White Gold or Platinum Rings?
A lot of couples are faced with the decision whether to buy white gold or platinum rings. The choice is significant because you expect the rings and memories that go along with them to last a lifetime. But before you make the choice for the rings we must first look at what white gold and platinum is.
Metals in their pure form have a range of colors, ranging form a glittery shine (silver) to a dull gray (iron) to yellow (gold). Metals are also found in alloys. An alloy is basically a mixture of two or more metals and takes the properties of the different base metals.
White gold is basically an alloy of gold and at least one other metal the other metal is often rhodium. The amount of gold varies but you can expect about 75% of gold in the alloy used in rings. Because the gold alloy tends to become less shiny with time or display a slightly yellowish tint, it is often covered with a shiny metal like rhodium. Because the shiny layer is lost due to wear and tear (especially with wedding bands that are worn often) it has to be replaced every year or two to keep the ring shiny.
Platinum on the other hand is a base metal, meaning that it is a pure metal and not mixed with any other metals. You can expect jewelry to be about 95% pure platinum. Because platinum is shiny by itself you don't need to replace a covering layer. A normal polish will keep the ring shiny by itself. The drawback of platinum is that it is slightly heavier than white gold and significantly more expensive.
In conclusion: if you don't mind heavier jewelry and you have some extra cash, platinum will give you a lasting shining ring. If you would like something slightly lighter or your budget is very tight you might want to go for a wide gold ring, but keep in mind that you'll fork out some money every now and then to redo the rhodium shine.
Metals in their pure form have a range of colors, ranging form a glittery shine (silver) to a dull gray (iron) to yellow (gold). Metals are also found in alloys. An alloy is basically a mixture of two or more metals and takes the properties of the different base metals.
White gold is basically an alloy of gold and at least one other metal the other metal is often rhodium. The amount of gold varies but you can expect about 75% of gold in the alloy used in rings. Because the gold alloy tends to become less shiny with time or display a slightly yellowish tint, it is often covered with a shiny metal like rhodium. Because the shiny layer is lost due to wear and tear (especially with wedding bands that are worn often) it has to be replaced every year or two to keep the ring shiny.
Platinum on the other hand is a base metal, meaning that it is a pure metal and not mixed with any other metals. You can expect jewelry to be about 95% pure platinum. Because platinum is shiny by itself you don't need to replace a covering layer. A normal polish will keep the ring shiny by itself. The drawback of platinum is that it is slightly heavier than white gold and significantly more expensive.
In conclusion: if you don't mind heavier jewelry and you have some extra cash, platinum will give you a lasting shining ring. If you would like something slightly lighter or your budget is very tight you might want to go for a wide gold ring, but keep in mind that you'll fork out some money every now and then to redo the rhodium shine.
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