Is it possible for platinum to turn gold?

[gwhizz75]

A bit of a strange situation. My Fiance bought my engagement ring in December 2010 and it's a simple diamond solitaire (with a very beautiful diamond). The ring itself is platinum and I have worn it everyday since he proposed. A few days ago I was looking at one of the claws which holds the diamond in place, and at the top of the claw, there appears to be a gold patch. It isn't very big and at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks or it was just a reflection, but others have agreed that they can see it too.

I am just wondering, is it possible for platinum to turn gold like this? Are there any chemicals or anything that could have caused it? I always take my ring off when I am cleaning etc so I feel this is unlikely but I'm struggling to think of a reason why this could have happened.

I'm pretty sure that the ring is platinum, it feels heavier than white gold and has developed a patina. Is there any reason why a jeweller might make the shank in platinum but make the claws in white gold? I always thought platinum was stronger and therefore safer to use for the claws?

We're going to contact the jeweller we bought it from tomorrow but in the mean time, I wonder if anyone has any ideas or has seen this before? It's quite upsetting because I feel it ruins the "perfectness" of my ring, and like an inclusion, I keep seeing it whenever I look at my ring. There is a reason why I chose a VS1 diamond! I need mind clean as well as eye clean!!

 

[kenny]

Are you sure it's not some stubborn film that may require more work to clean off?

 

[Haven]

I don't think platinum can turn gold. I've been wearing my platinum engagement ring since 2007, and my platinum wedding band since 2008, and both still look exactly like platinum.

I wonder if it's dirty or something?

 

[motownmama]

the hallmark inside the ring should state if it's 14K, 18K gold, or PT 950, or plat for platinum. If it's white gold, yes it can turn yellow and have to be re-rhodium plated - not a big deal.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, look inside the ring shank and tell us what the markings are.

 

[Cehrabehra]

both platinum and gold are elements and as much as the alchemists tried for years, you just can't change one into another.

You CAN however rhodium plate white gold or yellow gold to make it look more like platinum. I would investigate further. If you paid for one and got another I'd be pissed.

 

[kal2021]

I recently found out that my platinum setting had a white gold head on it. Just another thing to laugh at in the trials and tribulations that have made up my e-ring experience! Thankfully we found PS and BGD before yet another jeweler took advantage of us. But anyway, definitely check the inside of the shank as the others advised, and know that even if the shank is platinum, the head could very well be white gold. Regardless you should take it in to the jeweler it came from and get it fixed...which I guess would probably mean getting a new head put on, or having it cleaned if it is in fact just dirty. Either way, get in touch with the jeweler ASAP before it drives you crazy noticing it all the time.

 

[mrssalvo]

No, platinum cannot turn gold. It could be a plat. shank and white gold head or have something dirty on it like the others suggested. Best to take it to the jeweler and and find out. Please keep us posted.

 

[iota15]

Impossible for platinum to turn to gold. For some strange reason, I heard that some jewelers will rhodium plate their platinum. Perhaps the rhodium plate has worn off in that area... OR, perhaps the simpliest reason is that you have a white gold head/ring.

 

[gwhizz75]

Thanks for all the responses. I have tried cleaning it in the ultrasonic cleaner a couple of times and have had a little brush at it with a soft toothbrush but it's still there. It does look like a very metallic colour... it's shiny, just like gold! I have tried to take a photo of it but my camera isn't great (and neither are my photography skills!)



I'll be pretty annoyed if it turns out to be a white gold head. I chose platinum over white gold because I thought it was stronger and because it wouldn't need to be replated regularly. My fiance is away on business at the minute but he's going to get in touch with the jeweller ASAP so I will let you know what they say.

I can't really see the hallmark in detail, it's kind of hard to describe but here is a picture:



I can't see any numbers, just shapes! Maybe it's just too small to see any numbers? I don't think I've got anything to magnify it with...

 

[slg47]

there are no numbers? that seems rather strange. maybe if you take it to a jeweler they can help you out.

 

[iota15]

If you have a pawn shop or jeweler close to you, call ahead and bring it in. Ask them to use their gold tester to determine whether the head is gold. I'd want to know.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'd have them check the shank, too, while you're at it. It should say Plat or something similar if it is platinum. The thing that is aggravating is that frequently white or yellow gold rings have platinum heads, but that is ridiculous for a platinum ring to have a white gold head! If you have to rhodium-plate, may as well do the whole ring!

 

[MustangGal]

My jeweler once used white gold solder to re-tip the prongs on my platinum ring, and it looks a bit similar to yours after some wear. I wonder if they tipped the prongs when mounting the diamond with the wrong solder?

 

[kal2021]

I'd have them check the shank, too, while you're at it. It should say Plat or something similar if it is platinum. The thing that is aggravating is that frequently white or yellow gold rings have platinum heads, but that is ridiculous for a platinum ring to have a white gold head! If you have to rhodium-plate, may as well do the whole ring!

That is what pissed me off when I learned my head was white gold! I had heard of it being the other way around (white gold shank, platinum head), too, but not plat shank WG head!

To the OP, you should be annoyed, and you should get it fixed immediately. Where did you get it from? Is it nearby where you can just go in? I would much prefer to talk to the jeweler in person than over the phone so you can show him the problem and not let him/her talk their way out of it.

 

[gwhizz75]

Thanks again for all the replies. I think we have decided to take the ring to a jewellers when my fiance gets home and find out exactly what is going on and whether or not the whole ring is platinum. Once we know where we stand and what we're dealing with, we will get in touch with the jeweller we purchased the ring from and see how they intend to fix the problem. I will keep you updated!

 

[yssie]

Good luck!

 

[gwhizz75]

A quick update on the situation. We took the ring to a jeweller today and he said it was hallmarked 950 platinum on the shank. He couldn't test whether or not it was platinum, he said he would have to send it away for that. He said they could test whether it was gold but would have to take some of the metal from the ring, deep enough to ensure it wasn't plated.

I just wanted to know if this is the standard way to test which metal it is? Will it show as damage to the ring or will it be so small that I couldn't see it?

The jeweller we went to said it looked to him like it has been mounted in white gold rather than platinum.

I'm finding the whole thing a bit stressful to be honest. I feel like I've lost trust in the jeweller we got the ring from, so if I ask him to fix it, I will still have to get it tested again when he returns it because I can't trust his word. I just don't understand why they would mount it in white gold... and if they do it to save money, how do they think that people won't notice when it starts turning gold?

 

[CherryBlossom]

A girl who goes to school with me had a similar thing happen, they had put some sort of white gold head on it and it began to turn yellow. What was really messed up was the the prongs were in fact platinum and they began to get usual patina that platinum is known for, but they were totally a different color than the shank. It looked weird and stood out, she was pissed!

Good luck w/yours, I'm sure that a good jeweler can help you figure out this mystery

 

[lottalava]

Yes, you can turn platinum into gold as platinum is atomic number 78 and gold is 79 so they are very close one to another, but for that you would need a lot of energy at scale of a supernova to do that!

 

[yssie]

Lottalava, might need a thermo[dynamics] refresher on this one.
Also - this thread is a decade old.
Reported.

 

[lottalava]

Also, you can use a particle accelerator to turn mercury or platinum into gold, but its very expensive and the resulting gold isotopes are radioactive.

 

[mrs-b]

Also, you can use a particle accelerator to turn mercury or platinum into gold, but its very expensive and the resulting gold isotopes are radioactive.

Laughing....

Not *precisely* the effect one is looking for in an engagement ring?