White Gold vs Platinum

Two of the most popular materials in making engagement rings are Gold and Platinum. But what’s really the difference between these two and which is suitable for you?

1)   The composition

Gold is a precious metal used for coinage, jewelry, electronics and other industries since its discovery.  However, because of the softness of pure (24K) gold, it is usually alloyed with other metals to make it durable for jewelry.

Gold comes in 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K and so on.. As opposed to Carat (Ct) which refers to the weight of the diamond, carat (ct) refers to the purity of the gold.

Let’s say for example an 18kt white gold – it is made by mixing 75% (750 parts per thousand)  gold with 25% (250 parts per thousand) of other metals such as silver and palladium while 18K yellow gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25%  other metals such as copper and zinc. So the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different, and these alloys can modify the gold’s hardness, ductility, color and other properties.

Nickel was commonly used in white gold. However, it is found to parshva white gold jewelries, we guarantee that it is hypoallergenic.

Platinum on the other hand is used in jewelry, in almost its pure form (usually as a 90–95% pure platinum and 10-15% alloy). It is frequently mixed with similar metals or non-precious base metals. In general, the higher the percentage of pure platinum, the higher the value of the jewelry will be. In parshva, we offer 95% pure Platinum (also known as Pt950).

2)   Physical Properties

Color: Metals like palladium have a bleaching effect that gives gold a white-ish result depending on the exact formulation. To make white gold even whiter, rings are rhodium-plated. Platinum, on the other hand, is more resistant to wear and tear, and is very white, so it does not need to be rhodium plated like white gold does.

Weight: Platinum is much denser than white gold. Hence, a platinum ring would feel more substantial and luxurious to some. Depending on personal preference, some ladies will still go for the light-weight material for comfort.

3)    Durability

Hardness & Malleability. The hardness of a substance refers to its resistance to be scratched by another material, while malleability is the ability of metal to be molded, shaped or bent without breaking.

While it’s true that pure gold is softer than platinum, an 18kt gold alloyed with other metals makes it harder than of a Platinum (Pt 950). So despite being denser, platinum can get scratched a little easier than 18kt gold does. It is however less malleable, which makes it difficult to bend out of shape, gripping the diamond more securely in its place over the course of time.

Moreover, an important thing to note is that scratching platinum does not mean material lost; instead it’s purely metal displacement, developing patina finish over time which gives the ring a more antique look. (So if you’re a fan of vintage designs this is something you can consider).18kt gold ring on the other hand is harder to scratch, but when it does, it’s a tad bit more obvious as the top layer of the gold is lost and it will leave a mark. But don’t worry! We can still restore the ring close to its original appearance after re-polishing and re-plating.

4) Long-Term Care

While white gold and platinum look very similar, over time white gold will oxidize and its rhodium plating will wear off and fade to a yellowish tinge. Platinum on the other hand, which is naturally white, will not fade to yellow. Nevertheless, once you re-polish and re-plate the white gold ring, it will look white again.

An important thing to note is that white gold is more widely used than platinum; hence more jewelres are able to resize and repair this type of jewelry.

5) Price

Since platinum used in jewelries are purer, in order to achieve the same design made in 18kt white gold, more material weight of platinum will be required. To add on to that, platinum is trickier to work with, hence, the labor cost will be higher. This results in platinum being significantly more expensive than gold. With all other things being the same, a platinum ring will be approximately twice the price of an 18k white gold ring.

Both Platinum and White Gold are great metals, It will still boil down to your individual preferences and budget

Strength and Durability

Both white gold and platinum are strong and durable metals, though platinum is slightly stronger, more durable and heavier than white gold.

6) Colour

Platinum is naturally white and will always maintain its white appearance. White gold has its white appearance when alloyed with other metals, has a similar look to platinum; however, the rhodium plating will eventually wear off due to wear and tear, and requires re-polishing and re-plating to recover its lustrous white finish.

Price

Price is constantly changing for both white gold and platinum. Platinum however, is still more expensive than white gold because platinum is purer than white gold and is more difficult to craft a piece of platinum jewelry than a piece of white gold jewelry.