18K White Gold or Platnium????

mikeandsam788

My boyfriend and I are looking at engagement rings but I cant decide for the life of me whether I want white gold or platinum.  I know the white gold will dull to a yellow over time, and i know the platinum is more of a grey color - but is softer and can scratch.  How can I decide what I really want?  

FoxandBunny

From what I've heard, platinum is the better metal to go with, though it is more expensive. You don't have to replate it, and it holds up better than gold does. I hear to keep white gold the color it is when newly bought, you need to replate ever few years (like 2-5, though those numbers may be wrong and I will let to other more knowledgeable ladies answer that one).

As far as platinum being softer, I think it technically is, but while platinum can scratch, gold gets chunks taken out of it, which is more problematic for jewelers to fix. All jewelers have to do to get scratches out of platinum is polish it (or so I've heard). It also holds its shape better over time than gold does. Platinum is what is considered best if you want a ring that will last generations. 

It's also hypoallergenic, which is nice. However, it is much more expensive, so if budget is a concern, I'd go white gold, as it is still fantastic. Gold is lighter, keeps it's shine better, and has many other qualities that makes it great for rings. It's really up to personal preference and a combination of other factors. 

I'm sure there are many lists on the internet that compare the two, so you may want to do a quick google search. I don't have a ring yet and I haven't really looked much into it, though from what I have researched I want platinum if it's in the budget.

Blue & White

I swear I'm allergic to my platinum ring (not my engagement ring which is white gold). It's a recent development so I'm not sure what's goin on with that

My white good ring scratches a lot easier than my platinum ring does. I think they are pretty equally shiny.

Hopefully some of that is helpful

doubleSS07

I think it's probably going to come down to budget.  I have white gold but we looked at platinum first.  It would have taken my same ring up considerably in price.  There are pros and cons to both just like with everything else in life.  My jeweler dips my ring for free so I just take it in when I need to have it shined up.     I know there's also another metal alternative out there called palladium (sp?).  Do your research and talk about your budget and your must haves then make an educated decision based on what you two want.

loves2shop4shoes

My rings are 18k white gold.  And over the years, they've developed a sort of yellowish tinge to them, but honestly, it has never gotten to the point of needing them redipped.

And I've had my engagement ring for 3.5 years now.

My rings are also both half eternity bands, so it's all diamonds halfway around the band, and plain band the other half of the way around.  So the gold tinge is only on the back of the ring that no one looks at, if that helps.

suzie211

My rings are also white gold.  We were seriously looking at platinum, but our jeweler talked us out of it.  Both my engagement and wedding rings are eternity bands.  Because of this there are more stones than gold.  It creates less surface for the gold to rub, and most likely won't have to be dipped.  

But you have decide what you're willing to deal with.  Does re-dipping often bother you or do the potential scratches bother you more?  Both can be fixed, but you will have to wear the rings every day.  Pick whichever you are most comfortable with.  What I am comfortable with may not work for you.

leia1979

It's been more than two years since I last had my white gold ring re-plated, and it's fine. Maybe next year I'll do it, or maybe not. At any rate, it's about $40 to do so and takes just a couple minutes. You'd have to re-plate it a lot to make up the cost delta of platinum. I even got a 14k yellow gold ring rhodium plated and it looks amazing!

I will say that while I wear my ring almost every day, I don't wear it at night or while washing up. I think that helps keep it looking good longer.

Dignity100

I talked to the designer of my ring about my metal options before ordering.  I am allergic to nickel (yay-me) so I thought my options were pretty much Platinum or Palladium.  The designer (Mark Schneider) said that Palladium is extremely soft and he would make the prongs on the ring a little wider if I wanted to go with Palladium (he appeared to be a little uneasy about my Palladium inquiries until I told him I work a desk job). What he actually recommended was for me to get what's considered 18k Palladium White Gold - so instead of nickel they use palladium for the alloy.  He said it was his experience that the WG did not show the scratches as much as the Platinum.  You can easily Google images of unplated 18k palladium white gold to see the color (it has a slightly warmer color to it).

When I was having the metal-debate in my head - I came up with the decision it was personal preference and whatever I ended up with would be the right choice.

mcmcmd

As a med student (and future doctor...some day *sigh*) I wash/gel my hands at least 40 times daily (not to mention putting gloves on and off and such) and my jeweler said I'd have to get a white gold ring replated every 4-6 months with that kind of use. We were already leaning towards platinum and that pushed us over the edge. Try to think about the kind of wear and tear you'll put on your ring when making your decision. Yes, platinum is about double BUT if you have to get the ring replated 5-20 times in the next 10 years it might end up being worth it. 

mikeandsam788

Thank you everyone -- we decided to go with white gold!

boobyswope

White Gold is the purest form of Gold and if you are planning to have a Engagement rings then it better be White Gold than Platinum.

FoxandBunny

@boobyswope - Where did you hear that white gold is the purest form? That is incorrect. 24 ct yellow gold is the purest form of gold. To get the white gold color, jewelers have to add other metals to the gold, most commonly nickel or palladium. There is no way to have pure white gold, as gold is naturally yellow in color and has to have additives to become any other color than yellow.

Blackbird230

I just don't understand why @boobyswope is trying to say just because it's purest (which it's not), it's better. Just because it's an engagement ring doesn't mean it has to be the purest form of gold. It all depends on what the person likes, the wear they expect, the stone, setting, etc.