To understand platinum vs white gold and the advantages of each it is important to understand the differences first of all.

White gold is basically an alloy of pure gold and other metals. Pure gold is a soft malleable metal and easily worn away and distorted. Harder metals are mixed with it to create a harder overall metal and to make gold white usually silver, palladium, nickel and some other metals are used. The amount of other metals used determines the hardness of the white gold. This is reflected in the karat weight of the gold piece. 18 karat will have more gold than other metals but 14 karat, probably the most common, will have just over 50 percent gold. 10 and 9 karat has correspondingly less gold and more of the other metals.

White gold is not actually white strictly speaking and usually has a coating of rhodium over it. Although Rhodium as a metal is hard, in time this coating wears away to reveal the grey color of the ‘white gold’

Probably the main advantage of white gold over platinum is that is a lot cheaper, especially if the white gold is 10 or 9 karat.

The advantages of Platinum however is that it is a much harder metal and very durable. It is also very white and is used as a pure metal of around 95 percent pure platinum with some other elements present. Platinum is also heavier than white gold and remains white regardless of age. It does not tarnish and does not wear away anywhere near so much as white gold. It is, however, about two to three times the value of gold and more of white gold, which has been diluted in value due to the addition of cheaper metals.

Platinum is much denser and therefore heavier than white gold also. Platinum is excellent for such jewelery as rings, for example, due to its more durable nature. It is ideal for diamond and gemstone bearing rings as the claws holding the stones are much stronger and the stones are much less likely to work loose over time and constant use.

Platinum does not cause the allergies that such metals as nickel, in white gold cause.

Platinum makes an ideal metal for wedding and engagement rings but when it comes to Platinum vs White gold then budget may be the criteria used to make a selection.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 25th, 2006 at 6:28 pm.