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Difference, yes, but not really big enough to go change your semimount. White gold needs upkeep because it is yellow gold mixed and dipped in rhodium for the white color. White gold is softer than platinum and gets easily scratched, and if used in abrasive chemicals often (dish soap counts) the rhodium coating kind of wears off after a while and looks a yellow tingey color.
Platinum is exactly that and only that. It is a heavier metal and sturdier. BUT expensive... If you have the money, go to a local jeweler and see if they can re-set your ring in platinum. Also look on bluenile.com or ice.com for settings... you can order the setting alone and have your center diamond placed in the semimount. Then take the two small stones and have them made into earrings or something like that, as you are unlikely to find a reasonably priced semimount with no side stones as well as no center stone. :)
Eventually there would be a difference due to the gradual discoloration of white gold.
I used to sell jewelry and am totally aware of the difference, but I felt that platinum is not in our budget right now, so I have a white gold e-ring and will have a white gold wedding band.
I've already ordered FH a satin/brushed titanium carbide band for three reasons: 1. it is silver in color and will match mine close enough but the satin/brushedd appearance is more his personality than polished, 2. It scratches less than white gold and is more sturdy, as he is in law enforcement and uses his hands a lot and needs something light in case he gets in a fight or whatever, 3. is much more cost effective than white gold or platinum. I got his 8mm brushed/satin titanium carbide ring for 45 dollars on overstock.com. I shopped around for that price, but the titanium was still less expensive than white gold or platinum when we were shopping at jewelry stores (starting at about 50-80 dollars less for his size band) and it was exactly what he wanted to order from the jewelry store, but we found it online and scooped it up.
Eventually after I finish grad school and can afford the extra few thousand for the platinum, I might eventually trade up, but for now I'm happy with what I have. And white gold is honestly just as precious a metal as platinum.
Anyhow, all that being said, you have to do what you like and prefer best.
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Oh wow! thanks baba for your awesome input and your indepth knowledge of diff metals. My fiance told me that white gold can scratch easily, but I never knew dish wash soap can deter its color. I've been washing my hands with soap while wearing the ring. Now I know better and understand why some ladies always take their rings off before doing the dishes. :-)
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i would say get the platinum band and just upgrade your setting later to platinum, hehe.
Yeah. My friend's white gold wedding band is only about 2 years old, but it's no longer white/silver.
There are also different compositions of Platinum bands. Search on plat950 (950/1000 part platinum), plat900, etc. Depending on what the other metal is used in the alloy, it is more/less scratch resistent.
The other advantage of platinum is that scratches usually have no metal loss - it's just pushed to somewhere else, so you can polish it back.
A good platinum alternative is Palladium. Not as expensive as platinum, but very similar.
I have a platinum band and trying to talk FH into just getting a white gold band. He's insistant upon me having an actual band, whereas I'm ok just using my e-ring to save a little money bcause my ring was already so much in the first place and the band alone for JUST the platinum would be $1200, with out the diamonds in it that we both would really like.
He refuses, he doens't want me to bang it up, have it wear differently. He says that though I really was strong on the "don't get me platinum, it's too expensive"he did it because he knows I'm not one to trade in and upgrade the whole thing (maybe my center diamond size some day) and he didn't want it to fall apart.
Personally, I know pleanty of people who have white gold or gold and hadit for years and year...they don't seem to be falling apart to me.
On the flip side, he won't let me get him platinum....how stubborn can you be?! LOL.
I have no idea how this helps your post....lol sorry!
Sweeney, you're hilarious. I think I am going to go with the platinum bands because I want it to last long. Eventho it'll cost tons, it's well worth it to have something so precious to be preserved well over time.
But since my E-ring is white gold, I'm wondering should I wear it to work? I love my ring so I want to preserve the metal as much as I can. It seems as if white gold can wear off easily over time. At work, I have to wash my hands alot due to germs and marker stains, etc...... But hmmm, that would look weird to be engaged w/o having the ring on. Gosh! Why cant white gold be an actual metal in itself??? Colors and all.
Here's a comparison from good old gold.com:
Platinum
- Inch for inch heavier and denser metal. When both are put in your hands you can feel the weight difference of the platinum.
- Scratches easier.
- Wear~ability factor many times that of gold. 50 years from now the platinum ring will be as thick as the day you bought it.
- Maintains it’s white color forever.
- Price is 3x to 4x as much as gold.
White Gold
- Inch for inch lighter
- Maintains it’s sheen longer than platinum. After polishing white gold will look shinier for a longer time than platinum will.
- White gold wears thin over time and the shank may have to eventually be replaced
- May eventually tinge to a very light yellow. Over time the acids in your skin may cause the white gold to slightly tarnish causing it to change color
- Price is very inexpensive compared to platinum.
Comments:
- When considering the total cost of an engagement ring, the small amount more for platinum is deemed by many as insignificant in relation to the total cost.
- Over time, long term maintenance on platinum involves visits for repolishing.
- Over time, maintenance on white gold rings can include repolishing, replating (rhodium finish), and/or eventual replacement of shank.
Neither metal will always look new. Both need eventual maintenance one way or the other.
Hope that helps!
Platinum and white gold are visually indistinguishable from each other, so wearing a mix won't be a visible faux pas. But wearing metals of differing strengths can cause one to wear away at the other when worn side by side for decades. The weaker metal band can become so worn that it becomes wire-thin and can eventually snap. So if you're going to wear them on the same finger, have your jeweler solder the two together at the bottom to prevent rubbing.
not really advice, but two points in case you decide to go w/the white gold. My mom's e-ring is white gold, and she's never really done any upkeep on the band- it still looks great! And... my husband got me a white gold e-ring because I wanted an antique-y looking ring. We ended up getting very plain palladium wedding bands, and if you look really closely, you can see the difference, but it really is negligible. Good luck with your decision!
i had a white gold ring from my parents that i'd been wearing for many years and it turned a slight tinge of yellow, but when i took it to a jeweler and had him polish it, it looked white and completely brand new again! since then, it's stayed the white color b/c i've been taking care of it more (i.e. not getting it wet as much, drying it immediately and completely as soon as it gets wet, cleaning my ring about once a month, etc.) i think as long as you are careful and don't wear it in the shower as much, it tends to last pretty long.
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Francine, I wouldn't worry about wearing it to work, white gold is still a very storong, lasting metal. Also many jewelers will re-rodium your ring anytime you want, if you get in warranty or insurance on it. I've had it done once already, and it made it look brand new when I got it back.
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Glitter, I have a question and this may sound stupid but I'm goin to ask anyways. I dont have warranty and insurance on my ring, so does that mean I cant get it re-rodium? Also, do I have to leave the ring with the jewelry or can they do it in front of me? I'm afraid they might swap the diamond without me ever noticing...considering I'm not an appraiser.
my engagement ring is platinum, but it is an antique ring (circa 1930) which means (oddly) it was not as expensive as new platinum rings. it was also handmade and is one of a kind. just something to think about as a way to afford a platinum ring. i adore my ring, its history, and its uniqueness. (pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/intermittent/1213781481/)
my mom has my grandmother's engagement ring, circa 1925, and it's white gold. it has a very slight 'faded' look to it, but nothing majorly noticeable-- so it's at least held up well for over 80 years! i'm not sure how antique white gold compares to modern white gold in compostion, however.
It may be that platinum scratches easier than gold, when when it is scratched, no metal is lost, just displaced unlike gold so if you bring it in every couple of years even, it will look brand new.
we went with platinum despite its cost, because considering all the money that is being spent on only one day (not even) why not dig deep for the only thing you wear everyday for the rest of your life?
As for weight, at first when I wore my ring I was worried I wouldn't be able to wear it comfortably because it was so heavy ( and that was without the plat. band) I got used to it in a few days and I kind of like the heaviness now, cause I can always kind of feel and it reminds me of what it symbolizes.
I would have gone for Palladium because its so similar and also a pure metal (which was important to me for some reason) but our jeweller didn't work with it.
I do prefer the colour of white gold esp. after a few years..
I meant just the e-ring was heavy even without the matching wedding band. sheesh guess I should go to bed...
nikkinicole, your ring is gorgeous!!!
champagnebride, yes you should go to bed, haha..
but thanks girls for your input. so far the consensus is go with the platinum or palladium!
I just got engaged on NYE and the manfriend surprised me with a white gold e-ring in a new, but vintage-deco style setting. Since it is not as strong as platinum and things like dishsoap can be abrasive to the whitegold , what is the best way to care for white gold????
the jeweler he got it from is out of state and my fi can't remember what day it is let alone what the jeweler said for maintaining.
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Francine,
If your diamond comes laser engraved with a GIA number your jeweler can show it to you under a loupe when it is returned to you.
Ok...I know I am late to this, but I do have something to add...
I have had two white gold rings in my lifetime, ones that I loved dearly and wore every day. However, white gold is sometimes fortified with Nickel and some people, myself included, have an allergic reaction to the Nickel.
You can continue to get the ring replated, but in the end, I requested Platinum because I know me and I can just see myself not wearing my rings because they give me a nasty bumpy rash that takes months to go away (and only one wearing to bring them back) and not ever getting to the jewelry store thereby going without said rings on my fingers for way too long.
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I am also allergic to nickel. However, the white gold ring is rhodium plated, so no nickel comes in contact with your skin. Historically, I even have severe problems with sterling silver, but I have absolutely no problems thus far (4 months) with my ering, which has a seriously wide band http://www.billbarnes.com/product.asp?product=6847. The finish does scratch but this is only a problem on the backside, which nobody sees. My jeweler says I should bring it in once or twice a year for inspection of the setting and replating, which costs $30.
I should say that I did not actually find the white gold and platinum to look the same. I thought the platinum settings looked more satiny - a little less shiny - and also a little less white. Because my center stone is a yellow diamond, I wanted a very clear contrast between the stone and the setting. My setting was made by one jeweler; another in the area actually has the same setting available in platinum so I did go and compare the two after getting the ring (just to torture myself, I suppose). I found out that I still prefer the look of the white gold with the yellow diamond.
However, now you know why your mom always wore those rubber gloves to clean house and wash dishes! You will also find out that the ring looks better longer if you don't expose it to a lot of hair product, which can be pretty corrosive.
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I have a white gold e-ring with a center diamond and two small stones on each side. I was wondering what's the difference between white gold and platinum? Would it look weird or have a huge contrast if I got platinum bands? I wanted platinum bands because I heard its more sturdy and since it's a representation of our special day, I wanted to be sure it's the best. What do you guys think?