White Gold/Platinum versus yellow gold

Unwilling

Currently engagement ring shopping and besides the minefield of the 4cs, etc etc. I'm a little torn. I'm loving the white gold antique style rings.. heirloom rings. But I'm not sure if it is just because that is the 'fashion' at the moment and I will end up regretting it in the future.

ALSO, for example if I decide to stay with say a solitaire style ring... do you go with yellow gold or white gold/platimum?

Yellow gold is very hard to find in the stores. . .

I guess my question is HOW do you know that the one you buy at the time is THE ONE.........................................:eek:

Toots

Unwilling wrote: »

Currently engagement ring shopping and besides the minefield of the 4cs, etc etc. I'm a little torn. I'm loving the white gold antique style rings.. heirloom rings. But I'm not sure if it is just because that is the 'fashion' at the moment and I will end up regretting it in the future.

ALSO, for example if I decide to stay with say a solitaire style ring... do you go with yellow gold or white gold/platimum?

Yellow gold is very hard to find in the stores. . .

I guess my question is HOW do you know that the one you buy at the time is THE ONE.........................................:eek:

Pretty much the easiest answer to the white/yellow gold or platinum, whichever looks better on your hand would probably be how you pick that IMO. I thought I'd really want yellow gold, but white actually looked nicest on me so I went with that.

Regarding how you'll know the ring you buy at the time is THE ONE... you'll just know. Trust me, I tried on loads and loads of rings, but as soon as I put mine on, I knew that was it.

smelltheglove

Agreed with toots, I knew mine was the one, I got some brochures from a few different stores to browse through and although I saw some I liked nothing stood out. The first shop we went to I found the one, I just kept glancing at it, no matter what ring I tried on I kept checking it out. We werent flush so the ring was out of my price range so I didnt mention it to himself that I liked this one but I went for the smaller one and he noticed that I kept looking back at it and didnt seem too excited.

Anyway luckily I tried it on and thanks to the supervisor being an old friend the price was dropped down to within our budget. I still love my ring and wouldnt want anything else.

So yes you will just know. I know a lot of people will say, oh get it made, dont go to retail jewlers etc etc but it is not the price you pay for the ring, it is how it makes you feel and I love mine. I have white gold. What I like about white gold is every time you get it dipped you feel like it is a brand new ring.

Terpsichore

After putting a lot of thoughts about this myself, I have come to the conclusion that yellow gold looks quite old fashioned and that white metal suit gems better. But that is of course my own taste. What is yours? Do you have a lot of jewlery already that could help your choice by matching colours?

How Strange

Terpsichore wrote: »

After putting a lot of thoughts about this myself, I have come to the conclusion that yellow gold looks quite old fashioned and that white metal suit gems better. But that is of course my own taste. What is yours? Do you have a lot of jewlery already that could help your choice by matching colours?

It's whatever you prefer really. I much prefer yellow gold on me and had decided that I wanted a yellow gold ring.

I don't necessarily think yellow gold is old fashioned but white gold and platinum is definitely more popular at the moment. Like everything else it will go full circle at some stage and yellow gold will be popular again.

Greenmachine

Didn't realise most people put so much though into what wedding ring they wanted.

tatli_lokma

some advice I got from a jeweller - white gold is a much better and more practical choice than platinum. apparently it is stronger and better stands up to wear and tear. REgardless of wheter you choose white gold or platinum, you will have to have it polished and rhodium plated over the years to keep it looking its best anyway. So from what I was told, platinum is more expensive with little extra gain for the extra money!

For those of you who work with their hands or are likely to loose rings easily, silver is a much maligned choice but a good one. My hubby wanted to be able to wear his ring every day, but in his line of work it is guaranteed to get scratched. So on the advice of the jeweller we went for a really heavy good quality silver and had it rhodium plated. It looks absolutely no different to white gold/platinum, and my hubby isn't afraid to wear it to work. When it starts to look worse for wear it will be easily and affordably replaced.
A friend of mine has lost her wedding ring 3 times and is only married 18 mths! :eek: First ring was platinum, second was white gold, this one is silver! She says she now wishes she had chosen silver in the beginning and saved herself a fortune (and stress - she was dreading telling hubby when she lost the platinum one which had cost a fortune!)

In the current financial climate people need to start asking themselves if unneccessary expense is warranted. No one will know if your ring is silver/platinum or white gold, and surely it is what it symbolises which is important. No one should put themselves under pressure to have what they think is 'expected'.

smelltheglove

I was given the same advice as above re white gold and platinum. And then above that the yellow gold and platinum is lovely. When I was young and foolish I was engaged, at only 16 and my engagement ring was a solitare yellow gold with a diamond set in platinum, it was gorgous.

BigInJapan

Cincikchick wrote: »

some advice I got from a jeweller - white gold is a much better and more practical choice than platinum. apparently it is stronger and better stands up to wear and tear. REgardless of wheter you choose white gold or platinum, you will have to have it polished and rhodium plated over the years to keep it looking its best anyway. So from what I was told, platinum is more expensive with little extra gain for the extra money!

For those of you who work with their hands or are likely to loose rings easily, silver is a much maligned choice but a good one. My hubby wanted to be able to wear his ring every day, but in his line of work it is guaranteed to get scratched. So on the advice of the jeweller we went for a really heavy good quality silver and had it rhodium plated. It looks absolutely no different to white gold/platinum, and my hubby isn't afraid to wear it to work. When it starts to look worse for wear it will be easily and affordably replaced.
A friend of mine has lost her wedding ring 3 times and is only married 18 mths! :eek: First ring was platinum, second was white gold, this one is silver! She says she now wishes she had chosen silver in the beginning and saved herself a fortune (and stress - she was dreading telling hubby when she lost the platinum one which had cost a fortune!)

In the current financial climate people need to start asking themselves if unneccessary expense is warranted. No one will know if your ring is silver/platinum or white gold, and surely it is what it symbolises which is important. No one should put themselves under pressure to have what they think is 'expected'.

Platinum is actually more durable than both gold and silver, and it doesn't need to be rhodium plated since it's naturally white (unlike white gold). As far as expenses go, for something that is meant to symbolize your lifelong commitment to each other, I think it makes the most sense to invest in a ring that you know will last you a lifetime. As a side note, do you know if you have any metal allergies? Platinum is hypoallergenic, but I know some people have had allergic reactions to white gold because it's alloyed with nickel...just something to look out for. Congratulations and let us know what you end up going with!

iguana

Cincikchick wrote: »

some advice I got from a jeweller - white gold is a much better and more practical choice than platinum. apparently it is stronger and better stands up to wear and tear. REgardless of wheter you choose white gold or platinum, you will have to have it polished and rhodium plated over the years to keep it looking its best anyway.

I'm not sure who told you that but it's nonsense. Platinum is much, much stronger than gold, it's molecules hold together better so when it's scratched it usually holds it's mass, whereas gold can wear away significantly over a few decades. It's natural state is slightly dull, so some people may choose to polish it. Platinum is never plated in rhodium.

There is actually no such thing as white gold. "White gold" is yellow gold which has been bleached to remove the yellow, then alloyed with a metal like palladium or silver and is then rhodium plated. The rhodium needs to be replaced fairly regularly as it will fade away and the alloy beneath it has a brownish tinge.

LauraLoo

Its true- i got a white gold engagement ring and i have to take it off if i want to wash my hands with soap etc... it needs to be rodium plated every 6 months to keep the showroom glow and it costs about 40 euro.

ive enquired about getting my diamond reset into a platinum band as i feel its better for the long term...

platinum is the best metal to get but at the same time it depends on what other jewellery you wear- it you mostly wear yellow gold then i would go for that... i mostly wear silver so thats why i felt the white gold would suit me...

tatli_lokma

iguana wrote: »

I'm not sure who told you that but it's nonsense. Platinum is much, much stronger than gold, it's molecules hold together better so when it's scratched it usually holds it's mass, whereas gold can wear away significantly over a few decades.

well, speaking from experience its not nonsense - I have a platinum ring and a white god ring. The platinum one bends and scratches easier than the white gold one. My hubby's ring is a very good quality silver ring - it looks fantastic, and I seriously doubt anyone not in the jewellery industry would know the difference between it and white gold or platinum.

I think this 'platinum' craze is another hyped up marketing ploy, IMO.

biginjapan wrote:

As far as expenses go, for something that is meant to symbolize your lifelong commitment to each other, I think it makes the most sense to invest in a ring that you know will last you a lifetime.

its exactly this type of mentality that I object to. By inference you are saying that you should spend more to show that you are more committed to each other - does that mean because my hubby's ring is silver we are not symolising our committment enough???:rolleyes:
And the ring doesn't have to last a lifetime, just the marriage (if you are lucky!) As I said, my friend has lost her ring 3 times, the first was a platinum band worth A LOT of money! So much for her investment lasting a lifetime!
I think people get far too caught up in these things.

My mums ring was an 'investment' for my dad at the time - he saved for 3 mths to buy it. It wasn't earth shatteringly expensive, but it was a big 'investment' for him on his wages. Its a yellow gold band, with a white gold setting with several small diamonds. My mum has passed on now, and I wear her ring. The price paid has no relevance to the 'investment' it was - it is priceless to me, although it is not worth much in monetary terms.

The investment should be in the strength of your committment, not the strength of the metal the band is made from. If you want to spend more and can afford it, great, but people shouldn't feel obliged to spend more than they can afford. For far too long the whole 'keeping up with the joneses' and doing what is expected has prevailed around all things wedding related.

ok, rant over! :P

Cincikchick

Cincikchick wrote: »

I think this 'platinum' craze is another hyped up marketing ploy, IMO.

I don't like yellow gold. At all.

I researched white gold and platinum and decided platinum was for me. I love my platinum engagement ring and our reasons for choosing it have nothing to do with any marketing ploy.
FYI platinum is rarer than gold, that's why it's more expensive.

iguana

Cincikchick wrote: »

well, speaking from experience its not nonsense - I have a platinum ring and a white god ring. The platinum one bends and scratches easier than the white gold one.

I'm not being funny but if your platinum ring goes out of shape from normal wear and tear then it could not be platinum. On the Vickers scale of hardness platinum is 549MPa, gold 216MPa and silver 251MPa. Gold is actually an extremely malleable and ductile metal, you can bend a gold ring by applying mild pressure, I've done it many times when friend's rings or other jewelery has gone out of shape. I've whacked my platinum ring with a hammer and it didn't have any effect.

I couldn't give a crap about fashion or what a ring is made of. Lets be honest wedding and engagement rings are in themselves just a fashion. I don't have an engagement ring as I don't like that particular fashion and I would have been happy enough not to get wedding rings but my husband really wanted them. I never wear yellow gold so had intended to get white gold until I researched it and decided that it wasn't for me. I wouldn't have minded silver but I'm a huge geek and the fact that nearly all of the earth's platinum comes from space (it's largest deposits are found at meteorite sites) swung it for me. We had a very cheap wedding, about €3k including rings, honeymoon, clothing and the day itself, so splashing out on alien rings was the one area where we treated ourselves.

The Big Red Button

Unwilling wrote: »

Currently engagement ring shopping and besides the minefield of the 4cs, etc etc. I'm a little torn. I'm loving the white gold antique style rings.. heirloom rings. But I'm not sure if it is just because that is the 'fashion' at the moment and I will end up regretting it in the future.

ALSO, for example if I decide to stay with say a solitaire style ring... do you go with yellow gold or white gold/platimum?

Yellow gold is very hard to find in the stores. . .

I guess my question is HOW do you know that the one you buy at the time is THE ONE.........................................:eek:

OP, quick question - are you a guy buying for a girl, or a girl buying with a guy? (Or, of course, other!?)

tatli_lokma

iguana wrote: »

I'm not being funny but if your platinum ring goes out of shape from normal wear and tear then it could not be platinum.

its 100% absolutely definitely platinum

iguana

Cincikchick wrote: »

its 100% absolutely definitely platinum

Then it possibly has porosity issues from being cast in too high a heat. I'd get it checked out. Platinum is far from indestructible but it is significantly stronger than gold. If you are wearing both rings on the same finger and only the platinum is damaged then there is something wrong with it.

Biro

iguana wrote: »

Then it possibly has porosity issues from being cast in too high a heat. I'd get it checked out. Platinum is far from indestructible but it is significantly stronger than gold. If you are wearing both rings on the same finger and only the platinum is damaged then there is something wrong with it.

This is true. It doesn't matter whether you think platinum is worth the extra, or if you think it's a ploy or whatever, it's many times stronger than gold. Gold is known for being soft and malleable, which is why it's alloyed with other metals to make it stronger. Pure gold is too weak to wear as jewlery normally.
I'm a guy, I couldn't give a flying crap what it in or out of fashion when it comes to jewelery and I don't know much about fashion in general, but I do know a little more about the properties of metals, not much, but enough to know what's what when I research stuff. Iguana knows her stuff. Your jeweller was just wrong if those were his/her words to you.

Shoes&Frocks

Cincikchick wrote: »

some advice I got from a jeweller - white gold is a much better and more practical choice than platinum. apparently it is stronger and better stands up to wear and tear. REgardless of wheter you choose white gold or platinum, you will have to have it polished and rhodium plated over the years to keep it looking its best anyway. So from what I was told, platinum is more expensive with little extra gain for the extra money!

For those of you who work with their hands or are likely to loose rings easily, silver is a much maligned choice but a good one. My hubby wanted to be able to wear his ring every day, but in his line of work it is guaranteed to get scratched. So on the advice of the jeweller we went for a really heavy good quality silver and had it rhodium plated. It looks absolutely no different to white gold/platinum, and my hubby isn't afraid to wear it to work. When it starts to look worse for wear it will be easily and affordably replaced.
A friend of mine has lost her wedding ring 3 times and is only married 18 mths! :eek: First ring was platinum, second was white gold, this one is silver! She says she now wishes she had chosen silver in the beginning and saved herself a fortune (and stress - she was dreading telling hubby when she lost the platinum one which had cost a fortune!)

In the current financial climate people need to start asking themselves if unneccessary expense is warranted. No one will know if your ring is silver/platinum or white gold, and surely it is what it symbolises which is important. No one should put themselves under pressure to have what they think is 'expected'.

Platinum is more hard wearing than white gold. I have a white gold engagement ring, bought last december 2008 and have already had to have it replated twice. The rodium wears off quite fast. While quite cheap to have it plated (€15) it is just the hassle of it, not to mention the embarrassment when someone looks at it and notices your ring is getting yellow. The guy in the jewellers told me it will probably have to be done on a yearly basis.
I really regret not getting a platinum ring as it also shows off the diamond better than white gold. I have enquired about getting my ring reset in platinum but have been quoted €1200 for the pleasure!! so that wont be done for a while.

Yoda08

Shoes&Frocks wrote: »

Platinum is more hard wearing than white gold. I have a white gold engagement ring, bought last december 2008 and have already had to have it replated twice. The rodium wears off quite fast. While quite cheap to have it plated (€15) it is just the hassle of it, not to mention the embarrassment when someone looks at it and notices your ring is getting yellow. The guy in the jewellers told me it will probably have to be done on a yearly basis.
I really regret not getting a platinum ring as it also shows off the diamond better than white gold. I have enquired about getting my ring reset in platinum but have been quoted €1200 for the pleasure!! so that wont be done for a while.

Just because the rhodium plating wears off doesn't make it less "hard wearing" it just means the shine has gone off it - and 6 months is very short it's usually 12-18 months so depends on the quality of the rhodium plating in the first place. Besides, platinum, while naturally a "white" metal, it does tarnish (like all metals) and loses its shine too, which is why it needs to be polished, so what difference leaving a ring in to be polished/plated to bring up the shine?

Personally I'm with cincichick(sp!) on the platinum v white gold debate. It's funny how retailers will always push platinum (cos it's more expensive) whereas jewellery designers and people who actually work the metals always rate white gold as more durable than platinum (accepting that on a purely scientific side that it's higher on the Mohs scale, but most platinum rings are alloyed, albeit to a much lesser extent). When they say durable, it's less likely to scratch, or dent (because of the extra toughening layer of rhodium plating) which has been a much maligned quality of platinum rings.

Plus easier to manipulate, so easier to resize (important if people consider pregnancies etc).

Phew, there's my 0.02 but everyone has their own opinion.. once you're happy with your choice, that's all that matters!

BigInJapan

Yoda08 wrote: »

Just because the rhodium plating wears off doesn't make it less "hard wearing" it just means the shine has gone off it - and 6 months is very short it's usually 12-18 months so depends on the quality of the rhodium plating in the first place.

Skin chemistry also affects how fast the rhodium wears away, so it would be different for everyone. Every 6 months is definitely quite often but by no means unheard of.

Yoda08 wrote: »

Besides, platinum, while naturally a "white" metal, it does tarnish (like all metals) and loses its shine too, which is why it needs to be polished, so what difference leaving a ring in to be polished/plated to bring up the shine?

I’ve actually heard that platinum is one of the few metals that doesn’t tarnish. Anyone else able to weigh in on this in more depth?

As for MY personal stance on polishing vs. plating, I see it like this: polishing is meant to restore the natural shine of a metal and plating is meant to cover up its natural color. You're right that both metals are gunna need some maintenance--but what metal doesn’t?

Yoda08 wrote: »

Personally I'm with cincichick(sp!) on the platinum v white gold debate. It's funny how retailers will always push platinum (cos it's more expensive) whereas jewellery designers and people who actually work the metals always rate white gold as more durable than platinum (accepting that on a purely scientific side that it's higher on the Mohs scale, but most platinum rings are alloyed, albeit to a much lesser extent). When they say durable, it's less likely to scratch, or dent (because of the extra toughening layer of rhodium plating) which has been a much maligned quality of platinum rings.

I’ve generally heard that platinum takes the cake in terms of durability. From what I understand, Mohs scale has more to do with hardness or “scratchability” (to make up a word) than with long term wear and strength.

I definitely agree with one thing...everyone seems to have their own opinion on this much debated issue In the end, it doesn’t really matter what we all have to say though. To Yodafy that last sentiments a bit, if happy with your choice you are, then that all that matters is (or something to that effect).

aviendha

BigInJapan wrote: »

I’ve actually heard that platinum is one of the few metals that doesn’t tarnish. Anyone else able to weigh in on this in more depth?

definately tarnishes, as 2 girls here at work here have platinum rings and it tarnishes to almost a cutlery grey (obviously not hugely!) and this almost dulls the diamond to a certain extent over time, another reason I suppose that we went for W/G. As you say.. what metal doesn't!?!

prinz

BigInJapan wrote: »

As far as expenses go, for something that is meant to symbolize your lifelong commitment to each other, I think it makes the most sense to invest in a ring that you know will last you a lifetime.

It's a ring. Nothing more. You could get mugged and have it taken two weeks later.

tatli_lokma

prinz wrote: »

It's a ring. Nothing more. You could get mugged and have it taken two weeks later.

I agree - as I said in an earlier post

the ring doesn't have to last a lifetime, just the marriage (if you are lucky!) As I said, my friend has lost her ring 3 times, the first was a platinum band worth A LOT of money! So much for her investment lasting a lifetime!
I think people get far too caught up in these things.

the committment you make is symbolism enough. So many people put off getting married because they cannot afford all the hoopla they think is expected of them. We had a very low key and affordable wedding, we didn't borrow money and still had a fantastic day. But had we not been able to afford that, I would still have married my hubby, because regardless of the party that went with it I wanted to be his wife. Had we not had a ring, or wedding party, we would still be just as married and just as committed to each other.
The money you spend does not reflect the committment you have!

prinz

Cincikchick wrote: »

the committment you make is symbolism enough. So many people put off getting married because they cannot afford all the hoopla they think is expected of them. We had a very low key and affordable wedding, we didn't borrow money and still had a fantastic day. But had we not been able to afford that, I would still have married my hubby, because regardless of the party that went with it I wanted to be his wife. Had we not had a ring, or wedding party, we would still be just as married and just as committed to each other.
The money you spend does not reflect the committment you have!

I'm getting married in Germany and there isn't half the rubbish and expectations. At the end of the day we're getting married and that is what's important, not seat covers, guests favours etc. We've dealt with a couple of businesses now that have actually dropped their prices when they hear it's for a wedding and not jacked them up like they would here.

I was hoping there would be good advice on the forum about married life etc but seems everything pretty much revolves around money instead typically Irish.

Our engagement ring is white gold, she's had it nearly a year and it still looks as good as it did in the showroom, because she takes care of it, i.e. taking it off for anything involving chemicals (cleaning, washing hands etc ) and anytime she knows she's going to be using her hands a lot ( sport and whatnot ), her wedding band is also white gold.

whatdoicare

I have an 18ct white gold engagement ring and it's still perfect 16 months since I got it- I take great care of it (take it off for washing, cooking, bathing etc) also recently went to get my wedding ring made to fit it's unusual shape and the very nice lady who is making the ring advised platinum/palladium. She was adamant that both metals were as good as each other but right now palladium is cheaper because it has not yet got it's proper hallmark ( a good 300 euro cheaper)- which will be brought in, I think, she said January and then the price is gonna sky rocket again.
I didn't care each way as I had enough for either but said sure thing to palladium for no other reason than she said it wouldn't require half the amount of polishing (or plating as in the case of WGold). I researched it before I agreed and it pretty much confirmed what she said (although couldn't find much about the hallmark issue so I'll have to trust her there).

The hubby went with Titanium, for it's durability (he works as a mechanic)- and the slighty black tinted shiney white to him seemed a bit manlier! He doesn't have to worry about damaging or losing it either as it was really cheap!

Breaktown

What kind of polish is good for white gold/silver? I just got a white gold engagement ring, so it's fine at the moment. I'm really not the kind of person to bother getting it replated, but I wouldn't mind polishing it when it does get dull.

stovelid

Went for platinum for both wedding bands. Wife also has a platinum engagement ring.

Bought both bands in NYC and just wore them back.

prinz

whatdoicare wrote: »

The hubby went with Titanium, for it's durability (he works as a mechanic)- and the slighty black tinted shiney white to him seemed a bit manlier! He doesn't have to worry about damaging or losing it either as it was really cheap!

Snap Especially when the ones the jewellers were god-awful gaudy looking yokes, apparently the ones that are 'in fashion', yeah maybe if you're Liberace. Titanium was the one for me, dull shade, plain, durable, cheap. Happy days.

whatdoicare

prinz wrote: »

Snap Especially when the ones the jewellers were god-awful gaudy looking yokes, apparently the ones that are 'in fashion', yeah maybe if you're Liberace. Titanium was the one for me, dull shade, plain, durable, cheap. Happy days.

It was pure fluke for the hubby- he originally wanted Tungsten carbonite as a pal of his got one but he hated the look of them on his finger, just too dull- then the jeweller brought out this titanium one and he was mad about it from the second he put it on!