Man Platinum Jewelry
Q.We were shopping for a man's wedding band today. We were looking into platinum rings. Our jeweler kind of tried to steer us away from platinum if we were wanting to keep a high polish on the ring. He kept telling us that platinum will dull and is much harder to keep shiny than white gold. Is this true? We realize there is a large price difference.
A.Platinum is, indeed, more costly that white gold, initially. It's used much purer, and is considerably more difficult to manufacture than gold. That's much of the price difference, in addition to it's basic, per ounce price being a bit higher. Platinum is, however, clearly superior to white gold in almost all respects. It is much less likely to cause any sort or allergic or other sensitivity reaction. Some people can have problems with the nickle content of most white golds. And being physically denser, it's additional weight often gives the jewelry a very satisfying feel as well. It is much more durable, and will easily last 3 times as long as white gold, or more, depending some, on how it's made and how it's worn. This aspect easily offsets the initial higher cost. This increased strength also makes it a much safer metal to use for setting diamonds or other stones, as they are safer and much less likely to be lost or even damaged in a good platinum mounting. Platinum is less springy as well, which has advantages for the stone setter in getting the stone good and tight without overly thinning the metal, especially on bezel settings. White gold looses this comparison badly, since as noted, it's not as white, and surface discoloration can make it look yellowish, even in recessed areas. Often, to combat the sometimes yellowish tinge of white gold, new items are plated with Rhodium, a very white platinum group metal. But when it wears out, you're back to the less white color of the basic white gold... Now don't get me wrong here. White gold can be a quite servicable and workable jewelry metal, and has been used for years with success and customer satisfaction (usually). But compared to Platinum? It's the poor cousin...
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