At Hope Diamonds we work with a few different types of metal in our jewellery, each one with its own pros and cons. When it comes to choosing which metal will work best for you, there are a few things consider. Once you have decided you are looking for a white metal, then it comes down to a choice between platinum and white gold. To help make this decision we have listed a summary of the differences between the two:
Look and Feel
They look very similar, if anything platinum is slightly darker in colour than white gold. The colour of white gold comes from the alloys used. We use palladium-based alloys which give a nice bright white appearance. Platinum is heavier that white gold which a lot of people like, to give that nice feel of weight to their piece.
Wear and Durability
When considering durability, they are both durable but have slight differences in how they wear. Platinum is a very dense metal which means it has excellent resistance to wearing away. A wedding ring made in Platinum could be worn for decades will still weigh the same as the day you first purchased it. The downside of Platinum is that it tends to lose its high polish and sharp edges fairly quickly. This is not because they are being worn away but, more accurately, they are being moulded like clay around the surface of the ring. It is this characteristic that can mean some design elements are better in White Gold.
Although not as dense as Platinum, White Gold is intrinsically strong and fine details have more rigidity. If a design features hand engraving, mill grain or square edges, these details will be retained by White Gold better than Platinum. However, over a long period, your ring will weigh less than it did originally due to the gold wearing away.
Price
The final consideration is price. Platinum has always been more expensive and is considered a premium material. More recently the price has been more comparable as the gold price has risen a bit over the last couple of years while platinum has dropped slightly. It is still more expensive to make a ring from platinum for a couple of reasons – it is a more pure metal and it weighs more. Finally, it is more difficult to work with for a jeweller, so they charge extra to factor this in.
In summary, I don’t think there is a clear winner – I think you can look at the individual piece you are creating and work out what would work best for that design based on your budget. For more information or to book in an appointment, contact us today.
