Question for those of you with unplated WG

[yennyfire]

I am debating unplated white gold for the RHR that SS is making for me. That is Ari's recommendation, given the color of the stones (he agrees with my jewelers assessment of I/J based on GIA standards). My concern is that I probably want to stack a couple of bands with the ring. Is it going to look odd to pair unplated WG with either platinum, rose gold or rhodium plated WG? I want to find the bands on eBay and finding unplated WG is likely to be a challenge.

If you have unplated WG, what metal did you pair with it. Are you happy with it? How long have you had it (i.e. how have they worn together over time) and any photos would be great! TIA!

 

[oohsparkly]

Hi yennyfire,

I can't answer you properly but will throw some thoughts out. I had a white gold ring made for me (unplated) but I didn't like the color and now am getting it made in platinum, so I have only seen the colors together, I don't have any experience of how they wear.

I have found the color of the unplated wg will depend greatly on what is alloyed with the gold. If you go with palladium which is great for strength and low-allergy, the resulting color will probably have a grey tinge - more grey than platinum (mine did and I requested as creamy a color as possible which was mixed especially for me). But if you have it alloyed with nickel it can achieve what I think is a lovely creamy color, but allergic reactions are a possibility and some even say nickel can be carcinogenic!

Anyway the palladium white gold worn with platinum would look ok together if you don't mind a slight variation in color. I noticed that the difference in color was greater in a duller light. In bright sunlight there is very little difference.

Putting it with rhodium plated wg would be the same but an even greater contrast. I don't know about rose gold. I do wonder whether the greyish tinge of pd wg would clash with the rich warmth of rose gold?? I do remember Yssie's unplated wg - she said it had a pink tinge to it - so maybe there is kind of wg that would blend with rose gold...

Anyway all the best with your decision. I found deciding on metals a massive challenge. It would be so much easier if manufacturing jewellers would keep samples in stock so you could see exactly what you'd be getting but I found this not to be the case...

 

[yennyfire]

Thanks oohsparkly! I agree with you that it's a tough call, especially since each metal can vary between vendors, so WG can come in a variety of shades.
Ari is going to send me a ring in unplated WG so that I can see it in person. I can compare it to the PT ring that they made for me as well as a WG ring I have. Hopefully, that will make the decision easier. If I didn't know that I want to pair the ring with other bands, it wouldn't be as much of an issue. Why can't these decisions ever be simple????

 

[oohsparkly]

If I didn't know that I want to pair the ring with other bands, it wouldn't be as much of an issue. Why can't these decisions ever be simple????

I hear you! Non - PS people just don't get what we go through!!

Getting the sample in person is great - you will know exactly what you are in for - this will help immensely. If I had had that luxury I may not now have a whole jewellery store thinking I am a neurotic, pedantic customer with all my metal disasters (I rejected a palladium ring too...)

I look forward to seeing your new RHR once you decide!

 

[natascha]

As Ohhsparkly said, it really depends on what alloy you have chosen.

Using nickel is illegal over here so a common alloy is 75% gold and 16% palladium and the rest is silver (I am not 100% sure). That alloy comes out a bit darker (a tad of grey) than rings rhodium plated and just a hint whiter than platinum. It is definitively not yellowish, just not the uber shiny white of the rhodium. I have never heard of someone getting their ring plated after buying it over here. While the often come plated from the manufacturer no one that I know keeps up with the plating.

The unplated WG looks great with rose gold . With platinum, I find myself more bothered by the difference in patina than by the difference in color. However if either the WG or the platinum is not smooth (has stones set, milgrain, engraving, etc) then you don't really notice the difference. Compared to titanium and tungsten the WG is whiter, compared to silver it is darker.

 

[packrat]

Will you take pics of the unplated ring Ari sends you, Yenny? I also am going w/unplated wg for my three stone, and SS is also making the ring, so I'm curious to see it!

 

[yennyfire]

Will do packrat, but I'm sure Ari would be willing to send you one to see in person as well.

 

[Enerchi]

Hey Yennyfire - I don't have UNplated WG, but my previous 3stone (before the BGD reset) was in plated WG w Palladium alloy - and it looked like $H!T in such a short time - but that's too long of a tale to revisit -but just to concur with what ooohsparkly says - the alloys really change the look and how it wears on you as well as each vendor could have a different version. Glad you are having Ari send you samples.

currently, I'm wearing a 14kWG from IDJ, RG spacer and now my BGD 95% plat/5% ruth ring and so far--- the WG and Plat are looking very much the same colour!

Please post those pics when you get a sample - I'd be curious to see the colour!

 

[oohsparkly]

Hey Enerchi, That is interesting that your 95pt/5 ru ring is very similar to your wg. I assume your wg is rhodium plated?

The ring I am waiting on now is going to be the same plat alloy as you have and I wanted as white as possible (without the bother of continual replating), so if it is similar to rhodium plated wg that would be good to hear. I was a little concerned that this plat alloy would be just a touch greyer than the 10 % iridium version, even though it is more scratch resistant which is better for not going a dull grey.

And by the way Yennyfire - I am interested to know what RHR you have planned. Your amazing vintage oval ring will take some living up to!

 

[yssie]

More unplated wg

I think my 18k Pd-wg looks lovely next to rose gold. I like it next to white, too (plat, plated wg), though like Natascha I don't care for the surface texture differences btwn gold and plat. I don't like it next to Ni-wg or yg, the slight pinkishness is washed out and it just looks drab, somehow.

I lovw my 18k Ni-wg (all three alloys) next to yg and white metals. I don't like them with rg, I just don't like the two "interesting" colours next to each other - I prefer one "baseline" and one "interesting" colour, if that makes sense?

Do you know what SS alloys with?


ETA: packrat - oh, so you'll be going with SS for the bezel project? I was wondering what was going on with that!

 

[yssie]

Apparently Ni-wg is illegal in NZ, so back in April Mike at RDG (super-duper-awesomely!!) sent out to have some made up to look at, based on what my current rings are made of
(Mike okayed sharing these)

1%Ni-wg : 75% Au, 4% Ag, 7% Cu, 1% Ni, 12% Pd, 1% Zn
4%Ni-wg : 75% Au, 17% Cu, 4% Ni, 4% Zn
9%Ni-wg : 75% Au, 10% Cu, 10% Ni, 5% Zn



L - RDG palladium-wg, R - 1%Ni-wg polished


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Top - RDG palladium-wg, 4%Ni-wg unpolished

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

L - RDG palladium-wg, R - 4%Ni-wg polished



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

9%Ni-wg & 4%Ni-wg unpolished

 

[Enerchi]

Hey Enerchi, That is interesting that your 95pt/5 ru ring is very similar to your wg. I assume your wg is rhodium plated?

The ring I am waiting on now is going to be the same plat alloy as you have and I wanted as white as possible (without the bother of continual replating), so if it is similar to rhodium plated wg that would be good to hear. I was a little concerned that this plat alloy would be just a touch greyer than the 10 % iridium version, even though it is more scratch resistant which is better for not going a dull grey.

And by the way Yennyfire - I am interested to know what RHR you have planned. Your amazing vintage oval ring will take some living up to!

Yes, it is 14K wg from IDJ in my 1/2 eternity band. The 95/5 plat/ru is from BGD and it is just a s l i g h t shade greyer but VERY slight, compared to the WG. WG arrived in Feb (i think???) and the BGD was at the end of June, so not a lot of time to fully assess wear/tear/nicks/bruising... but compared to that POS ring I had before - it would have had to be replated by the end of a month! It was (supposedly, but the guy kept changing his tune, so I have no idea what to believe) reportedly made as 18k WG w Pd alloy. But who knows

I really love this BGD plat alloy, that's a real winner!! and obviously, so is the IDJ one, too!

 

[natascha]

Yssie- Glad to see I am not the only perfectionist /tad OCD about tones and textures .

Yay for showing those shots. What are you creating with Mike ?

His alloy looks exactly like what we have over here. Do you know what mix he uses? Some posters have spoken about their Pd WG being darker grey, but I have never seen that and as Mike's photos shows, his alloy is not a darker grey.

I now have a serious hankering for some nickel white gold, it is gorgeous . Of course it is illegal over here too so.

Urg now I also miss chemistry, instead I have to buckle down with advanced financial analysis

 

[yssie]

Yssie- Glad to see I am not the only perfectionist /tad OCD about tones and textures .

Yay for showing those shots. What are you creating with Mike ?

His alloy looks exactly like what we have over here. Do you know what mix he uses? Some posters have spoken about their Pd WG being darker grey, but I have never seen that and as Mike's photos shows, his alloy is not a darker grey.

I now have a serious hankering for some nickel white gold, it is gorgeous . Of course it is illegal over here too so.

Urg now I also miss chemistry, instead I have to buckle down with advanced financial analysis

I don't know what the composition of RDG's Pd-wg is - I was more interested in the creamy Ni-wg! But maybe Mike will see this thread and chime in. My Pd-wg from DBL is definitely not dark or grey, it's ever so slightly pinkish in most lights - added some pics from another thread.. I'll be having a ring made, but it's a long-term project



A - plat (950/ru)
B - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, custom piece (different manufacturer, wore it with the WF three-stone, good match in all lights)
75% Au, 15% Cu, 4.5% Zn, 4% Ni
C - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, stock piece
?? TBD
D - plated wg from WF
E - 22k




B, C, A above
G - unplated 18k palladium wg from DBL


Not a good pic, but for composition reference -



A - 14k rose gold
B - unplated 18k nickel wg from WF, custom Ering
75% Au, 9.8% Cu, 9.8% Ni, 5.22% Zn
C - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, custom band (wore it with the WF three-stone, good match in all lights)
75% Au, 15% Cu, 4.5% Zn, 4% Ni
D - unplated 18k nickel wg from e-wb, stock piece (a bit lighter/whiter than B/C)
?? TBD
E - plat (950/ru)
F - plated 18k wg from WF
G - sterling
H - 22k[/quote]

 

[yennyfire]

Yssie, I'm so glad that you chimed in. I'll have to ask Ari what their wg is paired with. Here are photos of the ring Ari sent, compared to my PT ring. I will try to take some photos next to my wg ring later (the diamond and emerald band, don't know what the alloys are in it).

 

[Enerchi]

Looks very creamy next to your platinum ring - I love that tone on your skin, Yenny! Is that the new little reward for the sale of your house??? It shur is perdy!!!!

 

[yennyfire]

Hi Enerchi,

Nope this is just the ring that Ari sent to me so that I could see what their unplated WG looks like. I do like the color, but when I tried it with my PT wedding band and a rose gold band that I have, I'm a bit concerned that using unplated WG will limit the bands that I am able to buy in the future (i.e. eBay finds). I'm not sure that I like the variety of metal color.

 

[yssie]

Depending on how picky you are about metals matching exactly... your odds range from bad to dreadful, honestly. I went through multiple bands and vendors to find a matching wedding ring - I didn't want to have to have a plain round band custom made!

But that was two years ago, and there are a lot more options for having stuff custom made at decent prices now w/ Etsy and whatnot, so you probably have some options there! I haven't had good luck with stripping plating off existing pieces - you could mechanically polish it off, of course, but the band that was chemically stripped is apparently not in fact completely stripped and will continue to yellow as trace residues wear off. I don't mind, it's not splotchy or anything like that - just a paler yellow - but, well, I don't mind - if I did I'd be sorta SOL.

One option would be to incorporate another metal - something white, or yellow maybe - into the design, even if it's only in a very small way, that way you'd have the option of buying bands that complement that colour as well...

 

[Enerchi]

Hi Enerchi,

Nope this is just the ring that Ari sent to me so that I could see what their unplated WG looks like. I do like the color, but when I tried it with my PT wedding band and a rose gold band that I have, I'm a bit concerned that using unplated WG will limit the bands that I am able to buy in the future (i.e. eBay finds). I'm not sure that I like the variety of metal color.

uh oh! That's not good... Would you consider going with rhodium plating - then it expands your band options? or are you firm on the unplated? Hmm...to bad - just when you think its all sorted out, eh???

I like Yssies idea of a little detail or two of another metal - that keeps a few doors open.

 

[hoover]

Hi Yennyfire,

I don't know if this will help you, but both of my rings are 19kt unplated white gold. The thinner band is my new ring, and the thicker band is about 9 months old, daily wear. They both look like they're still the same colour, just one needs a buff and polish maybe (Sorry the reflection of my black camera kept getting in the way).

Some of my friends have rhodium plated white gold and have to get their rings replated every 6 months. I'm so glad I don't have to bother with that. Then again, they have the plain shanks and I have diamonds on the sides, so the wear would be more noticeable on their rings than mine anyways?

I like the idea of other coloured metals too. Maybe a rose gold spacer will minimize the colour differences?

 

[yennyfire]

Thanks Hoover. Yssie, I agree with you, which is why I'm so nervous about going with unplated WG. Ari said that for $450, he can buy a stock ring, unplate it, engrave it and send it to me to match my ring, but I'm still nervous about that, especially given what you said. I may just go with platinum since I know it and know what to expect. It's easy to find platinum wedding bands (especially vintage) and I think it can go well with rose gold too. Tapping foot and scratching head...still hesitating for some reason.

 

[packrat]

Yssie, yeah, my stones are w/SS right now!

Yennie, I wondered that too w/my ring, what I'd pair it with. The ring I'd planned on going w/is plated wg, so I'm unsure how that would look. It comes in yg and rg too so those are options at least.

 

[yssie]

Thanks Hoover. Yssie, I agree with you, which is why I'm so nervous about going with unplated WG. Ari said that for $450, he can buy a stock ring, unplate it, engrave it and send it to me to match my ring, but I'm still nervous about that, especially given what you said. I may just go with platinum since I know it and know what to expect. It's easy to find platinum wedding bands (especially vintage) and I think it can go well with rose gold too. Tapping foot and scratching head...still hesitating for some reason.

Plat is definitely easier! But sometimes, when you catch the unplated wg bug...

Is adding a detail or two in a different metal absolutely not an option? I'd think Ari could find a way to do that really nicely, if it's something you'd consider.

 

[yssie]

Yssie, yeah, my stones are w/SS right now!

Congrats on the decision! You didn't update your thread so I won't ask for details, but I hope everything works out!

 

[packrat]

Um..I'm kinda just lazy is the reason!

 

[yennyfire]

Thanks Hoover. Yssie, I agree with you, which is why I'm so nervous about going with unplated WG. Ari said that for $450, he can buy a stock ring, unplate it, engrave it and send it to me to match my ring, but I'm still nervous about that, especially given what you said. I may just go with platinum since I know it and know what to expect. It's easy to find platinum wedding bands (especially vintage) and I think it can go well with rose gold too. Tapping foot and scratching head...still hesitating for some reason.

Plat is definitely easier! But sometimes, when you catch the unplated wg bug...

Is adding a detail or two in a different metal absolutely not an option? I'd think Ari could find a way to do that really nicely, if it's something you'd consider.

I will definitely see what Ari thinks about mixing another metal in. Given the design (very similar to TGal's), I'm not sure where/how to do it. I'll keep you posted.