A platinum or white gold ring; which is the best option?

Table of contents

What is a platinum ring? 
Platinum rings: pros
Platinum rings: cons
What is a white gold ring?
White gold rings: pros
White gold rings: cons 
In short, which is the best to propose marriage?

Maybe you haven't heard of platinum rings. Perhaps you imagine they're similar to white gold rings but don't know how they differ, how they're made or whether one type of metal is better than the other.

 

Also, a lot of people tend to associate platinum with silver but they're mistaken: platinum and silver are two very different metals.

     

Here we'll try to resolve the doubts and questions people tend to have about platinum rings as they're definitely worth considering, especially for engagement and wedding rings.

What is a platinum ring? 

Platinum is one of the noblest metals, together with gold, silver and palladium. But of all these it's the most prestigious metal, the most exclusive and laborious to work with. 

In fact, platinum is rarer in nature than other metals (in comparison, it's found 15 times less than gold and 100 times less than silver).    

Rings made from an alloy of platinum and gold

Platinum rings have a greater purity than gold rings and this is due to their alloy. 

Alloys are created because gold and platinum need other metals to make them harder, more malleable and to improve their colour, making them more suitable to be used in jewellery.

For example, in the case of white gold, we mix pure gold (76%) with palladium (10%), silver (9%) and copper (5%). 

On the other hand, platinum rings consist of 95%-96% pure metal and only 4%-5% of copper, to increase their hardness.

 

Platinum rings: pros

 

Platinum rings weigh more

Platinum is a denser metal than gold, silver or palladium. 

To give you an idea, the same engagement ring can weigh 4 grams in white gold and 6 grams in platinum. This is one of the reasons why platinum jewellery is more expensive. 

In its favour, this greater density and weight add more presence, value and durability to jewellery, ideal for pieces that need to last a long time and are particularly special, such as engagement and wedding rings. 

Platinum rings don't need any rhodium plating

Platinum rings are intensely white in colour and therefore don't need any rhodium plating, a coating applied to all white gold rings to enhance their brilliance.   

Platinum is hypoallergenic

There are people who are allergic to some gold alloys and even to gold itself. Rest assured that platinum is 100% safe and causes no allergies.

 

Platinum rings: cons

Platinum rings are more expensive

Platinum rings are more valuable for two reasons:

The work involved

Platinum is a very soft metal that scratches easily, so working it is more laborious and a larger number of steps are required than would be necessary in the case of gold. 

The time invested in creating a platinum ring can therefore triple that of gold.

However, once polished and finished, platinum rings tend to keep their shine over time.

Melting point

The melting point of platinum is 1768 °C (for gold it's 1064 °C) so very powerful furnaces are needed to be able to melt it and work the jewellery, as well as more skill and experience.

 

Jordi Rosich casts his own platinum and gold alloys at Roosik & Co's workshop in Girona. 

 

What is a white gold ring? 

Did you know that this type of gold was created to imitate platinum? This is because, originally, not everyone could get platinum.

 

White gold is actually an alloy of pure gold and other metals (palladium, copper and silver) that add colour and hardness.

Here you can see our alloy of white gold:

Pure gold needs palladium and silver to make it whiter and more malleable. Copper provides hardness and strength.

White gold also needs rhodium plating to give the alloy a whiter, more brilliant; otherwise it tends to be duller and greyer.

 

White gold rings: pros

White gold is easier to work than platinum

The time it takes to cast white gold and work it is three times less than platinum, so white gold is usually lower in price.

White gold is a classic

White gold is the most popular metal, especially for engagement and wedding rings. It looks very beautiful, has a wonderful lustre and is the same colour as platinum. Visually there's no difference between the two.

White gold is available in a greater variety of designs and models

This type of gold is easier to work with than platinum, enabling more complex, detailed designs to be created.

Roosik & Co's white gold is hypoallergenic

We don't use nickel in our alloy, so we can guarantee our white gold causes no allergies.

You should only worry if you're allergic to pure gold or rhodium (1% of the population is). In that case you should choose platinum.

White gold rings: cons

White gold loses its lustre over time

The rhodium plating is a layer of metal about 20 microns thick that covers white gold rings. Depending on how the piece of jewellery is used, this plating lasts approximately one to one and a half years. Over time, the rhodium disappears and the colour of the alloy emerges.

In our case, white gold jewellery doesn't look yellow once the rhodium plating has gone as we use palladium in our mix. This is a very popular noble metal for jewellery as it adds a lot of whiteness to the piece. So when the "high gloss" effect of the rhodium disappears, the piece doesn't look yellow but a pleasant greyish-white. 

However, this is one aspect to bear in mind if such a change in colour could bother you.

White gold requires more maintenance

Whether the piece of jewellery has been damaged, scratched or lost the gloss effect of rhodium over time, it will need maintenance. The ideal frequency to service white gold jewellery is usually every two years.

 

A white gold or platinum ring: which is the best choice? 

Now you have a better idea of what white gold and platinum are, as well as the pros and cons of each, you're better informed to decide which ring best suits your requirements. 

Both are excellent choices; all you have to do is decide which aspects are essential for you, both when you buy the piece and also over time. 

Remember: such jewellery is meant to last a lifetime and should still be faithful to you in ten, twenty or thirty years' time.

 

The best thing about platinum rings?

Their exclusivity, purity, value and brilliance. They require little maintenance and don't cause allergies. They're ideal for jewellery that needs to remain perfect for a lifetime and/or when worn every day, such as engagement and wedding rings.

 

The best thing about white gold rings?

Their price, the great variety of designs available and their beauty and timelessness. Visually, they're no different from platinum rings and our alloy doesn't cause allergies either (except for those allergic to rhodium). Ideal for all types of jewellery.

 

See here:

We hope this comparison between white gold and platinum rings has been helpful to you. Write to us if you have any questions

Meanwhile, you can take a look at our white gold and platinum ring designs for some inspiration:

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See you soon!