Pros/Cons to Palladium?

[512BB]

Okay, so I''ve found a diamond and need to decide on a setting. I''ve noticed that on both the Verragio and Ritani websites that their settings come in Palladium as well as White Gold and Platinum. What are the pros and cons of it compared to WG and platinum?

 

[Lula]

Some vendors refuse to work with it because of brittleness/durability issues.

 

[luvmyhalo]

If you do a search for platinum vs palladium, you''ll get several threads with good info.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 3/14/2010 11:11:42 PM
Author: luvmyhalo
If you do a search for platinum vs palladium, you''ll get several threads with good info.

Yes. My feeling from reading is that there are significant downsides to some palladium mixes.

 

[512BB]

Interesting read so far. Thanks for the help. Any opinion on if it would be safer with a designer setting (such as the already mentioned Ritani or Verragio)? Or should I just stick with WG/Platinum?

 

[Firestone]

My understanding is that people choose palladium because it costs less than platinum. It is not chosen because it is superior or as good as. It is chosen to save money. While WG and platinum have been proven to be excellent metals for rings, palladium hasn''t been used long enough to prove itself. Some people call palladium a fad. I have also heard that palladium can not be repaired like WG and platinum and has no scrape value. Platinum is the superior metal. I don''t have any first hand knowledge. This is what I have read when I researched palladium.

 

[yssie]

I'm having the great plat vs palladium debate myself right now, I'd love to see some experts chime in with their experiences with both metals - especially long term wear.


I did wg (18k). Didn't like the replating issue, liked that it didn't scratch as easily.
I'm doing plat/irid now. Don't like the patina at all, don't really care about the weight one way or another.
I'm also doing plat/ru now. Still scratches too easily for my liking, though possibly not as easily as the other alloy.
Unless brittleness is palladium's only issue I think it's my next metal of choice... I figure A) I baby my rings B) people wear brittle gold without issue C) I have insurance

I will say that while I love my settings dearly I'm not married to them and don't mind needing to replace them as they wear out, my style changes, etc. so the "plat is forever" argument doesn't hold much sway for me either, though that's certainly a nice consideration.


ETA: Firestone, I can safely say that for a lot of people palladium is chosen for reasons other than just to save money. Like me, quite possibly. The only true statement in your entire paragraph is that there are differing opinions on long-term wear, and still not for the reasons you give.