Spacer Band - does the metal need to match rings?

[sukiisukii]

I am considering a spacer band for my platinum rings. Does the spacer band need to be platinum or can I consider an alternative metal? I read somewhere in my search that because silver is soft is is safe for your diamond prongs. But then someone also said because it is soft it picks up the grit and acts like sand paper next to the metals.

Anyone have input? If this has already been posted I apologize in advance. It would be great if you can direct me to the thread. Thanks!!!

 

[antelope1]

I'd personally be more concerned about your diamond girdles than the other 2 bands. If you don't have melee on either ring, I suppose you could go with a SS spacer simply because PT is harder than most anything, so you would have to pick up real rocks or diamond chips to scratch the PT -- and I don't think a silver spacer will pick up diamond chips unless it is rubbing against a fragile diamond girdle. But the SS will be a different color than the PT bands, which is something to consider.

 

[coda72]

I have a SS spacer that I wear when I wear my ering and five stone band on the same finger. But, I only wear them occasionally together because I like to change around my rings frequently. If this is the set you will be wearing every day for a long period of time, it would probably be worthwhile to invest in a platinum spacer. I have a 1 mm spacer band, and think that's more than thick enough, if you're wondering how thick the spacer band needs to be.

 

[MarkBroumand]

Usually you go for the same metal, but of course this is not a rule. What is the setting of your platinum ring like?

 

[yssie]

I'd personally be more concerned about your diamond girdles than the other 2 bands. If you don't have melee on either ring, I suppose you could go with a SS spacer simply because PT is harder than most anything, so you would have to pick up real rocks or diamond chips to scratch the PT -- and I don't think a silver spacer will pick up diamond chips unless it is rubbing against a fragile diamond girdle. But the SS will be a different color than the PT bands, which is something to consider.

plat is not 'hard' at all actually in this context.

Re deformation resistance (by vickers) depends very much on alloy and treatment - alloyed gold may be more or less resistant to this plastic deformation than plat depending on alloy, plat is 'harder' than cast silver in this respect. Scratch resistance - function of friction - is a different matter: moh's gives plat ~4, silver ~2, 18k ~2-3, which means it is relatively easy for a foreign object to scratch into any of these metals. BUT gold has 'good metal memory' (gold has higher yield strength - elastic deformation) so until that elastic stress/strain limit, which is a wide range, much of the minutely deformed metal area will 'snap back' into place once that forcibly deforming object is removed

And since these metals are so easily scratched, tiny particles of say glass (or anything that rates higher than plat on the moh's scale) that embed themselves into the spacer during day-to-day wear will scratch up the adjacent ring quite thoroughly. Bottom line - plat is more resistant to both scratching and plastic deformation than silver, which means that a foreign object (that could scratch the OP's platinum pieces) that wants to embed itself into the spacer will be able to do so much more easily if the spacer is silver.

 

[Siamese Kitty]

My appraiser told me that he's seen some irreversible damage done to platinum settings from people who have worn gold next to them for a period of time. According to him, the gold will rub the platinum and embed into it and once this happens, it is impossible to get return the platinum to its original state. Not sure if silver would do the same.

I'm wearing a palladium setting next to a platinum band right now and it seems to be okay. The appraiser said that it should be fine since they are both in the same metal family. I have some new scratches on the platinum band, but I think it is because the palladium setting is 3-sided pave. Maybe you could look for a palladium spacer?