I''m back-- age old question: platinum or WG?

[AMALEEKEL]

Ok, after a self-assigned "absence" from PS...i''m back! John & I are still together and doing well

We looked at rings again last night...at a local B & M...

Found a gorgeous 3/4 C and 1 C round that we loved....i''m so classic and simple! haha

It was set in YG when I tried it on.. I def want either WG or Platinum. I called today to see the price difference, and the man there told me he ALWAYS recommends WG over platinum.

he said plat tarnishes and is expensive to refinish and that WG is only 50 dollars to refinish (or whatever..)

I want some real opinions....

Does WG look yellow? I''m avoiding that b/c i know it will annoy me at all costs!!

You girls are wonderful- congrats to all the recently engaged! Hope I join you soon!
(My 24th birthday is on the 24th! )

 

[Blue824]

to me white gold looks white, no yellow tint at all, except when you can see it start to need to be redone. If you''re worried about that, any jewelry counter or store would be able to show you white gold. I''ve never heard that about platinum tarnishing and being expensive to refinish, I always thought it was superior to the other metals, hense the extra cost. Then I''m not too versed in the pros and cons of each metal.

24 on the 24th, thats your golden birthday!

Enjoy. I''m the same next year, 24 on the 24th except of August

 

[perry]

Uncoated whitegold will be slightly yellow. There are different alloys that vary in the degree of how yellow - and some people are quite comfortable with plain old whitegold.

Most whitegold that you see is coated, and the coating wears off, and has to be recoated in a range of every 6 months to every several years depending on how much wear and environment and how thick the coating is. Whitegold tends to be "stronger" than platinum, but can break under certain conditions.

Most platinum is uncoated, but "scratches" easily; which results in a dull look after a while. It has to be pollished to get its luster back - and this is not a simple polishing job. It takes time and skill.

Some Platinum is coated to eliminate or significantly minimize the scratch problem. Platinum prongs tend to bend easier than white gold, but rarely breaks.

There are different alloying elements and some platinum is harder - and scratches less - than much other platinum.

Either is a great choice - just be aware of the pro''s and con''s.

Me, I think that yellow gold is great -- although I am intrigued by some of the new "tarnish resistant" silver alloys... (the whitest white out there is silver).

Perry

 

[ame]

Platinum doesn't tarnish from my experience, it just gets beat up and can be polished right back to now. It doesn't require more than a quick polish to bring back it's shine. That guy fed you a load. You would have to have taken a CHUNK out of a ring to need "refinishing". It also ALWAYS stays white, as opposed to WG which is yellow already, with a layer of white metal over it that fades and chips.

WG needs replating too often, I had to get it done EVERY MONTH. 50$ a month x 12 monthsxxx years...Gee, not so cheap anymore.

Platinum, 1 FREE polishing to make it shiney x 2 times a year x XX years....MUCH more feasable.

My thought on his CONSTANT recommendation of WG over plat is because they might not employ anyone who can work with platinum.

I vote Plat. It's less upkeep and far more attractive.

 

[FireGoddess]

he said plat tarnishes and is expensive to refinish and that WG is only 50 dollars to refinish (or whatever..)

That's enough to get me running, not walking away from that place, unless he mistakenly used the wrong word.

As already stated, platinum can scratch easily and develop a duller patina over time, which is easily polished with minimal, if any loss of metal. There is no need for rhodium plating - platinum is white and does not yellow. If you're careful with your platinum rings, they won't develop the patina as fast.

WG is more resistant to scratching and a little "tougher" in my experience, but it will require rhodium plating from time to time (the frequency can vary dramatically between people). It cost $35 or $40 to replate a wg bracelet of mine.

I prefer platinum because of the color issue (and you definitely can tell the difference between wg and platinum color if the rhodium is starting to go) but note that I am very careful not to bang or scratch my rings so the patina doesn't develop as much or as quickly. If you aren't so careful, you may consider getting wg and then sucking up the costs of having it rhodium plated once or twice a year.

 

[HOUMedGal]

I ended up going with WG just to avoid the gradual dulling (or patina, as platinum enthusiasts call it, hehe) of platinum and because of the cost...I''ve been wearing my ring every day for 4 months now and I don''t think it''s yellowed at all. I''m happy with my decision.

 

[Jelly]

Ame, replated every month?!?! Is that normal? I''m looking at my WG ring and wondering if I should have got platinum instead.

Question to others: How often do you get your white gold rings replated?

 

[AMALEEKEL]

YOUR Doggy is so cute!
Couldn''t help but post that!
Thanks for all the advice girls!

I''m so confused! But at least it''s a fun confused!!!!

 

[AChiOAlumna]

I got my WG set replated after the first 4 months, but I realized that I was using a polishing cloth on them and it was expediting the rate at which the plating was coming off.

Since being replated, I''ve seen NO yellowing at all (that was 2-1/2 months ago), but I''m not using a polishing cloth anymore. Instead, I''m using an eyeglass cloth to dry my rings after a cleaning...there are no abrasives in this cloth that would expedite the yellowing...

 

[ame]

Date: 9/13/2005 11:11:27 PM
Author: Jelly
Ame, replated every month?!?! Is that normal? I''m looking at my WG ring and wondering if I should have got platinum instead.


Question to others: How often do you get your white gold rings replated?

I dunno if that''s normal or not. Im guessing not. It needed it more than once a month and it didn''t matter who did the plating. If you wear it, the plating wears off, if not "chips off". If you actually USE your hands with a ring on them...it goes fast. I got so sick of it that i stopped wearing the rings.

 

[platinumrock]

I have a lot of yellow gold jewelry, but once I chose to do my e-ring and wedding ring in platinum, I can''t go back. Platinum is pure, rarer than gold, heavier, naturally white (does not need re-plating), less prone to erosion and protects gemstones better. However, I can agree that patina is a common occurence. The only patina on mine is the underside of my bands (everyday wear and tear). Everything else retained its shine.

If you like the look of white metals and your budget permits it, definitely consider platinum.

 

[HOUMedGal]

I think that the rate at which plating wears off also has to do with your own personal body chemistry...I think some folks tend to react with their jewelry so that the plating wears off faster, others don''t. Please correct me if I''m wrong.

 

[teebee]

also keep in mind what kind of setting you are considering. the platinum shank of my ring has definitely dulled over the last 8 months that i''ve had it - but since that part of the ring is not at all visible to anyone but me and all that is really visible are the prongs which are still perfect & shiny, then i don''t care. if i had a setting that showed more metal then it may be an issue that concerned me more - as it is, it''s a non-issue and the platinum is a perfect choice for me.

hope that makes sense - i''m still in ''moving mode'' and brain functionality is at a low level...

 

[Angel7]

I''ve always said, "Spend the money on the center stone instead of platinum over wg"

but now I''ve changed my tune.
I have many white gold rings that constanlty need to be replated. One is so bad that it literally looks as if its yellow gold. I''m tired of having to go to the jewler every couple of months and pay $50 to get it done. When I get an e-ring, I will go for platnum simply for the fact of not having to get it reodiumed all the time.

Good Luck!

 

[HOUMedGal]

I agree with what Teebee said, my ring is very similar to hers (as in, not too much metal showing) and, while the underside of the band doesn''t look as perfect as it did new, the rest of the ring (the parts that show) still looks fabulous (in 14K white gold)! Metal doesn''t matter as much if it''s not a big part of the overall "look" of the ring!

 

[feathers]

Not sure if this is a fact, but my jeweller mentioned that 18K white gold has more yellow tint than 14K white gold. That make sense to me as there is 75% gold content in 18K vs 58% in 14K....and gold is yellow.