White Gold vs Platinum?

[NewRockHunter]

Hello again. I am back in the market in a couple of weeks. I have heard conflicting reports about white gold over platinum and the reverse. One jeweler told me to get white gold because platinum will look dull in a short period of time, and that there is nothing you can do about it. Another jeweler said that wasn''t true. Is the second jeweler just trying to push the more expensive platinum setting or is there something that can be done about the "dullness"?
Thanks

 

[neatfreak]

You can have it repolished. AND you won''t lose any metal when you polish platinum so you can have it done as often as you want.

 

[NewRockHunter]

thanks

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

Neatfreak is correct. Platinum loses its luster over time and develops patina (it goes from being a very white metal to having a gray cast). Some people love patina on their pieces (yours truly being one of them) and do not wish it polished off, while some like their metal looking shiny and opt for a repolish every 6-9 months or so (all this would depend on how she wears her ring).

 

[oldmancoyote]

And to top it off, many white gold alloys need rhodium plating every few months to remain really white, so... one more thing in favour of platinum.

 

[NewRockHunter]

Awesome info, I wanted platinum from the start, but jeweler #1 had almost talked me out of it. I am looking at whiteflash settings with diamond accents- what is the difference between "bead-set" and "channel-set"?

Also, are there pros/cons to getting a 6-prong vs 4-prong setting? More/less light? More/less security for the center stone? Thanks!

 

[musey]

Date: 11/19/2008 6:48:22 PM
Author:NewRockHunter
Hello again. I am back in the market in a couple of weeks. I have heard conflicting reports about white gold over platinum and the reverse. One jeweler told me to get white gold because platinum will look dull in a short period of time, and that there is nothing you can do about it. Another jeweler said that wasn''t true. Is the second jeweler just trying to push the more expensive platinum setting or is there something that can be done about the ''dullness''?

Actually, from what I gather, many jewelers push white gold over platinum because their profit margin is higher. They put more of a price pad on white gold.

Sometimes.

Anyway, the others have already told you that platinum can be polished. It''ll look like new each time you do it. You can do it as often as you want over a lifetime and it''ll never lose metal, whereas gold

Sounds to me like jeweler #1 is full of you-know-what

 

[musey]

Date: 11/19/2008 7:51:01 PM
Author: NewRockHunter
Awesome info, I wanted platinum from the start, but jeweler #1 had almost talked me out of it. I am looking at whiteflash settings with diamond accents- what is the difference between 'bead-set' and 'channel-set'?

You can see the difference in the photos, no? It's actually just what you might intuit it to be... bead-set means little beads of metal placed over the melee (small side stones), where channel-set means they are slid into a channel between the two sides of the band.

Bead set:

Channel set:

Also, are there pros/cons to getting a 6-prong vs 4-prong setting? More/less light? More/less security for the center stone? Thanks!

A 6-prong is or can be more secure. I imagine the number of prongs affects the weight, but not on a level you'd be able to detect. It's mostly a difference in safety and aesthetic.

 

[bgray]

platinum is without peer. The luster and patina is stunning and white gold has more of a chance of turning an odd shade of yellowish or brownish white due to the alloys...........................and it can react with skin chemicals.