Platinum won''t scratch the same way gold does. With platinum, the scratches are usually finer. When having a piece polished, a micro fine layer of gold will be permanently removed. When polishing platinum, because of it''s very tight molecular structure, the platinum is just redistributed. You don''t lose any metal when polishing platinum.Date: 9/11/2008 8:15:44 AM
Author: stepcutnut
I''ve been told that Platinum doesn''t scratch like gold, with gold some of it is removed when scratched and with Platinum the metal just moves around and is displaced-so you don''t lose the weight. I''ve only experienced micro scratches, nothing deep on my Plat.
No. That''s true of gold alloys, though. Platinum is softer and "furrows" when scratched. Polishing smushes the metal around until it''s smooth again--all metal is preserved, just redistributed. Gold snaps when scratched/hit, and polishing removes the rough edges, therefore reducing the amount of metal each time.Date: 9/11/2008 8:09:23 AM
Author: oddoneout
I''ve read that the platinum thins a bit when it is polished. Is that true?
Obviously it depends how hard you''re hitting/scuffing it, but on average it''ll be lots of teeny, tiny surface scratches--that''s where the "dull" look of the patina comes from, all the tiny scratches compounded next to one another.How bad is the scratching (are the scratches deep or just surface wise)? When it scratches does it just dull?
It will, of course, depend greatly on the alloy. But just for argument's sake, here's a good comparison (from this thread):Date: 9/11/2008 4:13:12 PM
Author: oddoneout
Wow thank you everyone for your (varied) responses. Does anyone have white gold that is not plated and knows how it would compare to the platinum?
Thanks