeweler seriously when they have such a heartfelt opinion on the matter!

 

[Imdanny]

"...platinum is likely to get scratched, dinged, etc and these will need to be polished out, which in turn will thin out your ring/prongs."

Everything I''ve read says that platinum doesn''t thin out, but that what happens is that metal gets moved around. That would seem to contradict what you''ve been told?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 2/10/2008 4:16:30 AM
Author: Imdanny
''...platinum is likely to get scratched, dinged, etc and these will need to be polished out, which in turn will thin out your ring/prongs.''

Everything I''ve read says that platinum doesn''t thin out, but that what happens is that metal gets moved around. That would seem to contradict what you''ve been told?

Hi Imdanny, thankyou for posting. Can I ask, What do you mean by "metal gets moved around".
I agree with you, Everything I''ve read also suggests that platinum is strong and long wearing . The original post is in no way my opinion, I really thought it may be interesting to see others opinions

As I said, the jewellerv would be better served financially by telling me the opposite, so I am simply curious if anyone has experience to back this info up?
thankyou again for posting!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gold gradually wears away, while scratched platinum has the metal moved around, but it is still there and able to be repolished.

To answer your question from a practical standpoint, my original engagement ring had a yellow gold shank and a white gold head. I wore it daily for 25 years and saw that the tips of the prongs were wearing down. So I took it to a jeweler and had the prongs retipped. All my rings are currently gold and have no platinum prongs. So my advice is to choose the metal you like best, and go in periodically to have your ring checked, cleaned, and either rhodium plated or polished. If you go with white gold, be aware that rubbing your rings against fabric will wear the prongs down. One PS member did a lot of sewing and she had to replace her wg prongs frequently. Of course, the obvious solution to that is to remove your rings when doing that kind of task. Both platinum and wg have disadvantages. I am currently resetting a ring in platinum, so I am anxious to compare how it holds up.

 

[bem3231]

I was told that with long term wear gold would eventually have to be rebuilt, whereas platinum will not, which pretty much echoes what other posters have said. Good luck!

 

[san diego searcher]

I''m no expert but I think the person who commented that your jeweler might be financially served by doing gold instead of platinum may have a point. I was talking to a jeweler about putting platinum posts on my earrings due to allergies. He said he would put gold backs on because he felt platinum was not flexible enough or something. I later changed course and purchased platinum earrings with platinum backs. there is no problem with the backs...but I learned that just to purchase jumbo backs in platinum it costs $2-300. So I concluded it was probably cost that motivated the jeweler who wanted to use gold backs on platinum posts.
That said, my ring is yellow gold with white gold prongs and I have had it for 15 years without a problem. So I don''t think everyone has to have platinum. 15 years ago I didn''t even consider it. Seems like, although it''s always been around, it''s become more "the thing" to have in recent years.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

I have platinum and have had it polished several times w/o issues. Platinum is thick and what you polish down is negligible since it is such a hard material. It would take a lot of polishing, polishing, polishing to wear it down.

 

[ByGoneEraBride]

Date: 2/10/2008 10:57:59 AM
Author: san diego searcher
I''m no expert but I think the person who commented that your jeweler might be financially served by doing gold instead of platinum may have a point. I was talking to a jeweler about putting platinum posts on my earrings due to allergies. He said he would put gold backs on because he felt platinum was not flexible enough or something. I later changed course and purchased platinum earrings with platinum backs. there is no problem with the backs...but I learned that just to purchase jumbo backs in platinum it costs $2-300. So I concluded it was probably cost that motivated the jeweler who wanted to use gold backs on platinum posts.
That said, my ring is yellow gold with white gold prongs and I have had it for 15 years without a problem. So I don''t think everyone has to have platinum. 15 years ago I didn''t even consider it. Seems like, although it''s always been around, it''s become more ''the thing'' to have in recent years.

I''m not sure it woudl have anything to do with price. Why would the jeweler not want to have more money in his pocket when she purchases platinum, and subsequently, additional markup?

In your case, I understand, and that was sneaky of the jeweler (certainly not nice!). But when it comes to a ring, that he''d be getting more of, you''d think he''d encourage plat. ??

 

[LegacyGirl]

My jeweler encouraged me to go with white goal because of the scratching factor of plat. I think just each person has their own opinions on what is better. I wanted to listen to my jeweler because of all the experience she has and she made sense when we both weighed the pros and cons of each metal.

 

[strmrdr]

Iv heard that plat/cobalt is common is oz.
It is butter soft and WG is a better material.
950/ru and it becomes more of a contest.

 

[arjunajane]

Hi everyone,
thankyou all for posting..this has been really interesting I thought.
Strorm, I think you hit the nail on the head (as usual!) - as he was saying that the platinum he has seen gets "dings and gouges" etc very easily, which would explain his p.o.v
I knew there were diff alloys of gold, but not plat

- next time I will ask him what sort of platinum he is talking about.

 

[lyra]

I have a YG ring with platinum prongs, and the prongs look old and beat up. I''d rather have WG prongs personally. Plus you can always have them replated (without messing with the rose gold) if necessary.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 2/10/2008 7:13:22 PM
Author: lyra
I have a YG ring with platinum prongs, and the prongs look old and beat up. I''d rather have WG prongs personally. Plus you can always have them replated (without messing with the rose gold) if necessary.

Hi Lyra, thankyou for you post.
how long have you had your ring, if you dont mind? do you wear it while being active, claening etc? I think I agree with you re WG, just trying to get all the info

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/10/2008 7:08:16 PM
Author: arjunajane
Hi everyone,
thankyou all for posting..this has been really interesting I thought.
Strorm, I think you hit the nail on the head (as usual!) - as he was saying that the platinum he has seen gets ''dings and gouges'' etc very easily, which would explain his p.o.v
I knew there were diff alloys of gold, but not plat

- next time I will ask him what sort of platinum he is talking about.

http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/47/1/An-Overview-Of-Common-Alloys-Used-In-Jewelry.aspx

Take the HV ratings with a gain of salt they dont take into account work hardening and overall toughness.
Sorta like diamond is the hardest natural material but very fragile compared to some softer materials.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/10/2008 7:13:22 PM
Author: lyra
I have a YG ring with platinum prongs, and the prongs look old and beat up. I''d rather have WG prongs personally. Plus you can always have them replated (without messing with the rose gold) if necessary.

The 14k X1 white gold head on wifey2b''s upgrade are holding up very very well.
I will use it again in the future.

 

[tberube]

I prefer white gold.

1. costs less
2. less heavy
3. scratches less visibly
4. easier to resize
5. warmer, brighter tone (not gray)
6. rhodium plating is easy, inexpensive and renewing

...but lots of people prefer platinum for other reasons like heftiness, color and strength being a few of them. Like anything else, it''s a question of preference. But I must admit I agree that the marketing of platinum has been a large contribution to its recent popularity.

 

[lyra]

Date: 2/10/2008 7:23:58 PM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 2/10/2008 7:13:22 PM
Author: lyra
I have a YG ring with platinum prongs, and the prongs look old and beat up. I'd rather have WG prongs personally. Plus you can always have them replated (without messing with the rose gold) if necessary.

Hi Lyra, thankyou for you post.
how long have you had your ring, if you dont mind? do you wear it while being active, claening etc? I think I agree with you re WG, just trying to get all the info

The one with the platinum prongs is an estate ring, but modern. It looks quite horrific under the loupe really. Every other ring I have has WG prongs. I just saw my engagement ring (14K WG) blown up to about a foot in diameter at the jewellery shop the other day, and the WG prongs (6 months old now?) still look very good and unmarred, even considering the extreme magnification factor. The platinum ones have lost the nice polish that I prefer.

ETA: oops, didn't see your other questions. The jeweller cautioned me not to use my ring around bleach or ammonia. Fine by me. I get a very bad reaction (migraine, nausea) to bleach fumes anyway. He said no swimming pools or hot tubs either, if you want to keep your WG looking white. I have whacked my ring a few times. I don't wear it 24/7, I mostly wear it out or when not doing much around the house. I also have a 5 stone ring which was originally all YG, and I had just the top where the diamonds are bezel set plated in WG recently. I wear that one 24/7, and after about 2 months it's still looking like "new".

 

[Imdanny]

Hi arjunajane,

You're welcome! I don't have anything to add to what diamondseeker said. I'm not an expert by any means. Good luck!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I have had both platinum and gold, and I prefer gold. I just am not fond of the dullness that platinum picks up over time. My e-ring and wedding band are both YG _e-ring has WG prongs) and I have never been anything but happy with them

. My jeweler friend who made my three stone discouraged me from getting platinum...didn''t ask him why and he never did say.

 

[zhuzhu]

I really don''t think your jewler was financially motivated to talk you out of platinum considering the profit margin differences. After all the metal used to make a ring is really too little to matter.

I know jewelers prefer gold over platinum as well, and for good reasons that are right for their view of the how rings are generally worn over time.

Do a little more research and see which metal you prefer, you can''t go wrong either way as long as you have a competent metal smith to make you a secure and quality setting!

 

[Haven]

I think this is a matter of personal choice--my e-ring is set in platinum because I prefer platinum to white gold. I prefer the color, strength, weight, and the patina of platinum to white gold. Perhaps you should look at "real" rings that have been worn for a while and see which you prefer.

I can''t speak to what your jeweler said about platinum wearing down over time, as I''ve heard (and read) that platinum does not wear down, the metals simply get moved around when polished and therefore never wear off.

 

[pamplemousse]

I assume you''re setting a diamond, since that''s the most common thing to set in these parts.. but just in case you''re setting something else:

When we had our sapphire appraised, the appraiser advised us to have at least the head constructed in platinum for the safety/treatment of the stone. His said that white gold tends to "spring" back after a jeweler places it, and so it requires a little more manipulation than plat. Since sapphires are hard but don''t have the mohs of diamonds, he was concerned that the stone might get scratched with too much fussing around.

Anyway, I''m new to the jewelry world, so who knows. I have one "nice" piece of jewelry.. it''s a pendant in WG and I''ve had it for about a year. No wearing off to yellow, no scratching, blah blah blah.. but it''s also just a pendant. Not a lot of crazy action going on up there.

But in any case, our appraiser has a great reputation so I trust his word on it. We''re going for a platinum head at least.

 

[arjunajane]

Wow! This thread has grown since I looked last! Thankyou all so much for posting – isn’t this place great to get discussions happening like this ?! There are so many “myths” and untruths I have found in the jewellery world (in my limited experience so far). It is great to get real world opinions from ppl who actually own these items and have experience in how they wear.

I appreciate all of your posts, so will try to address each of them:

>Storm, thankyou for the link – informative as always! And cheers for sharing about your wife’s WG.

>Tbrube, 1. costs less
2. less heavy
3. scratches less visibly
4. easier to resize
5. warmer, brighter tone (not gray)
6. rhodium plating is easy, inexpensive and renewing
I completely agree! I always like your posts, as they are very well thought out and helpful.
This is how I feel about WG, however seeing as nearly everything I read says platinum is way to go, I thought maybe I was missing something.

(Peer pressure!) One jeweler I went to for a quote said an extra $250-$300 just to make my prongs plat instead of WG! So I posted this trying to find out if its really worth it. So far doesn''t seem like it, at least for me. However I completely respect its a personal choice.
Lyra, thanks for sharing your experience – I’m sorry for you that your plat prongs are not doing so good, that’s a shame.

I’m glad you’re happy with the way your WG ones look though– personally, I also prefer the “warmth” of WG against my skintone. I have quite olive skin, so I feel plat looks lil strange.
As for not using the ring when cleaning with bleach/ammonia – I try to avoid cleaning in general, so luckily that’s not a big concern!

I, like you, am the type to take my ring off often – I actually take it off before bed and don’t shower with it etc.

Imdanny, thanks again for contributing. I like non-expert opinons

Diamond Dana – nice to hear from another YG fan! I am currently looking to make a RHR, so I want something a little different, that’s why I’m thinking 18kt yellow or rose gold. They are much more complementary on my skin, and takes the ring away from the “engagement” look, I feel. Isn’t it nice when your jeweler is honest with you about whats best, instead of just chasing more

?

Hi Zhuzhu – Just wanted to say I love your avatar!

Gorgeous ring, is it your e-ring?
“After all the metal used to make a ring is really too little to matter.”
That’s what I would’ve thought, but can you believe that just for plat prongs I’ve been quoted an extra $250-$300! I think I have answered my own Q’s now about the metal I prefer, now I just need to follow your advice and find that quality goldsmith!

Haven, thankyou for posting a differing opinion, that’s interesting what you have said about platinum gets move around..I wonder, does this affect the appearance of your ring, or is it too small to notice?

Hi Pamplemousse, thanks for posting. “His said that white gold tends to "spring" back after a jeweler places it, and so it requires a little more manipulation than plat”. I will have to ask my jeweler about this. I’m new to the jewellery world aswell, I have my engagement ring from a couple of years ago is my best piece. I am looking for a “gift to myself” now.

“but it''s also just a pendant. Not a lot of crazy action going on up there” You''re too funny LOL!
I love your avatar, is that the sapphire you are referring to?

Cheers everyone for your opinions and stories, you have helped me in making another one of the many decisions to come...who ever knew buying a diamond and setting it there’s so much to think about! PS is dangerous – although I adore it, I just wish I knew everything I do now (which isn’t much…) to make more of our budget. Ah well, as they say, knowledge is a blessing and a curse!
thanks folks