When selecting an important piece of jewelry, like an engagement ring or wedding band, choosing the right metal is an essential step. With differences in durability, weight, expense, and more, you’ll want to take the time to ensure you’re happy with your precious metal of choice. Here’s our breakdown of how gold and platinum really differ from each other.
What is Platinum?
Platinum is a naturally white metal. Its innate silver-white tone makes it incredibly desirable in the jewelry industry. The majority of platinum sold is 95% platinum, 5% alloys, making it one of the purest metals on the market. This, however, leads to a higher expense.
A celebration of beauty and longevity, platinum is an extremely durable metal, making it an ideal choice for a sturdy engagement ring. In fact, platinum is so renowned for its strength that it was historically removed entirely from the market during wartime so that it could be better put to use in the military.
What is White Gold?
White gold shares a stark resemblance to platinum. A combination of yellow gold and other alloys that impact color, white gold maintains that same silvery-white tone. However, gold in general is a rather soft metal and is typically mixed with other metals to increase its durability.
Due to its alloyed nature, white gold is an affordable alternative to platinum. Where it lacks in durability it makes up for in brilliance and accessibility. White gold is becoming an increasingly popular choice for wedding bands and engagement rings alike due to its stunning tone and modest price tag.
Color
While white gold maintains that desirable hue, it is achieved through alloying gold with other metals, including silver, nickel, and palladium — which in turn makes white gold an imperfect choice for those with skin sensitivities. It is then set in a rhodium plating that gives the metal a brighter white tint. However, this plating fades over time, revealing that original yellowish-gold tone.
Platinum, however, is innately white and does not require any additional plating to heighten this brilliance. A diamond’s sparkle and shine stands out against platinum better than any other metal, making it the ideal metal for engagement rings, diamond bands, and other diamond-encrusted fine jewelry.
Maintenance
Since white gold requires that rhodium plating, white gold jewelry needs more professional maintenance. A replating and polish is recommended every six months to a year, depending on how often the item is worn, making it a much more cumbersome metal.
Platinum, on the other hand, can easily be maintained with at-home cleaners and polishes. A professional polish is recommended about once a year, though it is likely not as necessary if the owner takes care of the item at home.
Durability
White gold is harder than platinum and does not scratch as easily as the other metal. The additional alloys add to the overall integrity of white gold pieces, making it ideal for a person who works with their hands often or would like to wear their jewelry every day. Therefore, white gold may be the ideal choice for engagement rings, wedding bands, or any other item you’d likely wear every day.
Platinum is still a tough metal and is in fact denser than gold. While this metal may scratch more frequently, it is stiffer and holds its shape better, making it less likely to lose a diamond. If opting for a large stone, especially one with a prong setting, platinum might be the safer choice to secure your diamond.
Cost
Considering platinum’s innately white hue, general purity, and overall strength, it’s no surprise that platinum is more expensive than white gold. However, although platinum jewelry is sold at a rate 40-50% more than white gold, the two metals actually cost about the same per gram. Since platinum is a denser metal, a lot more material is required to make a piece of jewelry compared with white gold, affectively increasing the item’s overall cost.
Shop Platinum and White Gold Jewelry at Rumanoff’s
Trusted in the jewelry industry since 1938, Rumanoff’s has served our community with trust, integrity, and value. We provide our customers with the highest quality of jewelry products and unmatched customer service. Whether you’re searching for a platinum engagement ring for the love of your life, a white gold wedding band that will last a lifetime, or a mixed metal piece of fine jewelry to treat yourself, our expansive selection is sure to hold what you need. Stop by our showroom today to view our collection in person or shop our designers online.
