White Gold vs Platinum

jbenbe28 · April 2011

I've recently come across articles warning against white gold, saying the white rubs off quickly (within months!) and scratches terribly easily. The issue we're having is the price of platinum. Thoughts? Is the extra $$ really worth it? Is white gold as bad as I'm hearing? Thanks!

[Deleted User] · April 2011

Platinum is defintely more expensive and shinier.

Both my e-ring and wedding band as well as H's wedding band are white gold. I would have loved to have platinum, but it was out of our price range. I have not had any issues with my white gold. I do have to take them in every 6 mos to be cleaned and have the prongs checked. And they will do the rhodium dipping if necessary, usually once a year or so.

twilight.rose · April 2011

I have platinum, and I absolutely love it. I definitely think it's worth spending the extra money for pieces you know you will wear forever.

kd.joseph · April 2011

Try looking at Palladium, it's as durable as Platinum at the price of white gold.

My E-ring is Palladium, and my wedding ring is Platinum. You cant tell the difference. As for the white gold I dont think its as bad as you read, it just may need to be re-dipped from time to time. And depending on your skin oils you may not even have to do that. Good Luck.

almost-a-bride · April 2011

I also agree that platinum Is the way to go if it's in your budget. You will be wearing it forever.

Ljacks87 · April 2011

From my understanding, platinum is more durable and less subject to become discolored over time (compared to white gold), thus making it a better choice for a piece of jewelry that will be worn daily. Unfortunately, the price of platinum and gold just went up, again. My E-ring is platinum and my wedding band is palladium. Palladium is from the same family of metals as platinum, so is just as durable and coloring is the same, but is less expensive. Just don't buy one ring in white gold and one in platinum...the colors wear at different rates and overtime won't match (per my jeweler's information).

GJones27 · April 2011

Depends. If it's an engagement ring with just a solitaire, best to get platinum. If you have diamonds going around the top part of the band, you won't notice the discoloration so much.

leia1979 · April 2011

Some settings work better in one metal vs the other because gold is a lot more malleable than platinum. My setting was only available in white gold. I've had it a little over six months, and while it's not as white as the band that's never been worn, it still looks fine. I plan to get it cleaned and replated before the wedding.

Many jewelers will offer replating as part of their warranty service.

SuMmErKuTiE · April 2011

My e-ring is platinum and my wedding band is white gold. We originally were going to do platinum for the wedding bands as well, but as we got closer to the wedding it was an easy way to cut back on costs.

In the long run I definitely think platinum is worth the extra money spent, but as long as you get the white gold dipped every year or so you should be fine.

badkittyct · April 2011

After working in a jewelery store for 5 years I still personally prefer white gold over Platinum.

Platinum looks like sterling once it gets a scratch on it and it is twice the price to work on because it is such a dense metal. It is also very hard which some people find beneficial but in actuality hard = brittle because it has less opportunity to bend so in a situation where a white gold ring would bend out of shape, the platinum might just crack. Obvously this isn't something that happens often, but I have seen women get their hands stuck in doors, car accidents, etc.

White gold does not use Nickel in crazy high quanities like it once did because so many people are allergic to it, which is why white gold from WW2 era needs much less rhodium dips than something from recent years. THe frequency of dipping will depend on a couple factors -1) Your body chemistry. If you have a lot of acid in your skin it wears down faster. Using alcohol based hand sanitizers take a toll too 2) How you wear it. Do you keep them on while cleaning (bad), cooking (gross..yay bacteria), working in the yard, etc? If you sit at a desk all day it will wear slower. The bottom of the shank wears faster because it always hits the surface when you put your hand down.

Platinum is also hypoallergenic. 950 Platinum is a higher content of platinum than 900.

Palladium is nice but that is also something many stores don't have in their typical rotation and since you would order it at the market value that day you may end up paying a premium for it.

Just consider what your personal needs are. Also inquire about if the jeweler offers a lifetime maintenance plan on their items and what stipulations there are (if any) so your care will be fully covered via a one time fee versus paying for each visit.

skyler1108 · April 2011

My e-ring, wedding band and FI's ring are all palladium. As a pp said it is in the same family of metals as platinum. Palladium is also hypo-allergenic (all of our rings are 95% pure palladium). Palladium is a naturally white metal so it does not need to be re-dipped, it strong that white gold but like a pp said it is more prone to crack like platinum rather than bend like white gold and it is lighter and less dense than platinum which makes it cheaper. I would recommend palladium if you can find a jeweler that not only carries it but know how to work with it.

Elle1036 · April 2011

I second the palladium recommendation, as well as Skyler's warning that you need to find a jeweler who knows how to work with it.

ashlieandfrank · April 2011

I also work in jewelry in the wholesale side and I would pick white gold over platinum any day...even given my wholesale discount. Platinum tends to look VERY gray and scratched over time...white gold will get dull, but you just have it dipped in rhodium occasionally and you're back to brand new!

meep2 · April 2011

If you do go with white gold, be sure to check the gold alloy. "badkittyct" mentioned a couple of the factors that can make a white gold ring need to be re-dipped quickly; these are certainly true, and while I really in no way want to imply that she is one of these people, there are some jewelers who will try to spin their failure to make good products and pretend that things like "body chemistry" are the main reason the rhodesium plating is wearing off after a couple months. The real reason is a poor product.

1. Ask how thick the plating is. You'll want a reputable jeweler to tell you how thick it should be.

2. Ask about the alloy. There's a reason it's called "white gold." Gold itself is always gold in color, but your ring won't be 24k, so the karats of other metals that are mixed in with it determine what color it ends up. When you add copper you get rose gold. For white gold, they normally add nickel, magnesium, or palledium. As badkittyct mentioned, WWII era white gold often needed less rhodesium plating than currently, but tnat's not just because they used more nickel; plating was not the style then, so they used higher quantities of white metals to make it a white color. When you do plate that quality of white gold, it doesn't show easily through even if the plating wears off. Once plating became the style and silver/white gold jewelry was the fashion instead of gold, jewelers realized they could just plate gold cheaply for a quick turnaround.

White Gold vs Platinum

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