White Gold and Platinum Dilemma

[lehcarm]

I''ve read conflicting threads about the following issues. I have a "small" nickel allergy. I say small because things like riveted jeans give me a reaction, yet I''ve had a 10K white gold ring (which I assume is alloyed with nickel) and it doesn''t bother me.

1. I''ve heard you can get palladium as an alloy instead of nickel. I''ve read that palladium is a whiter metal, so do white gold/palladium rings need to be rhodium plated to stay white?

2. On the subject of rhodium plating, would a 10K piece of jewelry need to be plated more often than say a 14K or 18K piece?

3. Does 18K white gold even need to be rhodium plated since it has a higher gold content?

4. Do you think I would even have to worry about a reaction from an 18K white gold/nickel ring if I''m OK with my 10K ring?

The rings that I am looking into come in the following options: 18K white gold/nickel, 18K white gold/palladium, or platinum. I don''t really have the budget to go platinum. I''m not sure even if having nickel in my ring would cause a reaction, but do I really want to risk it? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Shay37]

I really wouldn''t want to risk the allergy. I would go with the palladium white gold mix since plat. is more than you want to spend. I don''t know about the rhodium plating, but I think I''ve read that with palladium, it doesn''t have to be done or not as often, something along those lines.

shay

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 11/30/2006 5:23:05 PM
Author:lehcarm
I''ve read conflicting threads about the following issues. I have a ''small'' nickel allergy. I say small because things like riveted jeans give me a reaction, yet I''ve had a 10K white gold ring (which I assume is alloyed with nickel) and it doesn''t bother me.

1. I''ve heard you can get palladium as an alloy instead of nickel. I''ve read that palladium is a whiter metal, so do white gold/palladium rings need to be rhodium plated to stay white?

2. On the subject of rhodium plating, would a 10K piece of jewelry need to be plated more often than say a 14K or 18K piece?

3. Does 18K white gold even need to be rhodium plated since it has a higher gold content?

4. Do you think I would even have to worry about a reaction from an 18K white gold/nickel ring if I''m OK with my 10K ring?

The rings that I am looking into come in the following options: 18K white gold/nickel, 18K white gold/palladium, or platinum. I don''t really have the budget to go platinum. I''m not sure even if having nickel in my ring would cause a reaction, but do I really want to risk it? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for all your help!

Do you know for sure that the rivets in your jeans are made of nickel? I am just a consumer and not a jeweler, but I''ll answer what I can from my own research into this topic.

1. That depends on who you ask. There are some who claim it is not necessary. Just plan on rhodium plating just in case. 18K white gold is still 75% yellow gold, so palladium isn''t going to turn it white.

2. No

3. See #1 reply

4. I don''t think we could know that for sure since you don''t know for sure what alloy is in that ring. And do you wear it all the time? I have neever seen any reports on how long one must wear a ring to know if they will have a reaction to nickel.

I will tell you that the palladium white gold is softer and therefore may scratch a little easier. Mine are 18k probably with nickel, and mine are really holding up well. My mother has some white gold rings that she wears everyday that have never been replated, so I think it just depends on how particular you are and also how your body chemistry reacts with the metal.

 

[Cehrabehra]

some white gold mixes have nickel, others do not - if you''re not having a reaction to your ring then there''s a possibility there''s no nickel in it. When making a ring I wouldn''t risk it.... but you can shop around for someone who doesn''t use nickel and get it in writing!!

 

[innerkitten]

Maybe you could wear something in 18k white gold and see if you get a reaction?
Both my wedding ring and engagement ring are platinum. Both are antiques and I just liked them and they happened to be platinum. But If I was buying smething and had the choice I''d go with 18k white gold. I think it looks brighter.

 

[niceice]

Date: 11/30/2006 5:23:05 PM
Author:lehcarm

1. I''ve heard you can get palladium as an alloy instead of nickel. I''ve read that palladium is a whiter metal, so do white gold/palladium rings need to be rhodium plated to stay white?

2. On the subject of rhodium plating, would a 10K piece of jewelry need to be plated more often than say a 14K or 18K piece?

3. Does 18K white gold even need to be rhodium plated since it has a higher gold content?

4. Do you think I would even have to worry about a reaction from an 18K white gold/nickel ring if I''m OK with my 10K ring?

The rings that I am looking into come in the following options: 18K white gold/nickel, 18K white gold/palladium, or platinum.

We haven''t really been impressed by the palladium jewelry that we''ve seen, the final result looks too much like a stainless steel sink for our preference. However, the look of the palladium / white gold alloy combinations look just fine and seem to provide a much needed solution for people who suffer from nickel allergy and who do not want to pay the slightly higher price for platinum. Note that the manufacturers producing the palladium / gold mixes advertise it as being "less likely to cause an allergic reaction" than traditional white gold alloy mixes, but do not say that it is hypo-allergenic like platinum is...

The palladium / white gold mixes, especially the 18k mixtures, do seem to be less prone to oxidation (yellowing) and thus we have not had to rhodium plate any of it thus far. Keep in mind however that in terms of time used for jewelry fabrication that palladium is relatively new so who''s to say if a palladium / gold ring may require a quick dip in the future? Safe to say that it is likely to require less frequent treatment than traditional white gold, if any at all, to maintain the look with the exception of occasional polishing.

I would not recommend 10k gold as an option if you are sensitive to nickel because the concentration of nickel and other alloys will be higher because the gold content is lower.

 

[belle]

if you even think you have a nickle allergy, don''t do it. allergies can get worse over time and the more you are exposed to the allergen, the worse your reaction will become. nickle allergies can be particularly bad because the allergen is in constant direct contact with the skin. if platinum is out of the question (understandable) i would get a palladium alloy. my ring is 18k wg/palladium and i have had no troubles with it.

best of luck!

 

[lehcarm]

Thanks everyone for you input. I definately won''t get something with nickel in it. I might be able to convince BF ingo getting platinum. We''ll see!

 

[3hearts]

I have an 18k white gold ring that is rhodium plated and it makes my finger itch everytime I wear it. I went with platinum with my new ring to see how I would react and it''s been fine.

 

[Londonchris]

One of the original ideas of plating was too help brighten up the tiny areas of jewellery that was difficult to get to while polishing.
I think alot of people seem to think that all white gold must be plated.
This is not correct.
All the white golds have a slightly different colour to them depending on the gold content/alloy.
Some custom jewellers will not rhodium rings unless asked to because they prefer the original colour of the gold.
Plating does look patchy when it wears off in places,which is why i think it should be used as was intended (nooks and crannies) and not for the whole ring.