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White Gold vs Platinum

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KCI Posts : 150 Registered: 3/30/09
White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 28, 2010 2:05 PM

I wanted to get opinions on the different metals. Anyone have pros/cons between the two? Is platinum really "better" than white gold?

Thanks!

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PharmToxGirl Posts : 5,462 Registered: 8/30/07
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 28, 2010 2:29 PM Go to message in response to: KCI

Kait, I have white gold and I'm very happy with it.

I know that there have been several other threads on here debating/discussing the two metals. Maybe try searching the forum if you don't get many replies.

Good luck!

 

 

 

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CaliforniaLove Posts : 15 Registered: 2/15/09
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 28, 2010 10:01 PM Go to message in response to: KCI

When you first get a white gold or platinum piece, they will look virtually the same. The primary reason why my bf and I decided to order my ring in platinum (as oppose to white gold) is because white gold is not naturally a white metal. If you want to keep it the "bright white" color, you have to get it replated in rhodium every 3-12 months depending on your body chemistry. My promise ring (a simple half eternity wedding band) is made in 14k white gold and is starting to have a yellowish tint and I'm too cheap and lay to get it replated. Some people don't mind, but I don't really care for how it looks.

It also depends on what kind of setting you're getting. Platinum is softer and less brittle than white gold so it tends to dent and scratch easier. If you're planning on getting a solitaire setting, you may want to opt for white gold so the scratches wont show as much. On the other hand, if you want a setting with a lot of pave work you may choose platinum since it's stronger.

It's really all a matter of personal preference. I would consider googling wg v. platinum, or looking on pricescope.com. You'll get a lot of good info and be able to inform your bf of your preferences.. ;)

northern_california , august_2012
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BlueBoxBlueShoes Posts : 49 Registered: 2/15/10
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 28, 2010 10:51 PM Go to message in response to: CaliforniaLove

Platinum actually isn't softer, per se.

The dents and scratches are simply the platinum shifting. While gold and silver lose density over time, platinum stays the same weight. When you get a platinum ring polished, the jeweler isn't buffing off the top layer of metal but instead the polishing kind of shifts everything exactly into place and smoothes everything out.

may_2012 , northern_california , tennessee , august_2012
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PharmToxGirl Posts : 5,462 Registered: 8/30/07
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 29, 2010 7:39 AM Go to message in response to: KCI

I do not have my white gold rings replated in anything and it's not an issue.

Personally, I wasn't paying for platinum. I think that while I should have something I love, it shouldn't be busting the bank.

 

 

 

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MsDenuninani Posts : 3,963 Registered: 3/16/07
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 29, 2010 10:11 AM Go to message in response to: PharmToxGirl

I've got a white gold engagement ring I wear every day, along with a platinum wedding band. (The wedding band was supposed to be white gold, and we paid for white gold, but our jeweler made a mistake in the order, and let us keep the more expensive platinum band at a white gold price).

Both rings have a pave diamond design, so it's not like you really actually see the band. Still, whenever I see a question like this, I always look at the bands, on the inside, just to see if I can actually tell the difference.

I've been wearing both for 2.5 years now, and I can honestly say that the white gold band is a bit more yellowish than the plantinum band. Also, the outside of the white gold band has some scratches, but that part of the band is on the inside of my hand, so I doubt anyone would notice. But it does appear that the platinum does keep up better than the white gold, but not so incredibly much that I'd actually spend the extra $$ for platinum over white gold.

To be honest, I'd buy a better diamond over springing more $$ for the platinum, if I'm going to sink more money into a ring When people complement my ring, it's the diamond they're noticing, not the band, I think.

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ArtBride Posts : 4,841 Registered: 5/9/07
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: Apr 29, 2010 11:04 AM Go to message in response to: CaliforniaLove

The primary reason why my bf and I decided to order my ring in platinum (as oppose to white gold) is because white gold is not naturally a white metal. If you want to keep it the "bright white" color, you have to get it replated in rhodium every 3-12 months depending on your body chemistry.

Actually, that's not true at all. White gold is not simply yellow gold with a silver-colored plating over it. It's an alloy of gold and something else, usually nickel (that's the part of the alloy that some people are allergic to). In any case, gold and nickel are alloyed together to form white gold. It doesn't stop being white gold over time and go back to being yellow gold. That would be like steel going back to being iron and carbon. A lot of white gold AND platinum jewelry is plated with rhodium, which gives a shiny, 'bright white' look - but that isn't actually the color of the white gold alloy OR of the platinum. When this wears off, you might notice a difference, since the real color of the metal is visible - but you'll get the same thing with platinum.

Good quality white gold jewelry absolutely does not need to be replated every 3-12 months. I own ONLY white gold and silver jewelry and have never had anything replated in my life and it's all bright and beautiful. Our weddings bands are white gold and have made it two years (and I'm not particularly careful with my hands, so mine at least takes some abuse) without being replated or looking yellow at all, and my engagement ring has made it three. In fact, I recently somehow put a large scratch on the back of my wedding band and even after a careful examination right now, even the scratch looks bright white.

On the white gold vs platinum question, we asked my BIL, who is a jeweler, whether there were any advantages to platinum. His opinion is that most of the 'advantages' of platinum are just sales pitches, and the only real advantage is higher resale value. Since we don't intend to sell our rings, we really couldn't care less about the resale value. My biggest concern was durability, because as I mentioned above, I'm not about to change my entire life just to avoid scratching a ring. My BIL advised me to go with the white gold, as both metals scratch (there's no getting around it. All metals scratch) and white gold repairs much easier than platinum. That was enough to sell me on it - though the fact that my BIL chose white gold for his own wedding band said a lot to me, too.

Personally, I like the tradition of a gold wedding band. My parents wear gold bands and have been happily married for 33 years. So do my ILs, and they've been happily married for 39. That's good enough for me, though I dislike the color of yellow gold, so I went with white.

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august_2012 , northern_california
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CaliforniaLove Posts : 15 Registered: 2/15/09
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: May 2, 2010 11:11 PM Go to message in response to: ArtBride

I never said that white gold was simply yellow gold with rhodium plating. I said that white gold is not a naturally white metal, and it's not. It's yellow gold mixed with a white metal that is usually plated with rhodium to make it appear "bright white". When the rhodium wears off you will see its natural color, white with a yellowish tint. I personally would rather see the white steely color of platinum, but that is simply a personal preference.

Like I said in my original comment, some people do not mind the slight yellowish tint of white gold. Personally, I do not like it and I can tell a difference. Having my setting made in platinum cost about $800 more and I think it was well worth it. I think we all have our preferences when it comes to jewelry. The only thing that matters is that you and your fiance love your ring.

august_2012 , northern_california
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CapeTownBride Posts : 37 Registered: 4/16/10
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: May 3, 2010 11:01 AM Go to message in response to: CaliforniaLove

I'm wish-shopping for rings at the moment and I have come across something absolutely amazing - palladium!

Apparently it's been around for years, but has only recently started becoming popular because platinum is so expensive and many people find replating their white-gold a hassle. Do a search for palladium and you'll discover it's a metal in the platinum family and naturally white. It's also A LOT cheaper than platinum - priced around the same as 14kt white gold.

As MsDenuninani says, what people tend to notice first about a ring is not the band, but the diamond. If I had $1000 to spend on a ring, I'd far rather spend $250 on a palladium setting and $750 on a diamond/stone of my choice than $750 on a platinum setting and have less $$ for a stone. :)

Having said that, diamonds are not the be all and end all. Just looking around this forum highlights that many women have chosen beautiful rings that aren't studded with diamonds, but still absolutely sizzle...

northern_california , december_2011 , august_2012
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Elbelle77 Posts : 222 Registered: 1/24/08
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: May 3, 2010 4:38 PM Go to message in response to: CapeTownBride

Glad you brought up Pallidium Cape! When DH and I went looking for rings, I found one that I loved made by Scott Kay. The jeweler said that Scott Kay offers his jewelry in 3 different kinds of metals: Platinum, White Gold, and Pallidium. Pallidium is cheaper than all three, just as strong as platinum, and naturally white, so it doesn't need to be replated like white gold. Palladium has been around for a long time, but is being used much more recently because they figured out how to work with it better (something about melting points and such). It's becoming a replacement for platinum because of the price and the weight. It is lighter than platinum, so it works great with bigger earrings because it won't pull down so much.

Anyways, we went with the palladium and couldn't be happier. I can't tell the difference between my palladium and my mom's platinum band. I have had friends whose white gold rings have worn yellow where the two rings rub together.

Here's some info I found on palladium when I was researching it: http://www.titanium-jewelry.com/why-palladium-rings.html

northern_california , december_2011 , new_jersey , august_2012 , july_2009
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bosoxgirl Posts : 231 Registered: 2/3/10
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: May 5, 2010 12:45 PM Go to message in response to: Elbelle77

I would go with Palladium. Its as strong as Platinum but at a white gold price. FH and I discussed upgrading my ring to Palladium.

 

 

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northern_california , central_new_jersey , december_2011 , july_2009 , new_jersey , august_2012
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hwalker Posts : 2 Registered: 1/27/10
Re: White Gold vs Platinum
Posted: May 5, 2010 3:57 PM Go to message in response to: KCI

Isn't Platinum more expensive? I don't know. I personally like white gold better. That's just me.

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