Platinum question

[LBug75]

I was doing some ring shopping and I noticed on one of the rings that I looked at that the tag said Platinum/18k What is that all about ? I should have asked but since I didn''t purchase it I guess that''s why I didn''t, but it sure did get me curious.

 

[elsie]

Date: 11/3/2006 9:21:59 AM
Author:LBug75
I was doing some ring shopping and I noticed on one of the rings that I looked at that the tag said Platinum/18k What is that all about ? I should have asked but since I didn''t purchase it I guess that''s why I didn''t, but it sure did get me curious.

LBug, my ring is from Blue Nile and it says "18K PLAT", since the ring is made of WG but the prongs are made of platinum.

I''m not sure if this is the case with the ring you were looking at, but it seems plausible!

 

[LBug75]

You''re probably right, that would make sense. I guess it kind of threw me because the girl helping me said it was Platinum, but after looking around and giving it some thought she must have been mistaken. It does sound more plausible that the ring would be 18k white gold and the prongs platinum.

 

[elsie]

I don''t know how normal it is to have two metal stamps on a ring (I once had a fairly knowledgeable jeweler ask me to clarify what the stamps meant!).

Or, it could just be lack of salesperson experience. As an example of that, I once had a guy at a mall store tell me that palladium was an alloy of white gold and platinum. WHAT?!?!?

 

[LBug75]

Yeah, you''d be surprised how many people have told me that white gold is just yellow gold with rhodium plating. Sometimes I wonder....and I guess that''s why it''s better to try to stay away from some of the B&M stores

 

[5carat]

Hmm - my $.02

From what I understand all rings should be stampled with the metal they include - if they''re not stamped I would be cautious. So if it''s marked 18K and PLAT - the above email is correct - the shank is most likely 18K and the prongs are platinum. Platinum is more durable and used in heads a lot.

Also 18K gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other alloys. In 18K white gold, higher end jewelers or manufacturers will use Palladium (a member of the platinum family) as part of the 6 parts. Other''s use nickle which bleaches the gold to make it more white - nickle is less expensive then palladium and more brittle and 23% of us have allergic reactions to nickle. If palladium is used in the mix, you might see white gold a bit more $ than yellow gold in 18K. In Rose gold they''ll mix in copper and other redish metals to make it more pink.

Regarding rhodium platting - most 18K white gold is Rhodium platted - it make the metal look even more white. This platting will wear off in time but can be re-applied for $30-60

hope this helps -

 

[LBug75]

Well, I figured that all white gold is rhodium plated to make it brighter but what I''ve been told is that they take a yellow gold ring, rhodium plate it and suddenly it''s white. And I knooow that''s not correct.