by mangelo3211 on Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:35 am
With the huge popularity of white metal in fine jewelry today many people face the quandry of choosing between platinum and white gold for their special piece. There are a few issues to consider when making that choice. The big one is budget. Raw Platinum today is almost twice the price of raw gold and because fine platinum jewlry is over 90% pure platinum,as opposed to 58% for 14K gold,and because platinum is denser and heavier than gold alloys there is a compounding effect on the overall cost. A Platinum jewelry item can be triple the cost of the same piece in gold. Sometimes the money saved by going for white gold instead of platinum can mean more or bigger/better diamonds.
In terms of durability platinum is an excellent choice with a tensile strength much greater than gold. Although somewhat counterintuitive, platinum is stronger than gold alloys while at the same time possessing lower hardness. It will therefore scratch a bit more easily than gold alloys and requires more frequent repolishing to restore it's shine. One of the beneficial traits of platinum is that it can be repeatedly polished without wearing down. For the same reason, platinum jewelry tends to hold up better over very long periods of wear. White gold alloys,while harder,also tend to be more brittle. White gold prongs can break somewhat more easily as a result.
White gold is composed of pure gold (24 karat) mixed with other metals such as nickle creating an alloy with a whitish color. 18K is 75% pure gold (18/24) and 14k is 58% pure gold (14/24). White gold generally requires plating with rhodium, a platinum group metal, to give it a bright white finish. Rhodium plating is a fairly simple process that is routinely done any time a white gold product is repolished or worked on. White gold items have better scratch resistance and tend to stay bright and shiny longer than platinum products. Platinum is a naturally white metal that does not require plating.
Some people are allergic to the nickel in white gold alloys which can lead to skin irritation while platinum is non-reactive to body chemistry.
Platinum has a higher melting temperature than gold and requires more expertise and specialized equipment in order to craft properly, which also factors into the higher cost of platinum jewelry.
Because of its high density platinum is quite a bit heavier than gold and feels very rich and substantial. However, it can actually be too heavy in certain cases. For example, large earrings can present problems with drooping, and rings with large tops can tend to roll on the finger.
If you or your significant other has their heart set on platinum and budget is not a problem, it is a wonderful choice. White gold looks essentially the same at a substantially lower cost. It also stays shiny longer between polishings and has good durability.
hope this helps
