Platinum VS 14k/18k White Gold Settings

[Johnykin]

Ok so i'm already done with my diamond research and have already purchased a diamond for my fiance, Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge with me about Diamonds. Now i thought the settings was simple, apparently not so ahaha, aside from selecting the design i need to pick what kind of metal i want. So guys with regards engagement ring settings, please tell me all you know about Platinum and White Gold and what their differences are in a ring setting. Thank You All.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I chose platinum because I don't ever want to have to have my ring replated. I also like the weight/sturdiness of platinum. I have a WG necklace and it looks slightly gray with my skin tone, whereas my platinum necklace just looks white. That was another factor, but I don't know if this is a common thing or if I'm just a weirdo

 

[Platinum-blonde]

Like HappyNewLife, I prefer platinum. I don't like how white gold turns yellowish overtime (sometimes soone, depending on your chemistry). I also like the patina that platinum develops.

 

[bmfang]

Surprisingly, if my wife had the choice between platinum and 18k white gold, she would prefer the white gold. Luckily for her, her skin chemistry is good such that it hasn’t caused any issues with the playing (including some pieces that she has had for over 10 years and wears on a semi-regular basis and she hasn’t had them re-plated since initial acquisition). Then again, might be different if she wears them everyday.

 

[Austina]

I chose platinum, I prefer the look of it over w/g and the durability of it.

 

[foxinsox]

I prefer the patina of platinum - to me it looks whiter than WG even when that’s been plated.
Each have their pros and cons tho - what sort of setting are you considering for what sort of stone?

 

[rockysalamander]

Platinum. But, if she really wants the metal to be high polish, platinum will be a terrible choice. Does this vendor offer unplated white gold without nickel, like Stuller's X1 alloy? If so, I'd be open to the X1 as it is nickel free and does not need plating.

 

[MarionC]

I am not a fan of platinum as it looks grey to me, and more so as the patina develops.
Not a fan of rhodium plated white gold, too shiny bright.

I really like unplated white gold and just set my asscher in an unplated Stuller setting.
It is a very very very pale champagne color. Most people would probably not notice it in passing, but it has a soft warm glow that contrasts with the brightness of the stone.
The color of unplated gold varies depending on the alloy mix.
I haven’t seen the Stuller x1 in person but it sounds interesting.

A nice thing about unplated gold is that one can always have it plated easily if one has a change of heart.
I am sure what I prefer is not for everyone, but that’s my take on things.

 

[redwood66]

I like platinum best but Jimmieanne is right about unplated white gold. I had a three stone with L diamonds and it looked best in unplated 18K because of the soft tone of the gold. I took it to a local jeweler to have the bezel checked and they plated it! Ack! They were apologetic because I knew immediately when I saw it that they had done it. They buffed it out but that was a lesson learned for both of us because I should have asked and so should they.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have bright shiny platinum and it is not gray. Use the harder alloys of platinum and scratches are not a problem. Maybe every 10 years I'll have my rings polished, but that's all that's needed to keep them new looking unless a person wears their rings when they shouldn't.

Harder alloys of platinum are:
95% platinum, 5% ruthenium
90% platinum, 10% iridium

I'd always choose platinum for white metal given the choice. It's more dense and lasts pretty much forever, and it's a naturally white metal, which white gold is not. I do have necklaces and earrings that are white gold, because those do not get the wear a ring does, so the plating is less likely to wear off. But I almost always have anything custom made in platinum.

https://www.victorcanera.com/education/jewelry/platinum-vs-gold

 

[farrahlyn]

if i had to do it again i'd either do platinum or unplated white gold. The rhodium plating wears off fairly quickly just due to my body chemistry i guess.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The biggest problem with unplated white gold, to me, is then the bands you'd want to buy are not going to match (or any other white metal jewelry such as a watch). You'd pretty much have to have them custom made. I prefer white metal for a white diamond. I'd go with a yellow or rose gold setting with platinum prongs if I didn't want white metal.

 

[cflutist]

Platinum. But, if she really wants the metal to be high polish, platinum will be a terrible choice. Does this vendor offer unplated white gold without nickel, like Stuller's X1 alloy? If so, I'd be open to the X1 as it is nickel free and does not need plating.

From left to right
Platinum
Stuller X1
18k white gold

 

[yssie]

The biggest problem with unplated white gold, to me, is then the bands you'd want to buy are not going to match (or any other white metal jewelry such as a watch). You'd pretty much have to have them custom made. I prefer white metal for a white diamond. I'd go with a yellow or rose gold setting with platinum prongs if I didn't want white metal.

As someone who has had a long and satisfying love affair with unplated WG, I will confirm that matching is a bit of a pain. The easiest way to guarantee a match is to have subsequent pieces made in the same alloy - which of course demands finding jewellers who are able and willing to make that extra effort for you.

Unplated WG runs the colour gamut: I have some rings that look icy white and others that are indisputably pale yellow. I've posted this photo a few times before - the five rings in the middle are different alloys of unplated 18k WG:
(Alloy info: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-color-and-metal-options.191295/)



I have personally noted one other difference worth bringing up. I used to have a 14k WG eternity ring (with 15pt stones). I now have a platinum eternity ring with 20pt stones. The 14k ring was a workhorse, the new ring has required prong tightening twice in two years. I believe there are two reasons for this:
1. The larger stones protrude more, making them more susceptible to being nudged out of place
2. PT is known for being prone to inelastic deformation, whereas WG gold is less malleable and more brittle. That's often a good thing: a platinum prong that's whacked hard is more likely to shift out of place and continue to protect the stone it's holding instead of simply snapping off. However, I'm starting to feel more and more strongly that a less-forgiving, more elastic WG gold chassis and WG gold prongs would have been a better choice for my new eternity: since gold will better resist deformation under force insufficient to cause bending or breakage, it will maintain shape better than platinum... holding the doorknob, accidentally banging the desk, carrying heavy shopping bags will all have less effect on shank shape and prong tightness.

My E-ring is platinum. It has no sidestones. There's no harm done if the shank goes slightly out-of-round, and deforming the prongs requires contact from a small possibility of directions, all of which are less likely than banging the underside of an eternity band. I chose 950/Ru (Tiffany's alloy) and after several months of semi-regular wear the patina is indiscernible.

My first platinum ring was 950/Ir and the patina drove me batty. Here it is at five months next to a die-struck 950/Ru band I'd had for one month at the time:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-vs-white-gold.147732/#post-2668608

 

[diamondseeker2006]

@yssie That's a great picture showing the variations in unplated wg! I had yellow gold ring with a white gold head for about 25 years, and the problem you can end up with over time is that the wg prong tips wear away. So that could be a problem with a wg daily wear eternity over time if the prongs are at a place where they rub anything. I can't say why my e-ring prongs had contact with anything, but they did! If I were to make a gold or rose gold ring today, I'd use platinum for the head since the prongs would be less likely to wear away. I am glad your new e-ring is platinum and has stayed looking good!

 

[edelweissmaedl]

I don’t have much to add, but I concur about durability. I’ve had my original platinum ering 11 years and the underside of the band is still in great shape. I purchased a OEC just over a year ago and had a simple WG setting made for it while I decide what I want long term. It’s still great, but I was surprised at how quickly the underside scuffed up from wear versus the platinum.