Although white gold and platinum often look alike, there are some big differences between the two metals. Here are some basics.
Color
A hardness of 4 to 4.5 means platinum is a rather soft metal and can easily be nicked and scratched. After years of repetitive wear or even a sharp blow, it is not uncommon for platinum prongs or decorative details to be flattened out or moved. The softness also causes platinum to have an antique patina. Today, however, that isn't necessarily the case. In recent months, gold has been about $900 per ounce and platinum has remained around $1,100.
Color
- To achieve its color, white gold is alloyed (or mixed) with other metals. Nickel is often used to produce the white color. Because it is not a pure metal, white gold has a faint yellow color to it. To get a bright white color, white gold is plated with rhodium -- a member of the platinum family. This plating wears off as the jewelry is worn, so it must be re-plated from time to time. There's no set timeframe for re-plating because your body chemistry can affect it and so can the types of activities you do while wearing your jewelry, including washing your hands and using lotion. It also depends on personal preference. Some people don't like to see any hint of yellow, so they rhodium plate their rings every few months, and others don't do it for years.
- Platinum is a pure metal, so its white color is consistent. No plating is necessary.
Hardness
Density
- Gold has a specific gravity of about 19.3.
- Platinum is a dense metal. Its specific gravity of 21.5 makes it heavier than gold. Its density also allows it to wear a long time because little metal is actually lost during wear.
Polishing and Refinishing
- It is fairly easy to buff scratches out of white gold. A quick polish on a buffing wheel will often make gold look shiny and close to new again.
- Platinum isn't as easy to polish. For best results, it’s usually necessary to burnish the platinum to flatten the surface and remove scratches, which is a longer process than merely buffing.
Price
Hope this information answers some of your questions about white gold and platinum. As always, please let us know if you're confused about anything. We know there's a lot of information to keep straight.
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The intelligible answer
ReplyDeleteIs white gold or platinum better? It’s a very common question because both precious metals are popular for fine jewelry and both look very similar. But there are important differences to consider in making your choice. One is the difference between white gold or platinum in terms of price.
ReplyDeleteWhite gold is a soft, pliable metal. The purer the gold, the softer it is. When white gold becomes scratched, a small part of the metal is scratched off. Over time, this will lead to a thinning of the ring. In order to strengthen the metal alloys are formed, which causes the metal to be harder and more brittle. A ring made of 24 karat gold would disfigure after only a short period of normal wear.
ReplyDeletePlatinum is renowned as a setting for diamonds due to its superb strength and durability. This strength, however, does not mean that platinum will not scratch. The metal scratches fairly easily and develops a natural patina over a number of years. This scratching, though, does not thin the ring because platinum is an extremely dense metal. Platinum is also heavier than other precious metals and 30 times more rare than gold.