white gold vs platinum

[windowshopper]

Question:

I am deciding between two bracelets , one is 18k white gold and the other is platinum. BOth have some pave. Is one metal more durable than another? I'd like the bracelet to be a nice , somewhat every day sort of piece. Question 2: will white gold turn a funny tone after time?

 

[pugletlov]

Hey! My boyfriend and I just put money down on my engagement ring. I originally wanted Platium, just because I always assumed it was the best however the wholesale jeweler who is a friend of a friend talked me out of it. He suggested we go with white gold for the reason that Platium dulls very quickly. He also said that with white gold you can get it totally repolished every 6 months and it wont ruin the metal however with platium I guess you cant do that. So I opted for the white gold because I do not like that scuffed/old look that platium has a tendency to do ESPECIALLY with a piece of jewelery like an engagement ring or a bracelet which we would read every day. Hope that helps.

 

[windowshopper]

interesting ...............but i dont want to get my stuff repolished every 6 months..........................................what happen if you dont

 

[Kaleigh]

WS, go with platinum hands down.

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Depending on the quality of the white gold, some WG doesn''t need to be repolished every 6 months. My mom has WG and only needs it polished every 10 years!!

If you don''t re-rhodium plate it and it needs replating, then the white gold can begin to yellow, which will show through.

 

[windowshopper]

is all white gold rhodium plated?

 

[AChiOAlumna]

Date: 11/21/2005 12:16:40 AM
Author: windowshopper
is all white gold rhodium plated?

I believe (based on the research I''ve done here) that if the WG is mixed with nickel, then rhodium plating will probably need replating at some point, but if it''s mixed with palladium, then there''s significantly less probability that the plating will be needed.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/21/2005 12:16:40 AM
Author: windowshopper
is all white gold rhodium plated?

No... but most really needs it. I find the gray types more appealing without plating than the yellowish.

Not sure what the repolishing is all about - it must depend on how much the thing is being used, how and what exactly the design looks like. Large plain surfaces will surely show some wear after a while, Links or whatever smaller elements get the same wear but do not show it as badly, IMO.

Either gold or platinum are plenty hard for bracelets as they''ve always been. Some surface treatments (e.g. hardening for gold) help.


Any chance there might be some picture online?

 

[glamgirl]

Platinum is hands down, the most pure, finest, and most expensive metal to use. Well... I could not think of anything better than that for a diamond.I prefer the beautiful mellow whiteness of platinum. I also hear it is malliable, and thats how many of those beautiful encrusted edwardian platinum pieces were able to be made, in the early part of this century.

 

[diamondlil]

Date: 11/20/2005 11:58:51 PM
Author: pugletlov

He also said that with white gold you can get it totally repolished every 6 months and it wont ruin the metal however with platium I guess you cant do that.

I have learned the exact opposite. Repolishing platinum as needed will never ruin the metal. Polishing platinum will return it to is original shine with no loss of metal. Repolishing white gold will remove the rhodium plating, and you will need to maintain the plating over the lifetime of the ring.

ETA: For a bracelet, I have no problem with white gold. I have a couple, and they look very shiny with no yellowing, but they don't have as much direct and daily contact with my skin as my wedding set. I have read that body chemistry is what can cause a white gold ring to yellow more quickly on some people than others. I have a RHR in white gold, and after a year and a half, I can see a slight yellow cast. It will definitely need replating on a periodic basis.

 

[pebbles]

I was told that friction can also wear down the rhodium plating on jewelery. So for something like a bracelet, I would think the underside of it will wear down faster than the top portion. I have a white gold diamond bracelet but I don''t wear it daily so it doesn''t look like it needed to be replated yet. My rings on the other hand wear down pretty quickly.

If I had the choice I would get platinum.

 

[windowshopper]

Date: 11/21/2005 12:34:00 AM
Author: valeria101

Date: 11/21/2005 12:16:40 AM
Author: windowshopper
is all white gold rhodium plated?

No... but most really needs it. I find the gray types more appealing without plating than the yellowish.

Not sure what the repolishing is all about - it must depend on how much the thing is being used, how and what exactly the design looks like. Large plain surfaces will surely show some wear after a while, Links or whatever smaller elements get the same wear but do not show it as badly, IMO.

Either gold or platinum are plenty hard for bracelets as they've always been. Some surface treatments (e.g. hardening for gold) help.


Any chance there might be some picture online?

no picture online but the white gold one is almost identical to a micro-pave Fabrikant bracelet shown on juditharnelljewelers.com. sort of elongated flattened open link ovals.............

 

[pugletlov]

Ok now I am very confused. I am suppose to go look at my ring tomorrow. PLEASE HELP- should I do WG or should I tell the jeweler to redo the ring in platium???

 

[Tali]

It''s totally a matter of preference. I''ve got a 14kWG wedding band that I wear most of the time, and a platinum wedding set. Yes, the platinum is whiter, but my WG is by no means yellow after 3 years of hard wear and if there was any rhodium, it''s gone now. Note: my platinum is Plat/Ru 950/50, and I don''t know the blend of the WG. Yes, they look different when side by side, the WG band being a bit warmer toned, but it does NOT look like YG. I like both. I don''t plan to replate the band at all. It''ll just wear off again. But, for me, the purpose of my band is to wear doing whatever (like using sand paper

) and I save my fancy set for wear when I know I''m not going to abuse it.

If I were in your situation, and the ring were already made in WG, I''d leave it, but I like the weathered look of my WG band and my shiny platinum equally well. Find out what your WG alloy is, and that will help you know how likely the WG will need to be replated. (i.e. nickel sooner, palladium later if at all). Good luck, and enjoy your ring!

 

[windowshopper]

well it looks like i will suck it up for platinum.............my mind says gold but my heart says platinum