Platinum vs White Gold

[Brighter_Suns]

There seems to be so much conflicting information on this subject. Which stands up better...........white gold or platinum? I have heard some swear by white gold in that it can be replated and look brand new again. Great but how often and what does that cost? Does Platinum lose it''s lusture quickly as some say it does?

 

[FireGoddess]

This is my opinion, from my experience, so take it for what you will. I have white gold rings, and I have platinum rings. I have a harder time getting a ding or dent in a white gold ring than a platinum ring. Wg feels less malleable than platinum for me. Less easier to scratch than platinum. However, when you polish wg, you lose more metal in the long run than you do with platinum. And platinum feels MUCH heavier and substantial in a ring than wg does.

I know that if my husband had a plat ring, it would have been destroyed (in a visual sense) by now - his wg rings look pretty destroyed, actually! He''s hard on his rings. I''m sure if he had a plat ring all it would take to make it nice is a quick polish, but it would have to be polished on a weekly basis, so for him, wg it is. Platinum loses its luster and develops a patina when scratched, etc. But a quick polish will fix that. My first plat ring got patina on the bottom fairly quickly. After getting it polished, I was more careful not to scratch the bottom because I like the high polish look. It still looks like new over a year later.

Basically, I don''t prefer one over the other. I like both. My ering and wband are both platinum. I also have wg rings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, etc. I haven''t had to rhodium plate most of them in years. My jeweler''s skin seems to react to wg more than mine - she has to replate her rings frequently. Me? Not so much.

 

[asscherisme]

Platinum does get a more "warn" look, I''m not sure the right word to use. But that being said, I LOVE platinum. I think the color is more pure than white gold, I love the weight of it, the solid feel of it and the fact that it will never need to be replated. It does cost almost twice as much or even more than white gold.

It is stronger for holding in diamonds as well. Often gold settings will have platinum prongs for that reason.

 

[Brighter_Suns]

Thanks you, those were exactly the type of comments I was looking for. For a guy who just wants a plain band I could probably replace the WG band three times before I paid as much as the platinum anyways.

The one question about replatring was related to the engagement ring I purchased in November which is already showing some colour through on the band less then four months later. Should I be questioning that? or is that to be expected? So here I am now shopping for the bands and really can''t mix the two but at the same time know how here righ will look next to a very white band.

 

[FireGoddess]

It could be a bad plating job or it could be your skin chemistry. Like I mentioned - I don''t have to get my stuff plated very frequently at all - years go by. But my jeweler...her wg ring looks yellowish on the underside all the time. That could also be a possibility with you?? Maybe one of the experts will have a different opinion?

 

[asscherisme]

The only 2 white gold experiences I have had, they looked great when I got them and looked grey/yellowish within a few months. One was a chain, the other were sapphire studs. I had the studs reset in platinum. Maybe its certain body chemistry reacts wtih the white gold plating? I don''t know.

My husband has a comfort fit 5mm platinum band, simple style, no pattern. I will honestly tell you it looks pretty beat up. He won''t let me get it polished and says he loves the look because it shows he has been married a long time. But the interesting thing is that the engraving inside the band as well as the metal inside the band looks brand new and shiny. He never never takes the band off.

I have a platinum pendant and platinum chain and those look new, so do my earrings, both of which I have had for a while. My wedding ring is much less beat up than his but thats because we have a lot of children and during my 6 years of being pregnant (not constantly, it just seemed that way!) I could not wear my wedding band because of weight gain/swelling. So there was a good 7 years of having kids and losing weight I had not worn it (mine is a comfort fit 3 mm band).

Bottom line, do you like the look? would you feel the need to constantly repolish? Personally the need to replate would bother me. I only buy platinum jewelery (not that I buy jewelry much!) now because yellow gold looks bad on me and I have not had good white gold experiences.

If you go to a jewelry store and hold up a gold band and platinum band of the same size, the platinum will feel more substantial.

 

[Rod]

This is a personal decision. For me, I had white gold and I pretty much hated it. I found myself needing to have it rhodium plated often (maybe it''s my skin type), but it annoyed me. For the last 5 years, I''ve had platinum rings exclusively. They do scratch easier, but they feel richer to me. Even if they get scratched, a jeweler can polish then in a matter of minutes and there''s never a need to plate them. The weight of the metal has a more substantial feel to me as well.

Again, it''s a personal decision, but I''m sold on Platinum for life.

Best wishes........

 

[mrssalvo]

My wedding set was plat. and I loved it. I have a plain 14k WG band I wear when doing things like the pool, yard work etc. and it has yellowed. not worth the trouble to replate it but I don''t like it. I don''t think 18K WG yellows as quickly or easily. My hubby has a plat. wedding band he wears 24/7 and it''s going on 6 years. It''s scratched up a bit and has the patina look but both he and I actually like that look on his ring.

 

[Kaleigh]

I love the feel of platinum. Like the weight of it. Yeah it scratches easier than WG, but a jeweler can buff them out very quickly. I don''t mind the patina of platinum either. Having to go get my ring rhodium plated all the time would drive me nuts. But it''s a personal preference and some people have had better luck with their WG rings staying whiter than I have.

 

[gailrmv]

hi! I''ve had both over the years. I think the alloys of WG might be improving(?) or are just better with my skin chemistry. My orig wedding set had to be replated every 6 months. I have a WG RHR that I''ve had since August and wear it almost every day, and it still looks good as new. In fact, it sort of looks better in terms of scratches than my new plat wedding set that I got around the same time. However, I am glad I got the plat for my wedding set and would make the decision again. Yeah, you pay 2-3 times as much. But I LOVE how heavy it is. Kind of like choosing cashmere for a sweater. I also love that I will be able to keep it forever and it will never get thin and wear down, whereas the gold will wear down eventually. I don''t really mind the patina either, although I am thinking of getting it polished soon. I think I will always choose plat for major jewelry purchases particularly rings.

how much do your jewelers charge for polishing plat? Mine charges $30 times 2 rings, so for $60 a pop that seems like something I won''t do more than a few times a year.

 

[Small]

I''ve had platinum (currently both of my diamonds are set in platinum along with my eternity band) and WG jewelry. I would choose platinum for rings. My husband has a WG wedding band that I bought him last year and that''s fine for him. He only wears it when we go out (he can''t wear it to work otherwise it''ll be destroyed

) and it''s been great...no problems with his skin turning it yellow or anything. Mine WG rings on the other hand...they were quite yellow quickly and it irritated me. Not to mention the original setting I had for my ering had WG prongs on the head

of a platinum setting and they yellowed very quickly also. I really hate leaving my rings to get plating done. The place I go to does it for free because we have one of those warranty guarantees by the mall store. I have WG earrings, a necklace, and tennis bracelet all from the same store. I have guarantees on all the jewelry so no charges for rhodium plating there. My necklace is worn alot...at least 3-4 times per week and my earrings are the same. I have yet to have to plate them (earrings are only 6 mos old and necklace is almost 3 years old) but I expect I''ll need to soon. I guess it depends on your tolerance for the yellow coming through...I don''t have alot as my skin tone looks awful with yellow gold so to me aside from the inconvenience it''s aesthetically not pleasing when the white turns yellow.
Good luck with your choice!

 

[Scooba]

I did some research on this as the guy that sold me my diamond prefers and suggested that i consider white gold. I chose platinum because it is the most precious metal, it comes out of the ground "white", and it is purer than white gold (I don''t want a bunch of random metals mixed in with a 75% gold ring), with such an amazing diamond as I am lucky enough to have, I wanted the most amazing metal. I just don''t understand why anyone would buy a precious metal like white gold and then plate it with rhodium, just plate some sterling silver with rhodium and save yourself the money (no offense to those who have chosen white gold, just an opinion). Also, I do like weight of platinum, as someone else mentioned it feels more "substantial". And I am not worried about the platinum getting scracthed so much because my diamond is set on an enternity band so there is not a ton of metal exposed anyway, I guess something to think about if you are just going for a plain band.

 

[gailrmv]

One thing I have always wondered, sometimes I hear people (even stores) talking about platinum plated white gold. I always assume they mean rhodium plated, but maybe I''m wrong?

 

[sumbride]

hmm... platinum plated white gold? well, I have some platinum plated sterling earrings via qvc, and though they are very shiny, if it were a ring you couldn''t get it sized.

Question on the skin chemistry thing... I think that might very well be part of why people have such different experiences with white gold. I have an 18k white gold necklacethat I''ve been wearing almost every day for 2 and a half years... it hasn''t yellowed at all and it''s a choker so it sits directly on my skin. If it hasn''t yellowed, do you guys think that a ring would be the same, or is it something about the hands that is different than the neck, like skin oils and such? Just curious. I don''t see the point of paying for platinum myself. I like white gold but don''t want it to yellow.

 

[Rhapsody]

Date: 4/14/2006 9:13:40 PM
Author: sumbride
hmm... platinum plated white gold? well, I have some platinum plated sterling earrings via qvc, and though they are very shiny, if it were a ring you couldn''t get it sized.


Question on the skin chemistry thing... I think that might very well be part of why people have such different experiences with white gold. I have an 18k white gold necklacethat I''ve been wearing almost every day for 2 and a half years... it hasn''t yellowed at all and it''s a choker so it sits directly on my skin. If it hasn''t yellowed, do you guys think that a ring would be the same, or is it something about the hands that is different than the neck, like skin oils and such? Just curious. I don''t see the point of paying for platinum myself. I like white gold but don''t want it to yellow.

I have white gold earrings and a necklace I''ve worn almost every day for 5 years. Not a bit of yellow. Rings on the other hand, after 3 months the yellow gets unbearable

It probably has a lot to do with how hard you are on your hands, how much contact your rings get with other surfaces.


For pieces I don''t wear everyday I usually pick white gold since I''m poor, but for pieces I want to wear all the time platinum ends up being cheaper and less hassle than frequent rhodium plating. My platinum rings get scratched but I have a little metal polishing cloth (not just the kind they give you to clean stones) that I use once a week and it keeps the platinum very shiny. For me the scratches were less annoying than the yellowing.

 

[XChick03]

I have 18k WG and adore it. Its funny because I originally wanted plat, then I tried on a plat ring and WG ring. The WG was much lighter and more comfortable for me, plus I am really hard on hands and was afraid platinum would get too bent or scratched. Plus, I just love the way WG shines. I think it really just comes down to personal preference.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 4/13/2006 12:44:21 AM
Author: gailrmv
One thing I have always wondered, sometimes I hear people (even stores) talking about platinum plated white gold. I always assume they mean rhodium plated, but maybe I''m wrong?

It is possible these people mean rhodium plated. There are some rings, howevever - and a lot of the time these are silver, that are dipped in platinum to get a thin coat on the top. I believe it''s to keep the silver from tarnishing.

 

[pinkflamingo]

How much does it cost to get a platinum band polished? Do you just go into a jewelry store and ask for it? we bought our bands in Houston and now we live in Tampa.

 

[orange_horse_fiance]

Welcome to Tampa Pink Flamingo! Being born and raised here all my life I will just give a quick reccomendation on a good, reputable, and trusted jewler in town in case you need someone to polish etc. I have no affiliation with them except the fact my husband buys all my jewels exclusively from them. Mavilo on Aremnia Ave.behind the Colnoial bank. I am not sure what soemthing like that costs, but I know with a jewler like them they do sizing, repairs (even small stone replacements, polishing etc. OTH for me. It can''t be much.

Back to the topic. I personally prefer white gold. Have some of both, but I personally like the way WG ages. I have had one bad experience with a WG tennis bracelt. I need to get it plated, but it just have never looked great gold wise....

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 4/14/2006 9:34:01 PM
Author: Rhapsody


My platinum rings get scratched but I have a little metal polishing cloth (not just the kind they give you to clean stones) that I use once a week and it keeps the platinum very shiny. For me the scratches were less annoying than the yellowing.

Rhapsody, can you give more info about this cloth? I would definitely be interested in getting one!

Does it keep your ring shiny like new, or does it still show some patina?

 

[cflutist]

Date: 4/12/2006 10:28:49 PM
Author: kaleigh
Having to go get my ring rhodium plated all the time would drive me nuts.

There are new white gold alloys that don''t require rhodium plating.

For example, Stuller is now casting some of its mountings in their 14 X-1 WG that is
almost as white as platium without being rhodium plated.

In the picture, from left to right are:
platinum band, 14K X-1 WG, 18K WG (definite tint here).

Been wearing the middle ring 24x7 for 4 months and it is still pretty darn white.

 

[gailrmv]

cflutist, do you have to order this X-1 specifically?

I''m wondering if this might be what my stuller RHR is made of. I have been wearing it for 6 months and it is still completely white. I''m very impressed because my old WG ring got yellow within just a few months.

Then there is my mom who has had the same WG rings since she was married over 30 years ago and never had them plated - didn''t know you could even - and I actually caught her cleaning them with silver cleaner when I told her she should clean her ring (I meant the diamond)! I definitely did not catch the jewelry bug from her! Oh yes, but her rings still look pretty white - not bad for 30 years!

 

[cflutist]

Date: 4/15/2006 1:08:57 AM
Author: gailrmv
cflutist, do you have to order this X-1 specifically?

I'm wondering if this might be what my stuller RHR is made of. I have been wearing it for 6 months and it is still completely white. I'm very impressed because my old WG ring got yellow within just a few months.

Then there is my mom who has had the same WG rings since she was married over 30 years ago and never had them plated - didn't know you could even - and I actually caught her cleaning them with silver cleaner when I told her she should clean her ring (I meant the diamond)! I definitely did not catch the jewelry bug from her! Oh yes, but her rings still look pretty white - not bad for 30 years!

Yes you do. For example #12649 (3 stone ring) is available in 14K WG, 18K WG, 14K X1, or Platinum,
while #12446 (another 3 stone ring) is available in 14K WG, 14K Palladium WG, 14K X1 or Platinum.

Here is a link to their FAQs which were written in June 2005 before they started casting select mountings in 14K X1.

Here is a post I made on the subject back in Dec 2005:

A little background info here:

Much of today's white gold jewelry is a yellowish or off-white karat gold alloy that has been rhodium plated to provide a bright-white finish. Unfortunately, when the Rhodium plating wears off, it becomes obvious that the gold is not very white at all. Because of this issue, the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MSJA) and the World Gold Council created the White Gold Task Force whose purpose was to create guidelines and a grading system for determining the color of white gold alloys, and to define how white an alloy must be to be classified as "white gold". As a result of this classification system, the levels or grades of whiteness for which rhodium plating is considered necessary, optional, or not needed were developed.

In March of this year at the MJSA Expo in New York, the White Gold Task Force released its guidelines and recommendations for grading the color of white gold alloys. The grading system is based on the YID1925 (yellowness index) of each white gold alloy. Test results for the various white alloys were established using a color spectrophotometer and specific lighting conditions. The guildelines for white color are as follows:

Grade 1: Good White (Premium White Color) - Rhodium Plating is not required to achieve a good white finish. YID is less than 19

Grade 2: Reasonable White (Modereate White Color) - Rhodium Plating is optional. YYID rating is between 19 and 24.5

Grade 3: Poor White (Off-White Color) - Rhodium Plating is required to achieve an acceptable white color. YID rating is between 24.5 and 32.

Gold alloys with a YID rating greater than 32 are not considered to be "white gold".

There is a major jewelry manufacturing company located in Lafayette LA which has developed a new X-1 white gold available in 14K, 18K, 10K, and 19K (for our Canadians up north) of which all have received the Grade 1 Color rating. They also meet or exceed current EN1811 nickel release requirments.

Looking at a bar chart of products with YID less than 19 from whitest on down:
Rhodium Plate (whitest)
.900 Platinum/Iridium
Nickel Plate
14K X-1 White
18K X-1 White
10K X-1 White
14K Super Palladium White (13% Pd)
18K White (10% Ni) just barely made the grade
All of the above are Grade 1 (Premium White Color)
RockDoc is correct that styles are limited at this time. However a representative of that company answered a post
I made on their community boards that more styles will be released in Jan 2006. Casting grain is already available in 14K, 18K, 10K, 19K X-1 white gold. Sheet, wire and stock are availabe in 14K, and solders are availabe in 14K and 18K at this time.
I quick check of mountings I am personally interested in (3 stone ring for myself) show that pricing for 14K X-1 to be about the same as 14K yellow gold.

 

[Rhapsody]

Date: 4/15/2006 12:35:57 AM
Author: gailrmv

Rhapsody, can you give more info about this cloth? I would definitely be interested in getting one!


Does it keep your ring shiny like new, or does it still show some patina?

The polishing cloth I have was given to me by a jeweler when I bought a silver ring, and one night cleaning my jewelery I decided to polish everything and it took the scratches out of all of my jewelery. Even my boyfriends titanium ring was much shinier and smooth looking. Compared to having the ring polished at a jeweler it doesn't remove all of the patina but it does an amazing job of keeping it at bay.

I would just go to your jeweler and tell them what you're looking for. They should be able to help you.

Looking around online mine looks just like this polishing cloth. Hope that helps!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Cleaning clothes for gems are no good for shining metal - you need something with an abrasive like the rouge cloth in this link

Date: 4/15/2006 2:27:45 AM
Author: Rhapsody

Looking around online mine looks just like this polishing cloth. Hope that helps!

Or the clothes used for polishing / removing tarnish from silver cutlerry.

There is no such thing (impossible) as platinum plating - they always mean rhodium plating - and it wears off the back of the band in weeks / months - but usually stays on the shoulders and sides of settings indefinietly.

Rather than polish your platinum rings frequently at a jeweller it is a good idea to use the abrasive poilshing clothes and let the bigger dings and cratches develop into a patina - if you have them polished often you loose metal and you never really reach the proper patina. you stay in limbo.