Platinum vs White Gold for e-ring?

[tedfox]

Hi all - I apologize if this has been discussed before (I tried searching but couldn't find any threads), but what do you think is a better material for an e-ring and why? I have done some reading online but seem to be hearing conflicting views on the durability of the two - e.g. hardness vs brittleness etc.

Just wanted to hear your thoughts - which did you pick?

Thanks!

 

[totallyfree]

If you can afford it, platinum. It's more solid (heavier) and just feels rich and luxurious. Or unplated white gold if you prefer. Personally I find the maintenance (rhodium plating) for white gold cumbersome (it only seems to happen when I'm too busy at work!), and I've had some sloppy replating done in the past.

 

[missy]

Yes I agree with @totallyfree. If you can swing it platinum is a great choice for your ER. Easier to maintain and it's a beautiful classic metal. There are different types of platinum however so that might be something to consider as well.


https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/engagement-rings/platinum-vs-white-gold

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry

1. 18K yellow gold
2. 18K white gold, rhodium plated
3. 18K palladium white gold, not plated

PLATINUM

Platinum is a versatile, eternal metal. It does not fade or tarnish and is ideal for those with sensitive skin because it is hypoallergenic. It is the safest, most suitable and versatile metal for durably setting any kind of gemstone.

Platinum's density gives it a unique quality. When platinum scratches none of the volume is lost, the metal is merely displaced as ridges are raised on the edge of the scratch. As platinum is worn it develops a patina-like appearance. It can be polished again and again because this is just moving the metal around, not wearing it down. Other precious metals lose material over time. Gold prongs wear down and rings can get thinner with wear. Platinum prongs bend but rarely break and do not wear down.

COMMON PLATINUM ALLOYS

There are 4 platinum alloys commonly used in the USA.

1. Pt900/Ir = 900 parts platinum, 100 parts Iridium
2. Pt950/Ir = 950 parts platinum, 50 parts Iridium
3. Pt950/Ru = 950 parts platinum, 50 parts Ruthenium
4. Pt950/Co = 950 parts platinum, 50 parts Cobalt

 

[the_mother_thing]

Having tried out just about every type/color metal for my jewelry, I’ve landed on and now only use/buy 18K unplated white gold for my rings (I’m less stringent/more flexible with earrings and necklaces because I don’t see them as much as I see what is on my fingers).

While I somewhat like the ‘heft’ of platinum, I really don’t care for the level of brightness with/on my skin tone as much. Rose gold gets lost on/blends into my skin tone too much, and yellow just kind of clashes with it. The slight warmth and ‘champagne-y” look of the 18K unplated white gold just looks and works best for/on me .... so that’s my ‘go-to’. But it’s rather subjective and really a matter of personal preference; there are pros & cons of each metal, so the buyer/wearer just has to weigh what’s most important to them.

 

[missy]

Here are a few more links that provide info plus pics to help you make the best decision for you.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/platinum-vs-white-gold.147732/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/question-for-those-of-you-with-unplated-wg.178531/

I don't know what the composition of RDG's Pd-wg is - I was more interested in the creamy Ni-wg! But maybe Mike will see this thread and chime in. My Pd-wg from DBL is definitely not dark or grey, it's ever so slightly pinkish in most lights - added some pics from another thread.. I'll be having a ring made, but it's a long-term project



A - plat (950/ru)
B - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, custom piece (different manufacturer, wore it with the WF three-stone, good match in all lights)
75% Au, 15% Cu, 4.5% Zn, 4% Ni
C - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, stock piece
?? TBD
D - plated wg from WF
E - 22k




B, C, A above
G - unplated 18k palladium wg from DBL


Not a good pic, but for composition reference -



A - 14k rose gold
B - unplated 18k nickel wg from WF, custom Ering
75% Au, 9.8% Cu, 9.8% Ni, 5.22% Zn
C - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, custom band (wore it with the WF three-stone, good match in all lights)
75% Au, 15% Cu, 4.5% Zn, 4% Ni
D - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, stock piece (a bit lighter/whiter than B/C)
?? TBD
E - plat (950/ru)
F - plated 18k wg from WF
G - sterling
H - 22k

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/unplated-14k-white-gold-question.197966/

 

[the_mother_thing]

@missy for posting that! @yssie has several fantastic posts on PS comparing the visual and composition qualities of various metals, and they were SOOOO helpful to me when trying to decide what I liked best and balance my priorities; in fact, I think it was one of her posts that led me to explore unplated WG options in the first place.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Platinum is my first choice always for white metals. White gold is made up mostly of yellow gold and in most cases has to be plated to remain white. Platinum is a naturally white metal. There are many advantages to it. But there are two alloys that are superior to the others in hardness and scratch resistance, and I would request either of these:

Pt900/Ir = 900 parts platinum, 100 parts Iridium

Pt950/Ru = 950 parts platinum, 50 parts Ruthenium

Here is my favorite explanation on this topic by a master ringmaker:

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

 

[skypie]

Biggest reason I decided not to go platinum was my SO doesn't like the look of the patina that platinum forms over time. But some people actually enjoy the look of the patina.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Another vote for platinum! If she has any skin sensitivity (like I do), white gold might give her a rash. Platinum is hypoallergenic and it develops that beautiful patina over time like @skypie posted above. If she doesn't like the look of the patina, it can easily be polished away. And the patina does take awhile to show up. The ring in my avatar is platinum and I've been wearing it almost daily for over a year. No patina in sight!

 

[HappyNewLife]

I've always had platinum e-rings and wedding bands. There's something about the weightiness of them that feels substantial, secure and durable to me. I don't like the idea of having to re-dip white gold and I personally don't like how lightweight it feels. Also, for some reason, white gold looks grayish against my skin, while plat looks silver.

 

[WinkHPD]

As a jeweler, I often see rings passed down from parents or grandparents.

In my experience, gold tends to wear off much more quickly than platinum. I have seen ten year old gold rings that needed a new half shank if roughly worn and rarely do I see one older than twenty years that does not need a new half shank.

In contrast I have seen platinum rings that were more than fifty years old that did not need a new shank. Granted, if you try hard enough, you can wear them down too...

All of that being said, my own ring is 18kt yellow gold. Why?

Because I like it!

Wink

 

[PintoBean]

I've learned that I don't like weight on my fingers. This is why I lean towards gold. My frozen piss ring is platinum with a YG inner bezel. The weight definitely bothers me. I also don't have an issue with wear and tear bc I'm more of a collector.

 

[Slickk]

I will unabashedly admit that once I tried platinum, I could never go back to white gold for new pieces, especially the ones I expect to stick around. I still love my white gold, and unplated white gold, but I love the heft and luxe feeling of platinum now. I am ruined.

 

[rockysalamander]

Platinum for me.
I like the look and feel of it.I hate the replating on WG and I wear it off too fast. In contrast, my DH hates the heft of most metals and wears a titanium wedding band.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I have antique rings that are a platinum/iridium mix and they look great- even after 100 years. I love platinum and prefer it over gold but my platinum pieces with high platinum content seem a bit soft, heavy and easier to be nicked and damaged than my antique platinum/iridium pieces.

 

[cflutist]

Platinum for me.
I like the look and feel of it.I hate the replating on WG and I wear it off too fast. In contrast, my DH hates the heft of most metals and wears a titanium wedding band.

My hubby wears his titanium band backpacking

 

[bmfang]

I disagree about the Chinese food. Come over and I'll cook you my zha jiang mien. Trust me it's great in the beginning and it sticks to your bones.

If i’m ever over your neck of the woods @PintoBean, I’m a sucker for zha jiang mian so I’d love to try some. Of course, it may not be as good as my wife’s rendition (and she and I are both Chinese!)

 

[Dancing Fire]

My ring is .500 palladium and it does not need replating ever. The color look pretty close to my wife's .900 PT ring. OP, I'd go with PT if you don't mind paying the price.

 

[LJsapphire]

Biggest reason I decided not to go platinum was my SO doesn't like the look of the patina that platinum forms over time. But some people actually enjoy the look of the patina.

How old is that?
Mine is approx 100 years old and still looks shiny - it may have been polished somewhere along the way but *shrugs shoulders*
t

 

[Lorelei]

I have gold but if I had to do it again, platinum for rings. But I mix golds and the colours anyway, but it's really a matter of taste and with platinum you don't have to worry about replating white gold.

 

[rockysalamander]

I actually get all my platinum rings finished with a light sanded texture to speed the patina along!

 

[iluvshinythings]

Why do you say white gold "won't last long"?

It needs to be re-plated to keep it white. Eventually, the metal under the rhodium (?) plating shows through.

I don't know how to describe it, but my mother went through about three heavy duty gold wedding rings throughout her life. She never removed her wedding band and the ring would become thinner and thinner and eventually break.

I didn't mean to be offensive and apologize if I was.

 

[iluvshinythings]

I disagree about the Chinese food. Come over and I'll cook you my zha jiang mien. Trust me it's great in the beginning and it sticks to your bones.

FYI - I'm an American born in Tuscaloosa Alabama with an Irish last name.

That sounds delicious and I would love that. I'm also Irish and from Texas so maybe there's hope for me to learn how to cook that too.

 

[yssie]

I don't know how I'm just seeing this thread now!!

The range of colours available in WG that isn't plated - even within the same karat - is quite incredible. Everything from "white-white" to "undisguised yellow" I've posted this pic of some of my rings elsewhere on PS - all five in the middle are unplated 18k WG:


A - PT950/Ru
B - 18k (custom piece) from DBL, exact composition: "Palladium-WG" - don't know exact alloy
C - 18k WG (custom piece) from RDG, exact composition: [75% Fine Gold] [17% Palladium] [5% Pure Silver] [3% Platinum]
In-person the RDG alloy (C) looks slightly warmer than (B)
D - 18k WG (stock piece) from e-wb, exact composition: ?
E - 18k WG (custom piece) from WF, exact composition: [75%AU] [9.8%CU] [9.8%NI] [5.22%ZN]
F - 18k WG (custom piece) from e-wb, exact composition: [75%AU] [16.5%CU] [4%NI] [4.5%ZN]
In-person (F) is slightly yellower and pinker than (E), especially under fluorescents
G - 14k YG

It isn't news to anyone here that I adore unplated WG... but there are definitely a few things to watch out for

1. Colour matching. Most vendors will look at you askance if you start inquiring into their alloys, and given how much difference composition makes within even the same karat... if matching is important, well, best to resign yourself to some headaches in advance

2. Allergies. I adore unplated nickel-containing WG. A very close friend developed an allergy to Ni a couple of years ago, though, so I bought a couple of pieces I knew she'd enjoy wearing occasionally in platinum... and once I'd bought those in platinum having other pieces in matching metal became something of a stipulation for mind clean... at this point my collection is largely platinum despite my personal predisposition. I like platinum just fine too

Ditto @diamondseeker2006 re. platinum alloys: I dislike patina and will never use 950/Ir again.

 

[cflutist]

There is also Stuller X1 (14k wg) that is very white and doesn't need rhodium plating.
From left to right
Platinum
Stuller X1
18k unplated WG

 

[tedfox]

thank you guys for all the responses! wow - PS is like a treasure trove of knowledge!

I ended up going with Platinum upon most of your advice here. Tried asking for PT900/Ir but unfortunately they could only do PT950/Ir which is only what they have and what their crafters were comfortable working with - oh well. It seems like it's not as durable as PT900/Ir but hoping for the best.

Platinum is my first choice always for white metals. White gold is made up mostly of yellow gold and in most cases has to be plated to remain white. Platinum is a naturally white metal. There are many advantages to it. But there are two alloys that are superior to the others in hardness and scratch resistance, and I would request either of these:

Pt900/Ir = 900 parts platinum, 100 parts Iridium

Pt950/Ru = 950 parts platinum, 50 parts Ruthenium

Here is my favorite explanation on this topic by a master ringmaker:

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

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The 950 with iridium just gets more scratched and turns kind of gray (patina) faster. We could point you to ringmakers who use the more durable alloys if your project hasn't already been started.

 

[Austina]

Another vote for platinum, I used to have this ring, which was bought for my great aunt in 1927, and was worn by her all her life. I just prefer the look of platinum and my current ring is a hefty 11gms of platinum.

 

[bludiva]

Another vote for platinum, I used to have this ring, which was bought for my great aunt in 1927, and was worn by her all her life. I just prefer the look of platinum and my current ring is a hefty 11gms of platinum.

Beautiful ring and how lovely to have had a chance to care for an heirloom. I wonder if she would have been tickled to see how in style her ring is now