Palladium?

[Bridesmaid]

I keep hearing about palladium, and I want to know what it''s all about. I''m not necessarily considering it. At the same time, I don''t want to rule something out just because it costs less when I can''t find any cons. But when something costs less, there''s usually a reason. I''m just curious, and I trust you girls because you know your engagement settings.

I know it can be used with yellow gold to make white gold, that it''s an element in the platinum family, and that''s about it. I read somewhere that it can''t be resized, which would be bad (and would rule it out for us because my hands swell and shrink with temperature), but I''m taking that comment with a grain of salt since it was a forum and the same girl said it''s an alloy and not a pure element (wrong). And jewelers seem to be touting it, but that could be sales tactics.

Is it not popular just because it''s cheaper? Or is it really an inferior metal? Please share your wealths of knowledge with me!

 

[sunnyd]

Hi BM. I''d post this over in Rocky Talky, or message admin and they can move this post over there. You''ll have wayyyy more luck!

 

[sklingem]

Actually Palladium is MORE expensive than nickel, which is most commonly used in combination with gold. There are two advantages to Palladium: unlike alloys with nickel you don''t have to plate it (and get it replated over time)with Rhodium and it makes it less likely that people are going to have an allergic reaction to it. Alloys with Palladium are indeed harder to shape and reshape.

 

[anchor31]

Date: 4/16/2008 2:43:10 PM
Author: rob09
Actually Palladium is MORE expensive than nickel, which is most commonly used in combination with gold. There are two advantages to Palladium: unlike alloys with nickel you don''t have to plate it (and get it replated over time)with Rhodium and it makes it less likely that people are going to have an allergic reaction to it. Alloys with Palladium are indeed harder to shape and reshape.

That''s what my jeweller told me. I have a 14k white gold/palladium set and I loooooove it. No yellowing, no replating, and it''s harder/more resistant that another WG ring I have.

 

[robbie3982]

DH''s wedding band is palladium and we were told that it cant'' be sized, but I can''t remember if it was because of the design or the palladium. He hasn''t had any problems with it so far (he''s only had it 7.5 months). If you buy from artcarved they have a lifetime guarantee where you get a brand new one if it''s damaged or your ring size changes and you only pay for shipping.

 

[Bridesmaid]

Thanks girls, that''s really helpful. My BF wants to get the nicest ring he can afford, and platinum is just way too much, so it sounds like a white gold/palladium ring might be the way to go.

 

[neatfreak]

It CAN be sized. I just had a palladium ring sized with no problems. It is titanium/tungsten that can''t be sized.

And as for the look, it looks a lot different than platinum IMO. It is a different color and to be honest I don''t think I like it as much as platinum personally.

But otherwise it seems to hold up well so far and it certainly is a reasonable price. So the color is the only thing for me that would hold me back from buying again...just too gray for my skin tone.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

It can be sized, you just have to find a jeweller that works with palladium.

I had a palladium ring, but it was just a plain band. I didn''t notice a difference in color between the palladium and platinum, but I believe that palladium becomes more gray than platinum over time. The only thing that I couldn''t get used to was the weight of the ring. I was used to wearing platinum bands and like the weight of them, but the palladium band was so light that I could barely feel it at all. I thought this would be great since I planned to wear the palladium band when I was active, but in the end I couldn''t get used to it and returned the ring. I still think it''s a great alternative to platinum, though.