palladium vs white gold...and whats the deal with re-dipping?

starryskies407

hey ladies,
my bf and I are looking a rings and talked to a jeweler who might be making us something. he recommended Palladium instead of white gold since it is a harder metal,not as expensive as platinum and wont turn yellowish and have to be redipped like white gold.

Did any of you debate between these two? What did you decide and why?

Also...for anyone with a white gold ring...what's deal with it turning yellowish and needing to be redipped? I haven't heard of this before. could you tell me about your experiences with your ring?

thanks!

bhrett

White gold shouldn't turn yellow, but when you see it in the jewelry store it is very bright because it is rhodium dipped.  If you desire to keep the same look you'll need to re-dip about once a year.  It's not expensive nor necessary.  Just personal preference.  I would suggest a 10k WG because it's harder and won't get scratched as easily (esp for hubby, but for the ladies too).

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_palladium-vs-white-goldand-whats-deal-re-dipping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:683Discussion:5b61f836-501c-434e-b326-dd659714d06cPost:8f961b52-4c81-4022-b0b6-df314ba8a337">Re: palladium vs white gold...and whats the deal with re-dipping?</a>:
[QUOTE]White gold shouldn't turn yellow, but when you see it in the jewelry store it is very bright because it is rhodium dipped.  If you desire to keep the same look you'll need to re-dip about once a year.  It's not expensive nor necessary.  Just personal preference.  I would suggest a 10k WG because it's harder and won't get scratched as easily (esp for hubby, but for the ladies too).
Posted by bhrett[/QUOTE]
Um... I don't think you know totally what you're talking about. 

White gold is just yellow that has had other metals added to it, such as nickel, to make it white.  The amount of nickel, as well as the amount of wear and tear it takes can wear away the rhodium plating (it is not dipped.  They don't throw the ring in a vat of rhodium) which makes it look less white.   If you were to get a 10k, you actually have less gold, and more "other" to make up the karat weight. 

Palladium, is actually a pure metal, without additives.  It is naturally white, so won't lose its color over time.  It's part of the platinum family, so is hard like platinum.   Though it is more expensive, I think it's probably worth it in terms of maintenance  as something for the rest of your life. 

AmoroAgain

Oh.  If yo udo go for white gold, just be sure not to wear it while doing things like cleaning, or in the pool/hot tub, as chemicals eat away at gold (this pretty much goes for anything gold, tbh)

missy68

I've had mine inspected and cleaned twice since I got them, and they replated them both times. Neither time was necessary, but they were indeed sparklier.

I have an allergy to nickel, but I've not had any problems with my rings in the year I've been wearing at least one of them.  I take them off when I get home and put them back on in the morning, so I agree with Amoro with taking them off when cleaning, etc.

bhrett

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_just-engaged-proposals_palladium-vs-white-goldand-whats-deal-re-dipping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:683Discussion:5b61f836-501c-434e-b326-dd659714d06cPost:f149f1b1-8c3f-46e3-8fb2-0baf1d91fda4">Re: palladium vs white gold...and whats the deal with re-dipping?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: palladium vs white gold...and whats the deal with re-dipping? : Um... I don't think you know totally what you're talking about.  White gold is just yellow that has had other metals added to it, such as nickel, to make it white.  The amount of nickel, as well as the amount of wear and tear it takes can wear away the <strong>rhodium plating (it is not dipped.</strong>  They don't throw the ring in a vat of rhodium) which makes it look less white.   <strong>If you were to get a 10k, you actually have less gold, and more "other" to make up the karat weight.</strong>  Palladium, is actually a pure metal, without additives.  It is naturally white, so won't lose its color over time.  It's part of the platinum family, so is hard like platinum.   Though it is more expensive, I think it's probably worth it in terms of maintenance  as something for the rest of your life. 
Posted by AmoroAgain[/QUOTE]

My dad is a jeweler and refers to it as dipped.  Sorry if I implicated incorrectly.

That is my point w/ the 10K.  Gold is a soft metal and others hold up better to wear and tear.  Don't want scratching?  Get 10K rather than 14K.  If you can't afford platinum or a harder metal, IMO 10K white is the way to go.   Personal preference. 

aecappelli

I too am a fan of white gold over yellow and my fiance bought me a palladium ring.  He told me that the jeweler recommended it over white gold because it is stronger (I am a spaz) and because it will stay white.  I didn't pick my ring and I wasn't there myself to hear the pros and cons, and I have no idea what the price difference is.  If the price difference isn't extreme, I say why not go with palladium?

starryskies407

thanks ladies. thats a good reminder about cleaning/pool/hottub stuff with white gold. I have a yellow gold ring that I wear ALL The time. ISince its yellow, i havent had to worry about the color changing or anything. its good to think about, cause I imagine I will also end up keeping my engagment/wedding rings on a lot cause Im just not the type of girl to take them off for every little thing

irshis20

My ring is platinum, though before we found it we thought about getting a ring in palladium. Palladium actually is probably cheaper than white gold - especially right now. As other posters said, it is a sister metal of platinum, and is just as hard. It is a great deal, and becoming more popular in jewelry.

burlingtonbutterfly

I think it is most importantly personal choice, but maybe this will help you. we got engaged on April 3rd and my ring is white gold, now I haven't taken it off my finger for anything (except to put hand cream on) I use bleach to clean and we've been swimming in chlorine, the only think I have found is that it has some scratches on the bottom of the band, which I have to say i am not overly thrilled about so If I had had the choice to go for a harder metal I probably would have (not that I would change anything about my ring now) but I dont like thats it has scraatches and has scratched so easily and quickly.

SarahSmile23

mine is palladium and i love it. my best friend has a white gold ring from the same store. we both have pave diamonds in our bands and she has had so many loose/missing diamonds (4 in the past 2 months) over the past 3 yrs while i have had none even come loose. the jeweler explained that palladium is stronger and stones are much less likely to become loose.

DomesticallyDisabled

I used to get asked that question a lot when I worked for Zales. All the ladies above pretty much covered everything. Pall/plat are great metals. Yes, you do have to have wg re-dipped about once a year to keep that perfect shine to it. Most of the large jewlery chains sell warranties on the rings that cover things like ridipping. Pall and plat also don't lose their mass over time to the extent that wg does, which is important when it concerns the prongs for your stone! However, white gold is generally less expensive to maintain. Also, pall and plat tend to lose their shine and need to be rebuffed every so often, otherwise they look like a dull silver. Really, it just comes down to personal preference and what you want to spend. Personally, I'm very happy with my 18k wg.

To minimize wear and tear on your white gold ring, (1) don't clean with it, (2) don't shower with it, (3) don't go in the pool or hot tub with it, and (4) try not to sleep with it. Also, if you are worried about losing any stones out of the ring and don't want to wait for your jewelry store inspection, buy yourself one of those little eyeglass repair kits at any supermarket or convenience store - the little screwdriver inside is a perfect size to test your stones. Gently touch the tip against the stone(s) - if you see them wiggle, take them to the jewelers to have them tightened.

banana468

A lot of PPs have hit on the right stuff.

White gold isn't a pure metal.  It's an alloy of gold and a "whiter" metal like nickel or palladium.  With many people having nickel allergies, some white gold is advertised as "nickel free".  Keep in mind that when you look at a white gold item in a jewelry store, you're not looking at the white gold.  You're looking at the rhodium plating on the white gold.

Over time, the white gold jewelry won't "turn" into anything.  The rhodium plating wears off and what you see is the actual white gold.  It may be slightly yellow since the white gold is made of gold which is yellow.  Gold is also softer which is why most diamond settings aren't in it.  They are in a different metal which is harder.

If you want a "white" metal and you can afford it, go for palladium or platinum.  They're a pure metal and the only thing you will see over time is the natural patina developing.    My e-ring and wedding band are platinum and the only thing they require are cleaning on occasion.

ekfisher

My boyfriend and I just got engaged and we chose a palladium ring from Scott Kay.  It was cheaper than Platinum AND white gold.  We definitely did our research before investing in palladium which we knew little about. In the end we did not find any huge negatives in going with palladium.  It is a lot lighter than platinum and looks very similar, honestly no one is going to be able to tell the difference not even you.  I am happy with my palladium ring...join the bandwagon!

Vintagelove4

Palladium is a stronger metal then white gold and looks just about the same. If your hard on your rings then maybe the stronger metal would be better. All in all it's up to you.