Which is stronger white gold or platinum and do baguettes fall out?

[JerseyGirlOC]

I posted earilier today regarding getting my diamond reset and possibly getting a new diamond. I have my heart set on a tapered baguette sidestone engagement ring and matching wedding band. At lunch, I went to Helzberg just to see what they had and try some sets on. I know enough from Pricescope not to buy there, but it''s fun to look. The lady told me the tapered baguettes fall out and they don''t carry them anymore because of this. She also told me that white gold is better than platinum because it''s stronger. My engagement ring now is in a platinum solitare. It has a white gold wrap soldered to it that I got from Helzberg (pre-Pricescope). Even my original engagement ring that was yellow gold had a platinum head holding the diamond. I was always under the impression that platinum was safer.

So my questions are: 1) is white gold really better at securing diamonds and 2) do the tapered baguettes fall out a lot. If so I better change my mind on what I want.

 

[Black Jade]

I don''t know anything about baguettes, but platinum is definitely stronger than white gold. White gold isn''t only more delicate but is usually plated with rhodium, which wears off.
You probably aren''t getting a lot of answers to this because there have been many, many threads on this subject. If you do a search, you''ll find some.
Good luck.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 6/19/2009 3:23:01 PM
Author: Black Jade
I don't know anything about baguettes, but platinum is definitely stronger than white gold. White gold isn't only more delicate but is usually plated with rhodium, which wears off.
You probably aren't getting a lot of answers to this because there have been many, many threads on this subject. If you do a search, you'll find some.
Good luck.

Platinum is more durable but is a softer metal. I would say white gold might be stronger but is prone to more damage if its whacked against something hard. With platinum none of the metal is lost.. more displaced. With gold tiny chips fly out if its hit on something.

At least thats how I understood it to be

 

[bright&shiny]

Platinum is definitely stronger - and it stays in place when used as prongs, for example.

This is an article that doesn''t get too deep into the technical aspects, but explains it well in regular language:

http://users.lmi.net/drewid/PWR_Platinum_vs_White_Gold.htm

http://users.lmi.net/drewid/PWR_Platinum_vs_White_Gold.htm

Sorry, I''m using Chrome, which doesn''t seem to play nicely with the formatting options we have on this site. If you don''t see a link above, just copy and paste the link into your browser.https://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/images/smilies/37.gif (that''s the blue smiley face).

 

[Circe]

Platinum is more ductile. Basically, if you whack a white gold ring, you might snap off a prong: if you do likewise to a platinum ring, you might bend it out of place, but you can bend it back again, making it more durable overall.

And, no, baguettes will not "fall out" unless they are very poorly set, but you do need good jewelers to set them, as the point can be fragile (which I''m guessing is why they discontinued them - pricier for the store!). Basically, it sounds like the saleswoman was feeding you a line of booshwah.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi JerseyGirlOC,
It''s such a shame how salespeople spread false information.
Platinum is considered the "premier" metal in jewelry for many reasons.
As Circe mentioned it has properties that make it more durable.
If you have ever seen antique gold jewelry- as compared to platinum, the difference is amazing.
Over time platinum is more likely to survive intact.

It''s also a more pure metal at 95% purity as compared to 75% for 18karat gold.
If you compare two rings which are identical in size- but one is gold,and the other platinum you can immediately feel the difference in weight.

I''m glad you''ve got a platinum ring! It is kind of a shame they did not use platinum for the wrap, but I''m sure it''s lovely anyway.

As Circe mentioned when baguettes are properly set they pose no greater risk than other side stones.
Baguettes can also be quite lovely- and when properly used are far more economical than many other side stone choices.