Platinum verses white gold- for wedding rings- which is the better choice?

Answer 1

My brother is a manager at Tiffany & Co and he says that platinum is more expensive but once it loses it's shine you can't get it back. White Gold you get it cleaned and keep it up and it will always shine.

Please Note: To protect yourself you should always get your ring appraised before you get it cleaned (each and every time). And get it appraised afterwards. Some jewelry stores that or not ethical will replace your genuine diamond w/ a cz. and keep the cz to sell to another customer. This happened to my brother's wife when she was engaged to someone else before she met my brother.

Answer 2

White Gold is def a better buy. Its is less expensive and it doesnt' scrathc or lose its shine like platinum does. Yeah platinum may be a harder metal, but doesn't make it better. I think that White Gold is better if you plan to keep it for a long time with not that much maintence. If you buy plantinum plan on having to take it to the store to get it shined and buffed often because it does scratch a lot more and loses its shine.

Answer 3

Of these two choices, I would go with the white gold. It is a little warmer to me than platinum. Platinum is also more expensive.

My personal choice is yellow or Black Hills gold.

To pinkdenial, white gold is not plated. White gold actually contains some platinum ore. My wedding band has white gold as part of it and nothing has worn off at all.

Answer 4

I went through this when I bought my wife's rings. I asked the jeweler, who is a life-long family friend and wouldn't lead me astray. The jeweler told me that the only way he could tell the difference between Platinum and white gold was to hold it and feel the weight, as white gold is much heavier. White gold is substantially cheaper than Platinum. He sold us white gold and we've never regretted the decision.

Answer 5

Platinum is rare. Ten tons of platinum ore is required to process a single ounce of pure platinum. Platinum is very dense-60% more dense than Gold. A piece of jewelry made of Platinum is considerably heavier and stronger than its counterpart in Gold, therefore more expensive due to its bulk weight alone. The most important consideration is the labor factor in producing a finely finished piece of Platinum jewelry. Due to its density and unique working properties, it requires a highly skilled craftsman to create a quality piece of Platinum jewelry. The working environment must be absolutely pristine and free of other metal contaminants-requiring the Platinumsmith to maintain a separate set of tools exclusively devoted to Platinum jewelry.
To understand White Gold, one needs to understand Yellow Gold

Pure Yellow Gold (fine gold) is softer than pure silver, but harder than tin. Its beauty and luster are unmatched by any alloyed gold (pure gold mixed with other metals). The extreme malleability, ductility, and softness of pure gold make it practically useless for jewelry applications. It is just too soft!

The addition of alloying elements (other metals) to gold are used to increase the toughness and hardness of the metal. While almost any metal can be alloyed (melted) with gold, only certain metals will not dramatically change the color or make the metal brittle. The addition of the metal like Indium (great as an alloy with Platinum), for instance, turns gold into a purple color and gives resulting gold the workability of glass. Any pressure and it shatters.
found on http://www.ringdesigner.com/platinum_versus_white_gold/platinum_versus_white_gold.htm

Answer 6

It depends on what type of finish you are looking for, and how much money you're willing to spend.

A platinum ring will never tarnish, but it has a matte finish so it will never shine, either.

A white gold ring is made by coating a gold ring with a special finish. It will tarnish over time, but can be shined or even re-coated to its original finish. They shine very beautifully and look very nice to boot.

I chose white gold because I love the shine. It hasn't started to yellow yet, but my jeweler said re-coating it is free for life, due to the insurance plan we purchased, and they can do it that same day. (If we hadn't purchased the insurance plan, the process would cost about $15.00)

Answer 7

Platinum, by far.

There isn't really a metal that is white gold. What they do is take yellow gold and plate it with rhodium, which is white. Over time, the rhodium wears off, and the yellow shows through. Then you have to pay to have the ring re-plated with rhodium. It takes about a year for the plating to start coming off, but it takes longer than that for it to be noticeable enough to warrant replating.

Platinum is sturdier ring, and you'll never have to replate it. If you can afford it, go with platinum. But it can be expensive, so white gold is a good option.

EDIT: In the following link, please check the third heading that says "White Gold Is Plated With Rhodium."

Answer 8

My wife's grandmother had a wedding ring made of platinum. It lasted decades without much wear. Of course, that ended up being a problem; around the time all of her friends were getting new rings to replace their original ones, she was stuck with the one her husband had been able to afford when they were dating.

Just an interesting observation.

Answer 9

White gold is actually a better choice. Platinum is much nicer but requires more upkeep as far as cleaning, while white gold doesn't require as much maintenance.

Answer 10

If you think the bride will want to get the ring resized, then go for white gold...platinum can't be resized. However, if you don't mind buying a new ring if when fingers get smaller or bigger, then go for platinum!