OT Need opinions - Platinum vs. 14k white gold

[lovin2shop]

I need to have my wedding band reset and our jeweler is recommending Platinum. However, I've heard from a few friends that their jewelers actually recommended they not go Platinum because it is too soft and gets damaged easily. Has anyone experienced this? My DH is willing to spend the money, but I don't want to make a foolish decision if we will just need to reset it again. Also, I've never really compared white gold to platinum, is there really much of a visible difference? TIA for any advice, you all are always such a wealth of information.

ETA: Sorry that the topic of this post is rather inconsequential compared to the photo issue on the boards. I typed it before reading other posts of the day. It probably doesn't fit well with the understandibly serious tone on the board right now.

[dowlinal]

DH wanted a silver colored wedding band and originally we planned on platinum but the jeweler told us to go with white gold for durabilty. The diamonds in my rings are set in platinum, but the rest of the band is yellow gold and the platinum has more wear and tear on it. However, I am oneof those people who is always damaging jewelry.

[jamsmu]

Both my engagement ring and my wedding band are platinum and, while there are some small dings, both look great! DH had a platinum band, which he lost at a bar while throwing a snowball (he's a lefty). Visa wouldn't cover it, so he has white-gold (I was like, I hope you don't think you're getting another platinum ring just to lose in a snowball fight!) It has to be dipped every few years because it loses its color, but its a good ring (and SEVERAL hundred dollars less expensive).

[kelly ann]

Amy-

I would go with the Platinum, but that is JMHO. There is a difference in the look. White gold is not a "white" as platinum. Hmmmm...it is hard to explain. The white gold is not as reflective, but white gold is still beautiful. I just love both of these white metals, but I always go for platinum if the option is there.

BTW, I have never heard that Platinum is softer than gold - I thought it was more durable. Hence, it is more expensive than gold.

[kelly ann]

Double Post

[kellyotn]

I have platinum. Its heavy (DH's is titanium, SOOOO light, its funny to compare them), but I do think it can be "dinged" if banged hard enough. BUT, its malleable and a jeweler can work it back.

I did something to mine (I have no idea what). It was like it got dinged then pulled. It had a tiny sharp-ish edge. Hard to explain. I took it into a jeweler and they smoothed it out, explained the malleable thing to me and shined it up. Didn't charge me a penny.

They do get dull after awhile. I buff mine out myself with a polishing paste and a paper towel - works great! I'm just too lazy to take it to a jeweler regularly even though its free.

I think platinum does have a different color "tone" than white gold. I can't explain that at all!! Platinum simply looked better with MY skin tone. I'd say you can't go wrong either way. :-)

[Marisa6826]

I have rings in both platinum and white gold. My wedding set is platinum, and my 'Sophie' ring is wg. They are all stacked together and you honestly can't tell the difference unless you are really looking for it. I do agree with the PPs that the platinum is 'whiter'.

I don't think there's too much of a difference in terms of softness. They both are somewhat scratched on my palm side, but you can easily have them polished up when you have the rings cleaned.

Platinum is heavier, so if that's an issue for you, go for the WG.

-m

[C99]

Hmmm... I always thought that platinum was heavier and *less* likely to damage than gold or silver. Isn't that why the prongs holding a diamond are usually plat? Both of my rings are set in plat, as is my husband's band. It does get some scratches on it, but they buff right out when polished.

[pixelprincess]

My wedding and engagements rings are both platinum and they have withstood almost 6 years without any damage. I'd say go with the platinum and get your rings insured :-)

[HannaAddict]

My engagement and wedding ring are platinum and have survived about 70+ years with no damage that I can see (they were my husband's grandmothers). I love platinum, it is whiter than WG. But that is really only noticeable if you have WG and platinum right up against each other. I like the heavier, more substantive feel myself. I've never heard that platinum is softer, in fact, I've heard the opposite. Good luck and enjoy your new setting.

Kimberly
DS 3/18/04

[ellies mom]

In the olden days I was a maintenance tech in the semiconductor industry. We thought that platinum would hold up better than white gold so we had my engagement ring made of platinum. While it is very beautiful, it is also very heavy (never got used to it)and it got quite dinged up. We did get a very good deal on the ring, but it was still way more expensive than white gold would have been. We ended up getting very simple white gold bands for the wedding bands. Granted, it isn't as large, but it as held up much better. It was also about $200 cheaper than it would have been if it was platinum. Personally, I'd like to have my engagement ring remade in white gold so I can wear it but Dh says No.

[jk3]

My engagement ring is set in platinum and my wedding band is set in white gold. I like the weight of platinum. White Gold is more maleable which was a benefit while I was pregnant and after DS was born since my hands swelled. I was able to wear my wedding band but I had to have my engagement ring completely redone since my finger size changed a bit. I don't think there is much of a visible difference though the white gold might be a touch shinier.

Jenn
DS 6/3/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[Laurelsmom2002]

Where are you getting your band reset at- if I may ask- I'm thinking about changing my set from yellow to platnium/white gold and wasn't sure how to get this done-

[muskiesusan]

It was my understanding that platinum was stronger, which is why all my gf's have their stone set in platinum even with a gold band. Maybe some of it has to do with the quality of the alloys used with the metal? I don't know, just wondering.

I googled it and this site came up. Can't vouch for the reliability, but it seems knowledgable. http://tinyurl.com/cryxx

ETA: Regarding the link, I'm not sure about his theory on why white gold is pushed over platinum, but I thought the discussion on how the two metals wear differently interesting.

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[mamaharsh]

I have a white gold wedding ring and a platinum engagement ring. I had to have my diamond reset, so for our five year anniversary, DH got my a platinum ring with more diamonds to reset my original stone in. I've now had the platinum for just over 5 years and wear it constantly and it seems to be holding up well.

I think there is an obvious color difference between the two and I've had a couple of friends who are really into jewelry comment on it. But I don't really care. DH has said if I really want to get a new wedding ring, I can, but I can tell he'd be upset (he's very sentimental about our wedding rings), so I just live with the different colors.

Some jewelers will suggest plating your white gold ring to match the platinum. I did that once and it lasted less than 6 months. Not worth it in my opinion.

[amp]

My wedding ring is 18k white gold, and I love it, but I will say that I've learned, from the jewelers, that gold is gold. To make it white, they add things, and unfortunately for me, I'm one of the people who wear 18k white gold and it starts turning gold under my finger. The top of the ring is still white (silver) but the bottom is often a combo of white and yellow gold. Every so often, I go in to get it cleaned and request that they "redip" it in the Rhodium solution to make it white again. It always starts to change again, but oh well. I still love my ring. I just wish it were platinum some days! I was told that lower carat gold (like your 14k) would have less chance to change, as it has less gold to it in the first place, and less to cover w/ the white metals. I don't know if that's true.

[loewymartin]

My engagement ring was all platinum and my wedding band is platinum and yellow gold. I kept having my prongs on my engagement ring break off, and when I asked the jeweler he said it was because they were platinum. So the last time I had it fixed I had them replace the prong head with white gold and - no more issues! So the band is still platinum, but the prongs are white gold. And it sits right next to my wedding band and you can't tell the difference.

Also, we had my mom's engagement ring and wedding band soldered together. The jeweler said that many bands rub together wearing away the bottom of the prong head, but with them soldered together that wouldn't happen. Sure enough, if I look at my engagement ring, there's a slight worn line where my wedding band rubs up against it.

Michelle
Mom to Alia born 5/16/02 and the GIRL! peanut due 8/13/05

[jbowman]

I have a platinum engagement ring and wedding band. It has some nicks in it on the bottom of the band, but nothing that couldn't be corrected if polished (which, reminds me, I need to polish it!). It is a heavy ring (which I like). I wear a white gold ring on my other hand and have never noticed much of a color difference between the two. That said, I think the white gold ring gets/shows scratches easier than the platinum (but the designs are quite different, so who knows?). Get whichever one you like better :).

[Jen841]

I agree, I was under the impression that Platinum is the safest item to hold in your stones. All 3 of our rings are Platinum and 5 years later they look great! No scratches, dings, etc. I so see a color difference in what I have and what some friends have who have White Gold.

[nov02mom]

I'm not very sentimental about wedding rings so I've had several......I really like the platinum over the white gold. It is heavier and prettier in color (IMHO) The white gold always looks a little off....like the yellow is just waiting to peak out!

[lovin2shop]

I'm getting it done by the jeweler that we bought my ring from initially. It is a local place, Donoho's in The Woodlands, TX. I'm actually doing the same thing, as my ring is currently in yellow gold. For our 10 year anniversary, my DH is buying me an anniversary band. Because my rings are soddered together with channel setting and need to be resized to fit a wider band, they need to melt down the whole piece. So, I am considering changing to either platinum or white gold. I just hope that 10 years from now I will not want to change to something else! I hate to be so fickle, but I really like the look of platinum. Anyway, what is the traditional setting for wedding rings, white or yellow? I'm so clueless about these things!

[ethansmom]

I have a yellow gold ring w/a platinum setting.

When we bought this 11 yrs ago, we were told a platinum setting would last 20 or 25 yrs (I can't remember which), while a WG setting would last 5.

We haven't had any problems to date.