Ritani halo in 18k or platinum, help me decide

[jkberg3]

Hi there!

I'm getting close to making all of the big decisions, and wanted some help picking the metal for the setting. I started off looking only at WG and after reading a bunch of posts am thinking about platinum.

The setting i'll be working with is http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4973. I initially chose Ritani because of the quality and that they dont use Nickel WG (don't want to risk spending all this money and my gf having any allergy issues).

Basically i'm a bit torn now, there is so much love for platinum here that i'm really not sure if gold is the right way to go. Does anyone have experience with Ritani WG setting and how well they hold up over time? Should durability be a concern with WG? Same for platinum, years down the line, are there any issues. If anyone can direct me to any pictures of what the Ritani rings look like after a bit of wear, that would be amazing.

Thanks!

 

[Niel]

Hi there!

I'm getting close to making all of the big decisions, and wanted some help picking the metal for the setting. I started off looking only at WG and after reading a bunch of posts am thinking about platinum.

The setting i'll be working with is http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4973. I initially chose Ritani because of the quality and that they dont use Nickel WG (don't want to risk spending all this money and my gf having any allergy issues).

Basically i'm a bit torn now, there is so much love for platinum here that i'm really not sure if gold is the right way to go. Does anyone have experience with Ritani WG setting and how well they hold up over time? Should durability be a concern with WG? Same for platinum, years down the line, are there any issues. If anyone can direct me to any pictures of what the Ritani rings look like after a bit of wear, that would be amazing.

Thanks!

Are you opposed to 14k? I had a ritani in unplated 14k and it was very white. whiter than what 14k will be. Its also cheaper. And with so much melee you won't see much metal. I would go 14k or platinum as they are whitest. But I'm a gold girl and like to save where I can.

I did only wear it a few months but the wear on the metal was minimal. I'll get some pics for you.

And on ritanis pinterest site they have my ring and tell people its platinum

 

[Niel]

Here's a pic of the metal color. And again not plated.

 

[kathley]

Hi jkberg. I recently had the split shank Ritani in 18K white gold, and for me it was too bulky and heavy for my comfort. Platinum will be somewhat heavier. If your GF is weight sensitive, then you might want to take this into consideration. As far as the quality goes, the Ritani was solidly made and the melee used were of high quality with incredible sparkle. Ritani also warranties their products in cases of possible defects. As far as wear and tear goes, it will depend on how hard your GF is with her rings. I am extremely careful with mine, and of the 1 month that I owned the Ritani (I know that won't tell you a lot) there was no wear, scratches, etc. All of this being said, I am doing a custom ring now in platinum because I don't want to have any issues with replating of white gold. There is quite a bit of interest for some folks in looking into unplated white gold. I have seen unplated white gold in Single Stone rings in person, and they were indeed beautiful.

 

[Niel]

Hi jkberg. I recently had the split shank Ritani in 18K white gold, and for me it was too bulky and heavy for my comfort. Platinum will be somewhat heavier. If your GF is weight sensitive, then you might want to take this into consideration. As far as the quality goes, the Ritani was solidly made and the melee used were of high quality with incredible sparkle. Ritani also warranties their products in cases of possible defects. As far as wear and tear goes, it will depend on how hard your GF is with her rings. I am extremely careful with mine, and of the 1 month that I owned the Ritani (I know that won't tell you a lot) there was no wear, scratches, etc. All of this being said, I am doing a custom ring now in platinum because I don't want to have any issues with replating of white gold. There is quite a bit of interest for some folks in looking into unplated white gold. I have seen unplated white gold in Single Stone rings in person, and they were indeed beautiful.

In regards to plating, when I got my ring I was actually a little surprised how white it was. I was hoping it would be more yellow than it was. And I think its non plating looks more expensive than rhodium. Its not the common view but I think rhodium cheapens the look a bit.

 

[msop04]

The setting i'll be working with is http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4973. I initially chose Ritani because of the quality and that they dont use Nickel WG (don't want to risk spending all this money and my gf having any allergy issues). <---- good choice!!

Basically i'm a bit torn now, there is so much love for platinum here that i'm really not sure if gold is the right way to go. Does anyone have experience with Ritani WG setting and how well they hold up over time? Should durability be a concern with WG? Same for platinum, years down the line, are there any issues. If anyone can direct me to any pictures of what the Ritani rings look like after a bit of wear, that would be amazing.

Thanks!

First off, that is a beautiful ring! I don't have a Ritani piece, but I haven't read any complaints about them -- they seem to make quality pieces for great prices. I don't think you will have any durability issues with WG or platinum. I have seen some cases where gold has worn away on really thin bands after like 30+ years, but I don't forsee that being a big issue with this setting or with Ritani. I read that Ritani uses palladium in their WG alloy, so it doesn't get nearly as "dingy" as some alloys before replating. <---I really wish I had this option for my ering!!!

The choice of metal is going to depend on several things...

- COLOR: do you like bright and shiny metal or a more grayish patina?
- REPLATING/POLISHING: will you mind having WG rhodium plated periodically to keep the bright shine and color (really just an issue on the bottom and sides of the band)? Platinum will need to be polished also...
- COST: platinum obliously costs more than WG
-WEIGHT: some like the heft of platinum, others are indifferent

FWIW, I prefer the color and shine of WG when rhodium plated better than the grayish undertone/patina of platinum, so I don't mind having it plated now and again. Since Ritani uses palladium and it doesn't get that yellowish undertone, I would go for the WG. This is just me though, as some love the color of platinum. But if you like the color of WG, but want the heft of plat, you can always have it plated with rhodium!

 

[msop04]

I agree with Niel on doing 14K!!

 

[SB621]

I would personally do PLAT as whenever I have WG rings I feel I have to constantly redip them to keep them white. They always seem to like yellow-y to me after a few months.

 

[msop04]

I would personally do PLAT as whenever I have WG rings I feel I have to constantly redip them to keep them white. They always seem to like yellow-y to me after a few months.

Yeah, you're right about the redipping... I have to do mine (read: should do mine) about every 3-4 months (18K sucks like that!!)... but with X1 white gold and palladium alloys, you almost don't have to plate at all if you don't want to.

 

[ecf8503]

I'd say it's a toss-up. I have plat, 18K WG and 14K WG. The bottom of the shank on the 18k has yellowed and probably needs to be redipped, but since no one sees that part but me I'm not worried about it, as the business side of the setting is perfectly white. I recently bought one in 14K, as it was cheaper, still rhodium plated so it looks the same as 18k wg, and won't yellow as much down the road. I also have a platinum one, and it does have a good patina on the bottom of the shank now, and it is a slightly darker color than the blazing white of rhodium, but not in a bad way - just more mellow if that makes sense.

 

[jkberg3]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Niel - that ring you posted is unplated? it looks very white! I'm not really surprised even ritani got confused

i really didn't consider weight being an issue with platinum, but I guess that's another thing on the list of things I had no idea about before this process began.

I'm definitely going to consider the 14k, i'll have to find out the actual price difference is between that and platinum too. I'll see if ritani has any comparison shots of 14k plated/ unplated vs platinum.

 

[msop04]

I'd say it's a toss-up. I have plat, 18K WG and 14K WG. The bottom of the shank on the 18k has yellowed and probably needs to be redipped, but since no one sees that part but me I'm not worried about it, as the business side of the setting is perfectly white. I recently bought one in 14K, as it was cheaper, still rhodium plated so it looks the same as 18k wg, and won't yellow as much down the road. I also have a platinum one, and it does have a good patina on the bottom of the shank now, and it is a slightly darker color than the blazing white of rhodium, but not in a bad way - just more mellow if that makes sense.

"business side" <---- I LOVE THIS!!

 

[msop04]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Niel - that ring you posted is unplated? it looks very white! I'm not really surprised even ritani got confused

i really didn't consider weight being an issue with platinum, but I guess that's another thing on the list of things I had no idea about before this process began.

I'm definitely going to consider the 14k, i'll have to find out the actual price difference is between that and platinum too. I'll see if ritani has any comparison shots of 14k plated/ unplated vs platinum.

I think you'll love the 14K -- esp with their alloy! It's the best of both worlds, only less expensive! Platinum will be very shiny at first, but will scratch more quickly and need to be polished - so photos of brand new rings probably isn't a good representation. My younger sister got plat for her ering and it was really beautiful... for about a week.

 

[Niel]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Niel - that ring you posted is unplated? it looks very white! I'm not really surprised even ritani got confused

i really didn't consider weight being an issue with platinum, but I guess that's another thing on the list of things I had no idea about before this process began.

I'm definitely going to consider the 14k, i'll have to find out the actual price difference is between that and platinum too. I'll see if ritani has any comparison shots of 14k plated/ unplated vs platinum.

Yes mine is unplated. I mean think about it. 14k is cheaper, whiter, and really how much metal will you see?

You can of course get it plated, but I didn't want to deal with any uneven wear of the rhodium and I was hoping for a little bit of warmth so I went without it.

 

[momma2boys]

I am planning to have my wedding bands re-shanked in un-plated 14K white gold. Up to this point, they have been rhodium plated. I must say, besides the overall look of the un-plated, more subtle appearance of the gold that I am looking forward to, I'm also looking forward to not having the rhodium slowly wear away to reveal the white gold undertones until it's rhodium plated again. That process gets old - for me anyway!!

 

[Niel]

I am planning to have my wedding bands re-shanked in un-plated 14K white gold. Up to this point, they have been rhodium plated. I must say, besides the overall look of the un-plated, more subtle appearance of the gold that I am looking forward to, I'm also looking forward to not having the rhodium slowly wear away to reveal the white gold undertones until it's rhodium plated again. That process gets old - for me anyway!!

Yeah in my mind its gold, you know, why cover it up?

 

[momma2boys]

I am planning to have my wedding bands re-shanked in un-plated 14K white gold. Up to this point, they have been rhodium plated. I must say, besides the overall look of the un-plated, more subtle appearance of the gold that I am looking forward to, I'm also looking forward to not having the rhodium slowly wear away to reveal the white gold undertones until it's rhodium plated again. That process gets old - for me anyway!!

Yeah in my mind its gold, you know, why cover it up?

I agree!! It's taken me a while to realize that so I give you credit for figuring it out early on!! The rhodium does have it's appeal though...I guess I'm just not into it anymore.

 

[Laila619]

Well, if Ritani uses Palladium white gold then I think it's a no brainer--go with that! Palladium white gold stays white and you don't have to rhodium plate.

However, you can lose metal with gold over the years. With platinum, metal isn't lost, it's just displaced.