Engagement ring - platinum v. white gold ?
Q.My boyfriend are doing some research on engagement rings. I prefer the silver colored rings, but don't really know the difference between platinum or white gold (besides price)? I'm wondering if a particular metal will tend to require more cleaning, etc.
A.I'm not an expert, but... ....the difference has to do with the strength of the metals. The harder the metal, the better it will stand up to wear. White gold is essentially gold with some other metals mixed in. This makes it much harder than regular gold (yellow gold) and gives it the silvery appearance. Platinum is even harder than white gold. If you compared two identical rings, the platinum one would feel heavier. I asked the jeweler what that meant in terms of time. He said that if we assumed a given ring style in 18 karat gold lasted 20 years (this number is pretty much out of the air) than the same exact ring in white gold might last 30-40 years and the same ring in platinum might last 40-50 years. Basically, the harder the ring, the slower the wear. If you are planning to pick a ring with an intricate pattern or inlaid diamonds, in may be worth it to go with the harder metal. If you pick a simple style, I don't think it will matter very much. As far as appearance goes, I can't tell the difference between white gold and platinum. One jeweler admitted to me that he couldn't tell unless he could feel the weight. Initially, we made the decision to go with white gold because we didn't think that the difference in wear warranted the extra money. But, we ended up changing our minds because I fell in love with a setting that only came in platinum. :-) Oh, there's one other thing. If you go with either white gold or platinum, you're going to want to get a diamond with very clear color. Some diamonds have a yellow tint to them and they look fine with yellow gold, but if you put the same diamond in a white gold or platinum setting, the yellow tint becomes much more evident. (Of course, some people like yellow diamonds, but that's another discussion.) And as you might expect, the clearer the color, the more expensive the diamond. Platinum is a much harder metal. White gold, and yellow gold are soft. They will wear down over the years especially if you use your hands a lot. Our rings are white gold (couldn't afford platinum, don't like yellow) and after 3 1/2 years, hubby's has lost all of the rough texture that was once in the middle. It has gone completely smooth. Mine is still rough. As I understand it, this would not have happened in platinum. That's good to know! My platinum ring is at least 80 -90 years old or so already (not sure of the exact date - we got it from an antique shop - but the setting/style and a few other aspects place it around the turn of the century or pre-WWI). I'm hoping it'll last another 100 years :-) Is *is* worn somewhat -the inner part of the band is on the thin side (tho the band is thin to begin with)but I love it! We're going for white gold. Platinum is heavier, more trendy, but who cares what everyone else is doing? I would rather have something that doesn't kill him in the wallet, so more $ could go for a house, etc. I'm so glad that I found this discussion, as my long-time s.o. and I have been seriously talking engagement lately (hooray!) which has led me to begin doing some research on rings. I'm not particularly fond of yellow gold, and I do like platinum, but have been trying to weigh the pro of the strength of platinum against the con of its high cost.
Other Questions :
Celebrity Engagement Ring, Is Camilla Wearing an Engagement Ring?
That ring looks a lot like Diana's engagement ring, Camilla is wearing it on her left hand in place of her wedding band, and she did so at a wedding. Now how many of you are so naive to believe this is all just happenstance?Regardless of the hist...
Engagement/Wedding Ring Questions ?
Please bear with my ignorance, I am completely in the dark here. Can some tell me or point me in a good direction with regard to (the traditional ideas): what, if any is the difference between an engagement ring and wedding ring do you ...
Platinum Engagement Ring ?
My fiancee (soon-to-be) and I are planning on using the diamond from his mother's wedding ring (she passed away when he was six years old) in my engagement ring. I'm really touched by what we're doing--the ring will become an important heirloom...
sapphire engagement rings ?
My fiance and I are considering buying a sapphire ring with diamonds around it instead of a traditional diamond. Can anyone tell me whether sapphire are graded in the same way as diamonds? Does anyone have any experience with buying colored ...
Genuine Diamond Engagement Ring, Want some advice on buying engagement ring ?
OK, I'm going to ask my girlfriend to get married. She lives in a country of the former USSR. Assuming positive feedback on this important question, we will go shopping (there) for the engagement ring, wedding band thing. She is very practi...