Question about Palladium white gold...need your help please!

[Laila619]

Hi there,
I am seriously considering having my new setting made in 14k or 18k Palladium white gold. I am allergic to nickel and also don't want to have to deal with rhodium plating. White gold with Palladium alloy instead of nickel alloy seems to be the answer. However, my question/concern is, if I ever needed to have my ring sized up and they needed to add more metal, how does a jeweler know that the alloy in the gold is Palladium and not nickel? Won't the stamp inside my ring just say 14k or 18k? How will a jeweler know what blend of alloy to use on my ring so that the metal he adds when he sizes it will 'match' the ring? My other concern is, are there a lot of jewelers who know how to work on Palladium white gold? It seems that in the US, nickel white gold is much more common. Thanks so much.

 

[Laila619]

Bump

Anyone, please? Sorry if it''s a dumb question, but I know someone out there knows the answer.

 

[Todd Gray]

I suppose it is as easy as telling the jeweler who is working on your jewelry that the ring is a palladium mixture and that you need nickel free solder to be used to avoid an allergic reaction. Lots of jewelers work with palladium...

 

[Ellen]

Laila, you might find this thread interesting.

 

[denverappraiser]

Most jewelers buy their supplies from an outside refiner who actually mixes up the alloys. For sizing they will have an inventory of stock metal in the various karatages, colors etc. and when they need a piece to size a ring they’ll just pick from the appropriate box. With slightly exotic materials, like palladium white gold, they may not have the right material in stock and will need to order it in. How will they know? Tell ‘em. The solders don’t contain nickel anyway.

Don’t be confused by metal marketed as palladium, which is 90% - 100% palladium and what’s marketed as palladium white gold which is 75% gold and 25% palladium (in the case of 18k). These are definitely not the same thing. 18k white made with palladium is a favorite with bench jewelers and designers because it’s so much easier to work with than the nickel bearing stuff. That''s above and beyond the problem of customers with allergies. Straight palladium is both more difficult to work with and is harder to find supplies as well as being less common in the marketplace so most of the craftsmen have less experience with it.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[JoeNewbie11]

My ring is 18K Gold-Palladium alloy and is marked "18K PD". This marking should help identify the metal alloy if you were to go to a different jeweler for resizing.

 

[Laila619]

Thanks for your replies, everyone!

It sounds like Palladium White gold is going to work out really well. I am so excited! It's the perfect metal--the look of white gold without the need for rhodium plating. Less brittle than Palladium alone.

Neil, very interesting stuff!

 

[Laila619]

So now I''m wondering, why don''t more people know about white gold alloyed with Palladium instead of nickel? Is it too good to be true? What''s the catch?!?

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 7/15/2009 3:00:59 PM
Author: Laila619
So now I''m wondering, why don''t more people know about white gold alloyed with Palladium instead of nickel? Is it too good to be true? What''s the catch?!?

Palladium is $245/oz.
Nickel is $7.19/lb.


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Another possible hiccup for some with palladium white gold: its not pure white, it has a slight gold tint, more noticeable in 18K than 14K. Personally I think that can be nice, but some designers and consumers alike still prefer a more pure white look, and will still want to rhodium plate the palladium white gold.

 

[tallchickbarbara]

Hi Laila,

Keep in mind that 18K White Palladium tends to be on the soft side too, which shouldn't be an issue if you're having a gem bezel set into a heavier mounting, however it could be disastrous if your prongs are also 18kw/Pd. If you're insistent on the gold/Pd combo, then I would at least recommend a 950 Pd head.

Question - have you looked into straight Palladium at all (950 Pd)? It should not cost you much more, is naturally white (does not take a Rhodium plating) and is often alloyed with Ruthenium, so there should be no fear of a reaction.

Just throwing that out there!