What’s the best metal to use for my engagement/wedding rings? Should it be made in White Gold or Platinum? There are pro’s and con’s to each metals and it does depends on your priorities and your budget. To make the choice a little clearer, here are some factors to consider when deciding on the metal to use for your engagement ring and wedding rings.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN COLOUR?
White gold is actually made of a combination of yellow gold, silver, palladium, manganese and sometimes nickel. As such White Gold can never be purely white in colour. However, high quality jewellers (as we do here at DDS Diamond Design Studios) use Palladium rich White Gold to create the whitest of White Gold possible.
All White Gold pieces are also Rhodium plated, to give it a nice shiny white finish. This Rhodium plating wears off over time but it’s not a concern if your engagement ring is made with a high quality Palladium rich White Gold. In comparison, if your ring is made from a lower quality White Gold, usually with a high Nickel content, when the Rhodium wears off, the gold underneath can be slightly yellowish in colour. Imagine your disappointment, choosing a White Gold design only for it to rub off into a yellowish tinge metal due to the poor manufacturing choices. Therefore our policy at DDS Diamonds is to only use the highest quality Palladium rich White Gold at all times.
Unlike White Gold, Platinum has a greyish-white tone and it will not fade to yellow. It will however, lose its shiny finish and become duller over time. Some people prefer the less shiny finish of Platinum as the diamonds appear to stand out more. A Platinum ring can be polished and cleaned every couple of years to keep its shine and it won’t ever need to be Rhodium plated.
When choosing which metal to use in your rings, I recommend that you be consistent with the engagement ring, wedding ring and eternity ring as the colour difference will show.
PRICE COMPARISON
The biggest advantage of White Gold compared to Platinum is usually the price. Platinum is often nearly double the price per gram and is also a more dense metal than gold, which increases the price for the same volume of metal comparatively. However, as of late, the price of Palladium has skyrocketed meaning the pricing between White Gold and Platinum has become fairly similar.
It is important to note, because only a few hundred tonnes of Platinum are produced annually, it is a scarce material, and highly valuable. It is also used in the technology industry, so is in high demand. With Platinum, the costs do not stop there. If you get a White Gold ring made, the wedding rings will usually be White Gold. The same applies to Platinum. We suggest you stay with the same metal for your set of rings, so they are all the same colour, same hardness and wear the same. A set of 3 rings in Platinum can become costly.
ALLERGIES TO METALS
If you or your partner suffers from allergies to different metals, there are alternatives. Most general White Gold used by jewellers contains Nickel, which is the cause of most allergic reactions. High quality jewellers like DDS Diamonds only use Palladium rich White Gold, which is good for allergy sufferers. Platinum is also a non-allergenic metal, so in most cases is safer to use.
The selection of which metal to use can be a tough one, that’s why we are always here to offer our design expertise. For more information or to book a consultation with our design team call (08) 8332 0707 or request a booking via the ‘Book a consultation’ button below.
