Designer Platinum Engagement Ring?
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.After I proposed, my FW and I went to a jeweler I know of in Seattle and had him help us design a ring that was all our/her own. We brought up a bottle of wine, and spent a few hours in his shop, looking and drawing. A few weeks later he had made a wax model, we changed it and played some more, then finally had what she wanted. Along with this experience we got more information on gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, saphires, zircon, and on and on. He was able to answer all our questions about cutting, shapes, clearity, size, value, hardness, lifestyle, use and abuse, maintenance, care, etc. than I could ever imagine. Now, neither of us will ever enter a jewelry store again. I would strongly suggest you leave the shopping malls behind and make your way to an educated and knowledgeable jeweler (Not a jewelry seller). Once you find the right one, you will never go back to the mall again. The gems they have access to are incredible, and truly more valuable for the price you pay. He can find you the right size and color gems for the look you want and the setting you design. If they are a true smith, they will not be as interested in selling you gems, but rather the gold work that is created. And this is obviously a concern of yours. Our experience was so much fun, it was exciting, AND educational. I was very confident that we/she was getting what we/I paid for. She wanted to go with a traditional blue saphire (diamonds are passe') as the main stone with red saphires as accents and 2 diamonds for added brilliance and balance. Our jewler found stones that had the exact colors we wanted and were complimentary to the rest of the ring. This ring is hers, and no others. Pick your smith well. Buy your rings smart. He will enjoy it. And you will have a work of art, not just a ring with a stone to show off. I was happy, cause he actually suggested a smaller center stone because of the size of her hands, her lifestyle, the ring design, and the color we were looking for. I saved money sort of, but with this savings, we were able to put 2, instead of 1 diamond addition to the setting. He is making my ring too (in a few months). I have always loved emeralds, but they are WAY to fragile for almost everything except sitting in a drawer, so he showed me this brown diamond that actually turns emerald green in the sunlight. It is so amazing to look at. He came across it after a 3 year search for another client who ended up changing his mind, so now it will be mine. As far as your question goes and what I can tell you is, we did have a short talk about platinum. He said that it is (obviously) much more expensive, and much harder. He did not have the proper tools to work with platinum on a regular basis and in the past, he typically sends out his casts to a platinum smithery (or whatever) to have the work done there. Most gold jewelry is cast in 18k and I believe its hardness and color can vary depending on the amounts of other metals that are added to the mix. This I am sure is true with white gold as well. Gold is pretty tough stuff, so I would imagine that unless you have a specific reason for wanting platinum, it would not be my first choice (and wasnt). Many people cannot afford to have a ring "designed" for them. You didn't actually answer the posters question either. She asked if a platinum ring would require more cleaning than a white gold ring. To the poster: I don't think one would require more cleaning than the other. Platinum is just stronger...also much more expensive. IMO, it is just a phase. People now like the "silver-look", so the jewelers try to sell the platinum because they can make more money off of you. My engagement ring is platinum, and our wedding bands will be. We liked the 'feel' of platinum as opposed to white gold; it's much heavier. Also, I understand that white gold is created by a coating of some other metal on top of gold, which can eventually wear away. I don't know if cleaning methods would differ because of this, but you might want to ask a qualified jeweler with it in mind. We actually didn't find that platinum was all that much more expensive than white gold--the expensive bit was my passé diamond (which I was never that into having but now wouldn't trade for anything). However, my darling fiance purchased my ring at the big 'wholesale jewelry district' in L.A., so perhaps our pricing ideas are skewed from normal.
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