What do I need to know about Palladium?

[Begonia]

Hi again:

I got the quotes back on re-doing my small oval engagement ring. Platinum is not in my budget at the moment, but white gold and palladium are. Can anyone tell me a bit more about palladium and does it need to be rhodium plated like white gold? I was hoping to avoid the rhodium-replating process...but don't like the darkness that white gold can go to without it. Does palladium do that as well? How has everyone's palladium rings held up? I'm considering a bezel so the diamond should be secure...what else should I be asking myself and the jeweller? I'd appreciate any help you can give me!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My hesitation is that we don't have any 20 year old palladium rings to really know how they hold up over time. I'f probably go with 18k palladium white gold if I did not want to go with platinum.

 

[Begonia]

Does 18 kt paladium white gold have to be plated?

 

[Begonia]

Something else has occurred to me. If I am interested in a palladium bezel setting, I hear that high heat is needed to set the ring. Will that affect the diamond somehow?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There is a frequent poster here, Yssie, who I think chose palladium white gold for its durability but did not want the rhodium plating. Let me see if I can find her ring pictures and I'll be back.

Okay, sorry, her ring is 18k nickel-white gold but it is unplated. I like it.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...s-here-2-7-three-stone-in-unplated-wg.144010/

I'll try to find you a picture of unplated palladium white gold.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here you go (look at ring #3):

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry

I actually like the color of the unplated palladium white gold better than rhodium plated white gold. The rhodium gives it more of a chrome look to me.

 

[Begonia]

Thanks for finding that for me! I would prefer platinum myself, but it's out of my budget (whoa, who knew?). As far as plating, I'm just low maintenance. The look of palladium I can deal with, but just wondering if I need to be worried about the high heat and the diamond...as far as durability, I think I am prepared to take the risk. I only wear my rings when I'm going out, and never for housework, gardening etc. I think I will be able to take really good care of pl. Too bad it's doesn't seem to be light white, I like that look of rhodium. I have asked the jeweller which kind of pl alloy it is.

ps. My aunt once found a really heavy man's platinum ring in a box of Japanese oranges. She got in touch with the company and traced the owner somehow. They were very happy to get it back. No wonder with the cost. Mind you, this was 30 years ago. I don't know if if was as pricey then...

 

[slg47]

I would not worry about the high heat and the diamond.

 

[John P]

I appreciate diamondseeker2006 for distinguishing between "Palladium" and "Palladium White Gold." Definitely two different creatures.

> Palladium (950 Palladium) is 95% palladium and 5% of another metal by weight.
> Palladium white gold (18k) is 75% gold and 25% palladium.

When the craftsmanship is top quality any of the ‘white’ alloys look great and show equally well, but for the extremely picky there are very subtle differences. Top-down:

> Rhodium plating used on WG is very white (rhodium is the whitest precious metal after silver).
> Platinum-iridium alloys are nearest.
> 950 Platinum-ruthenium & 950 Palladium (alloyed with ruthenium). Technically next in whiteness to Pt-Ir, most people would notice only if they were scrutinized side-by-side.
> 18K Palladium White Gold (75% gold, 25% palladium) can be notably grayer unless rhodium plated, in which case it shoots back to the top.

Here is the relevant image from the article linked above:

1. 18K yellow gold
2. 18K white gold, rhodium plated
3. 18K palladium white gold, not plated



It's true that palladium & platinum melt at much higher temperatures than gold. This necessitates different equipment, different processes and different skill sets for any piece with pt or pd content; both casting and at the bench. No worries. Just select a jeweler with a good reputation for working in the chosen alloy.

 

[John P]

ps. My aunt once found a really heavy man's platinum ring in a box of Japanese oranges. She got in touch with the company and traced the owner somehow. They were very happy to get it back. No wonder with the cost. Mind you, this was 30 years ago. I don't know if if was as pricey then...

I can only imagine how excited this made the owner. Not just for the value - for the sentiment thought lost but returned.

 

[Cabochon1]

one other thing about palladium - it's very light. Some people might like it but when I tried on a palladium ring it felt wrong compared to the weight of gold or even platinum.

 

[geckodani]

My set is palladium.

Pros:
1. The color is fantastic. Very white, never needs to be rhodium plated.
2. More affordable than platinum.
3. Very light. Some might consider this a con, but I love how light my rings are.
4. It's extremely shiny, even after 3 years of wear. With the exception of where I have scratched it (more on that below) the band is still brilliantly shiny.

Cons:
1. My local jewelers don't know how to work with it, so any work I need done requires my rings to be mailed back to their makers.
2. It scratches/dings easily. Minor ones have been polished out, but the jury is out as to whether or not the deeper dings/scratches can be polished out. I'm sending my ring back to Scott Kay in March to be polished, and will finally know the answer to that one.

My only real objection to the metal is the issue of not being able to polish out the scratches. If that's simply due to local jewelers not knowing what to do with it, and Scott Kay can polish them out, then I happily endorse the metal.

If they are indeed permanent... then if I ever reset it will be in Palladium White Gold, rather than Palladium.

Edited slightly.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gecko has brought up a very important point that many jewelers do not work on palladium, so getting a ring sized or repaired won't be as easy as it would be with white gold or platinum. And if you really like the whiteness of rhodium, you could still plate the palladium white gold. It tends to not rub off on the top surface of the rings anyway.

 

[geckodani]

Here's a pic I took a few years back of palladium, platinum and white gold side by side. The lighting is not the best, but just for comparison's sake:

 

[lknvrb4]

My verragio halo is palladium and I have had it well over a year. I have not had any issues with it and love it because it does not cost as much as platinum and I don't ever have to have it replated like white gold. I had my new solitaire set in palladium as well.

 

[John P]

Gecko has brought up a very important point that many jewelers do not work on palladium, so getting a ring sized or repaired won't be as easy as it would be with white gold or platinum.

Definitely true for palladium alloys - and even the case for platinum in some places. Traveling through rural areas in the USA you can find entire regions where jewelers are mutually aligned against choices other than gold. They use 'soft' and patina-prone to support a no-platinum policy, but often it's because no-one there is equipped to work in the high-temp alloys. Encountering the same story for a hundred miles breeds a culture against those alloys. I know many people, including jewelers who 'learned' in those places, who were shocked to discover how popular and highly regarded other alloys can be.

 

[Begonia]

Whoa, tons of info. Thanks! Definitely some pros and cons depending on palladium and white gold palladium. I suspect the alloy is palladium 950...and have asked the jeweller what the exact alloy is (other 5%?). So far the palladium rings I have been shown (not wg palladium) look darker than wg with rhodium or platinum.

The scratching issue concerns me. I'm very careful with jewellery, but everyone has those days when you inadvertently whack something. It would be a shame to be left with dings that might not be gotten rid of. I shall ask this jeweller and see what their opinion is. I've been reading and reading about this in the past 24 hours, and it sounds like jewellers have very differing opinions however. Once I know what alloy they are talking about, I will ask you all a bit more if I still have questions. Until then, I really appreciate you all taking the time to address my concerns and to post the pics! Now I understand all the fuss about platinum!

 

[geckodani]

For what it's worth, even though my ring has scratched - so did my white gold set. I believe platinum is really the only metal that can be smushed/polished back to 100% of its original self.

I don't personally like platinum, because for all the wee scratches my ring has, overall it's still shiny. The same can't be said for a platinum ring with a patina. It's such a personal preference!

 

[LGK]

I have a 14K palladium white gold setting. I wore it for about 2-3 years straight so I am positive it isn't rhodium plated, and it is bright bright white. It's also heavy like regular gold, not the featherweight feel of PD. I like the alloy a lot, and would absolutely use it again if it was easy to find (fwiw, I got it from Van Graff a.k.a. Juan Manuel who does custom, low end hand forged jewelry out of Mexico).

I personally didn't like the feel of PD. It feels like aluminum to me, extremely noticeably lightweight.

 

[Begonia]

Well there you go. Two very different opinions, and experiences. I should see if they have rings that I can try on that are the 3 different metals. I really don't think I can afford the platinum (kinda depends on the gold credit for the old set, which I can't imagine will be all that much). I gotta say, I am very surprised at the cost of platinum! I've always heard it was up there, but until you go for an estimate...

 

[clgwli]

My hesitation is that we don't have any 20 year old palladium rings to really know how they hold up over time. I'f probably go with 18k palladium white gold if I did not want to go with platinum.

My grandmother had one from IIRC the 40's. When we were going through her items after death for the will I found the ring and it still looked amazing. It had been worn off and on, but was in a jewelry box for the past 20ish years prior probably. I loved how it looked and felt even all those years later. I can't wear platinum and so this is a very nice option for those who don't like the weight of platinum IMO. When we had it checked out by a jeweler we were told they were more popular during WWII due to the restrictions of metals at that time. So palladium rings have been around for quite a while.

 

[Jr22]

While shopping for an e-ring I handled a Verragio Palladium ring and while I really like the whiteness of the color, the weight of it kind of turned me off. Obviously it's a mental thing but the weight almost feels like titanium or aluminum. If that doesn't bother you, then I would say absolutely take it over white gold IF you want a true white color.

 

[ValentinesJewelryDesign]

Palladium (PD950) has it's pros and cons. It's not quite as white as Platinum as it has a slight greyish overtone. I've worked with and custom made pieces in Palladium and have some serious qualms with it. Many jewelers don't know how to work with it, and like Platinum, if handled in the wrong way can become problematic. Palladium requires an Oxygen free environment during casting.....any type of oxidation during that process can cause brittleness. That being said, we've noticed that even properly cast PD950 pieces become brittle during normal wear-and-tear work hardening. In my opinion, it's much better suited for occasional wear and pendants and earrings that don't receive abuse. It's is hypoallergenic so it's great for people who have nickle allergies. In all, Platinum is still far superior and if you want a white metal that affordable, there are some new 14k white gold alloys (like X1 from Stuller) that are much whiter than their traditional counterparts. They are still Rhodium plated but don't show the yellow nearly as quickly. I hope this helps!


Best Regards, Matt

 

[ValentinesJewelryDesign]

Gecko has brought up a very important point that many jewelers do not work on palladium, so getting a ring sized or repaired won't be as easy as it would be with white gold or platinum.

Definitely true for palladium alloys - and even the case for platinum in some places. Traveling through rural areas in the USA you can find entire regions where jewelers are mutually aligned against choices other than gold. They use 'soft' and patina-prone to support a no-platinum policy, but often it's because no-one there is equipped to work in the high-temp alloys. Encountering the same story for a hundred miles breeds a culture against those alloys. I know many people, including jewelers who 'learned' in those places, who were shocked to discover how popular and highly regarded other alloys can be.

I agree. People who are resistant to Platinum and other alloys most likely have no idea how to work with it. I LOVE Platinum. Stone setting in Platinum is a dream due to it's dead setting properties.

Matt

 

[geckodani]

My set is palladium.

Pros:
1. The color is fantastic. Very white, never needs to be rhodium plated.
2. More affordable than platinum.
3. Very light. Some might consider this a con, but I love how light my rings are.
4. It's extremely shiny, even after 3 years of wear. With the exception of where I have scratched it (more on that below) the band is still brilliantly shiny.

Cons:
1. My local jewelers don't know how to work with it, so any work I need done requires my rings to be mailed back to their makers.
2. It scratches/dings easily. Minor ones have been polished out, but the jury is out as to whether or not the deeper dings/scratches can be polished out. I'm sending my ring back to Scott Kay in March to be polished, and will finally know the answer to that one.

My only real objection to the metal is the issue of not being able to polish out the scratches. If that's simply due to local jewelers not knowing what to do with it, and Scott Kay can polish them out, then I happily endorse the metal.

If they are indeed permanent... then if I ever reset it will be in Palladium White Gold, rather than Palladium.

Edited slightly.

I know it's been a long time since this thread was created, but just in case anyone searches palladium, I wanted to update it to say that Scott Kay successfully polished out all scratches and damage to my ring, and it now looks like new.

 

[Imdanny]

Relative density (wiki it)
Surface hardness
It would be interesting to know if metal wears off or simply acts like Play Doh like Platinum- it is a platinum group metal.


I think it's underrated personally.

 

[stargurl78]

My husband's wedding band is palladium and I 100% REGRET going with this metal for his ring. He has been wearing it for less than 6 months and it looks so banged up at this point that I am ready to call the store we bought it from and see if they can get ArtCarved to let us exchange it for a white gold one and I'll be happy to pay the difference in cost. It might be fine for certain types of settings but not for the ring we purchased:
http://www.topperjewelers.com/wedding_bands/art_carved/mens_11-WV7368