Platinum or Palladium?

[choro72]

I would appreciate any help with this dillema.
I love the idea of Palladium though I''ve never seen it. It''s naturally white, nobody I know has it (I''m a sticker for unique

), and most importantly it''s much cheaper than Platinum.
We just heard from a jeweler, and it turns out that the quote for the Platinum is still affordable, albeit $600 more. My question is, if both are affordable, which is the better choice?

My primary concern for an engagement is how long it will last. Is Platinum more durable? I heard that 14K White Gold would "chip", while Platinum would create a "burrow", therefore allowing us to avoid losing material. What about Palladium? Will it "chip" or "burrow"?

I also heard about the low melting point for Palladium. How low is this "low" melting point? Will it deform under direct sunlight? This is a concern for me because SoCal sunlight tend to be intense...

Finally, what about the color? I heard that Palladium will get dull easier than Platinum. Is this true? This is not much of a concern as the other two issues, but I thought I would put it here.

Thanks for any help. I would appreciate other issues that I have not put here.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

All I can tell you is that I read an article on the internet where during the war platinum was needed for something military, so they started using palladium instead. But as soon as the war was over, jewelers returned to using platinum because it was preferred over palladium. I''m sorry I don''t know the details, but that was enough for me to know that I''d choose platinum over palladium.

 

[choro72]

Thanks...I learned about the war material thing as well.
I was wondering more about why Platinum is preferred. If it is purely cosmetic/status reasons, then I would have BF invest the $600 in Mutual Funds. If on the other hand Platinum lasts longer than Palladium, then I would prefer it.
I guess this is one of those "Stop asking why and trust the crowd."

 

[beaujolais]

Oh, I love palladium. I have two palladium pieces. It's lighter than platinum, costs less and, I believe, easier for a jeweler to work with. It's perhaps a tiny touch more of a grey tone than platinum. I wish I could put up pictures for you but my camera does not do rings well, at all.

But, why not look at the new X1 metal? It's supposed to be very, very white. Stuller carries settings and bands in X1.

 

[choro72]

Ooo, thank you, a Palladium advocate!!

I''m sorry, but I couldn''t find anything on X1 metal...?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

X1 is white gold with a particular alloy. I do think I recall that palladium turns more dull gray than platinum. I do not think the only issue is status.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I wore a palladium band very briefly as an alternative to my e-ring and wedding band (both platinum). I spent a lot of time researching it and thought it would be a perfect band to wear when I was more active. I didn''t keep the ring, I ended up returning it because I couldn''t get used to the weight. I had to laugh at myself because I thought the light-weight-ness of it would be perfect, but it was so light that I just couldn''t get used to it. I didn''t have it for long, so I can''t speak about how it wears over time, but it matched my platinum rings perfectly and I thought it wore well (for the short time I had it). I think for those who prefer very lightweight metals, it''s a good choice.

 

[choro72]

I''ve checked the stats on X1, and it seems like it''s harder than anything out there. I will look into it.
The lightness of Palladium shouldn''t be an issue for me, since the only jewelry I usually wear are crappy sterling silver anyway. I''m glad it looked, NewEnglandLady []

Meanwhile, I found this article. So soldering might be an issue for my design, since I will be requiring one. There seem to be a lot of opinions on how to cast Palladium...I will ask my jeweler about this.

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/palladium-qa.htm

 

[beaujolais]

Here you go, Stuller's X1 article:

http://www.stuller.com/apps/images/kbpdfs/x1.pdf

I just ordered a plain band in X1, as - oh - I just had to check it out better.
(Is that an ok reason to spend $?

)

---

My palladium ring has held up well, certainly has never been affected by extreme environmental heat/sun. It gets less *dings* than my platinum antique OMC. I love the light weight and I think the slight, slight grey tone shows off the shine & whiteness of the stone. A slight grey, to me, is certainly better than the white/yellow that white gold turns and I'm not fond of spending Lots of money for platinum - thus palladium. Note: my palladium ring has a platinum head.

(And, what I really love is a brushed finish in palladium, as it contrasts with the shine of the diamond and really makes your stone pop. I think the brushed finish may be, for some, an acquired taste, though.)

---

And here's a Great article, by John Pollard, which gives you pictures of palladium and platinum next to each other and a run down of the qualities of each:

http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/47/1/An-Overview-Of-Common-Alloys-Used-In-Jewelry.aspx

 

[choro72]

Thanks! I take my comment back...Palladium is still harder than X1.

This link tells you everything about it. My simple brain can''t digest this information fully...Sometimes I wish I didn''t know any of this stuff and had a jewelry that I can completely trust...

This page has a lot of information for jewelry making, if anyone is interested.

 

[choro72]

Date: 2/12/2008 9:45:38 PM
Author: sonomacounty
I just ordered a plain band in X1, as - oh - I just had to check it out better.

(Is that an ok reason to spend $?

Hahaha, that sounds like something my BF would do!
By "brushed", do you mean it''s similar to a matte finish? I can live with that...I''m so laid back that I''m not picky at all about looks and such details. The only thing I care about is that it lasts forever

Do you have pictures?

Thanks for the link! Very educational.

 

[beaujolais]

Cool, now I know where Palladium is mined. I love that sort of knowledge and information. Thanks.

Brushed is similar to matte. An example of brushed is in the second ring from the top in this link:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/our-wedding-bands-are-ordered.66490/

I don't have pictures as my digital camera just doesn't have the capability to take a decent ring picture.

Do update us on what you decide. Oh, and some setting vendors can make the setting you want in Palladium if it doesn't come in it allready. You can call and ask them.

Best,

Sonoma

 

[Imdanny]

If I''m not mistaken (and I trust someone will correct me if I am!

) palladium
and gold weigh almost exactly the same, palladium being just very slightly lighter.

When people say it''s light, I think they mean it''s light in comparison to platinum, but it''s not light like aluminum.

 

[choro72]

Thanks, that brushed picture helped. As much as I like that texture, I don''t know if my BF would approve...I swear, for some reason he is so much picker than I am

I will definitely let you know when we decide. We want to ask the jeweler a whole bunch of questions, which will be at the end of this week. Plus, we are going to try our hand at haggling

It''s still affordable, but we know for a fact that we can get the stone cheaper elsewhere, and we figured it''s a good skill to learn

Author: Imdanny
If I''m not mistaken (and I trust someone will correct me if I am! ) palladium
and gold weigh almost exactly the same, palladium being just very slightly lighter.

When people say it''s light, I think they mean it''s light in comparison to platinum, but it''s not light like aluminum.

I tried on some gold rings at different jewelers. At Jewelry Mart, the gold ring was feather light. The jeweler we are considering makes gold jewelry so hefty that I thought it was Platinum in yellow! I liked that they make it sturdy with lots of material, but the lightness doesn''t bother me either.

 

[Imdanny]

I think I'd like the heavier weight of platinum but the price increases are starting to really get to me!

Please post pictures if you get palladium. I'd love to see it. I've only seen platinum in real life. I actually think the slightly more gray color of palladium would be even better!

 

[choro72]

Argh. If you follow the link below,

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pallidum-rose-gold-attachment.78534/

you''ll see that I have a 14K Rose Gold attachment that I need to have soldered onto the Palladium. Johnathan the Jeweler and another online-helper-jeweler had told me that if they use solder with gold, instead of the normal cadmium, the flower will stay securely. Cadmium doesn''t work well with Palladium, and the flower will fall off.

However (isn''t there always one?), I have also found that heating and cooling of Palladium actually makes it BRITTLE. This happens at soldering temperatures. Another online help jeweler actually said that he would suggest AGAINST palladium if it requires soldering because of this very reason. The more you repeat heating and cooling, the more brittle it becomes and more susceptible to breakage.

How does the jewelry industry go about this problem? Don''t metals have to be heated in order for it to be cast? Does that mean Palladium jewelries are more brittle than others?

Another link here says that casting Palladium requires special environment because Palladium LOOVES to absorb oxygen. Hmmm...

Well, I''m just listing more issues here that I found. We are "interviewing" more jewelers this weekend, and hopefully they can shed some light into these things. I really want Palladium if the jeweler can make me feel comfortable with it...But if they leave me any doubt about it, I''ll go Platinum.

On the better note, I also found out that Palladium holds its shine longer than Platinum, and it''s easier than Platinum to resurface.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I have had palladium, platinum and X1 WG. I like the weight of platinum, but I do not like the dullness that it picks up over time. Palladium was ok, but I did not have it long enough to know how it wore. I will say that I am happiest with my X1 WG ring. It still has a nice weight to it and it is very white! I wear my ring every day, only take it off to clean in my US. It has worn very well and I would definitely get another piece in this metal!

 

[mlealexrln]

Date: 2/12/2008 7:47:06 PM
Author: sonomacounty
Oh, I love palladium. I have two palladium pieces. It''s lighter than platinum, costs less and, I believe, easier for a jeweler to work with. It''s perhaps a tiny touch more of a grey tone than platinum. I wish I could put up pictures for you but my camera does not do rings well, at all.

But, why not look at the new X1 metal? It''s supposed to be very, very white. Stuller carries settings and bands in X1.

I''ve also been thinking of Palladium but I''d like to know more about Stuller''s X1 metal--is there a website I can visit to see his work?

Thanks,
Amy

 

[choro72]

We just came back from a jeweler. He said that Palladium is doable, but it''s sort of a gamble. He said that the casting company needs to know exactly what he is doing, and even then he''s seen many cracked Palladium rings. He said that resizing is tricky too.
He did know about X1 white gold, and he recommended that over Palladium...We are going to another jeweler on Monday, so I''ll see what he says. Well, I guess X1 White Gold is unique enough. I still haven''t given up on Palladium yet though. I know many ladies here have it.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

When I had my palladium setting, I was told that not all jewelers are familiar with working with it...now I don''t know how true this is, but I do know that it is not as popular in B&M as platinum or WG. I guess research is your best bet at this point...good luck in finding the perfect metal for you!

 

[choro72]

Well, we just ordered my Palladium ring

I''ll report on the quality when my BF presents it to me properly []. Silly me didn''t know that jewelers don''t cast Palladium...So the metal quality really depends on the caster of their choice. Well, he will make sure that the ring is casted properly and he''s never had a problem before.

My second choice was X1 White Gold. Has anyone heard of Precise White Gold? It''s supposed to not need Rhodium Plating too, but it was developed by another company.

I know I started this topic with Palladium vs. Platinum, but Platinum is just too expensive. Maybe when recession is over.

Another thing I learned from an Vietnamese Jeweler. She said that White Gold from Hong Kong don''t turn yellow easily, because it includes a chemical which is known to cause cancer. Naturally, it''s banned in the United States.

 

[geo-dale]

Good luck. I think you made a good (and smart) purchase. The WWII statement can be disregarded as the reason it was not the metal of choice then was simply that they had casting problems with it then…thankfully our Asian friends have overcome this problem relatively recently and now has spread to the states due to the silly increase in the price of platinum.
Fact: Up until 2001 palladium actually cost more than platinum and it is 30 times more rare than gold. Also, as others have stated it is about 12% harder than platinum, thus more scratch resistant, and actually naturally whiter than platinum.

Most negative feedback on palladium is due to the following reasons:

1) it is not as prestigious (that is just BS marketing, it is just as rare as platinum);
2) it is too light (true it is lighter than platinum but equal in weight to gold, so if you prefer the lighter weight of gold then this is not a concern);
3) it cost less so must not be as good (simply not true)
4) many jewelry stores will stare you away from palladium simply because they have not invested in the process of casting palladium yet;
5) ignorance.

In the near future, palladium will rapidly gain popularity and the price will climb. Palladium will absolutely increase in value, if you buy now, faster than platinum…therefore, not only have you made a solid choice but a sound investment.
Can''t wait to see the pictures!