When you have a wedding or engagement party approaching, it is always wise to shop for your jewelry pieces early. It allows you to return or make any adjustments if the jewelry does not fit. Gold vs platinum is the usual debate when you want to buy rings for special occasions. But what do you look for when you want to select white gold vs platinum?
Metal Composition
Many jewelry-grade metals are not pure. Platinum prides itself as one precious metal that makes jewelry in its pure form. Jewelers use 95% of platinum to create jewelry pieces. It is the purest form of platinum you can get. Other percentages are considered as alloys or platinum ore.
Gold, on the other hand, is 24K in its pure form. However, it has a high malleability. It snaps out of shape after some time. Thus, jewelers mix with a hard metal like nickel, copper, palladium, silver, etc. You alloy gold with white metal to achieve the white gold appearance.
Mixing different percentages of gold with alloy metal, you get different levels of carats. 22K is the highest carat you can find in the jewelry industry. However, it limits the designs and adornment of a jewelry piece since it is soft.
18K and 14K are the common carats you will find in the jewelry industry. They are 75% gold and 58% gold, respectively.
14K white gold is the popular choice. It is affordable and durable. You get a 14K white gold by adding ten parts of alloy metal to 14 parts of pure gold. It is the lowest acceptable gold since it has more parts of gold than alloy metal.
14k white gold is ideal for fine jewelry. It has enough hardness to hold its shape for a long. It also contains jewelry adornments for a long.
18K ls is also fit for fine jewelry. It contains 18 parts of gold and eight parts of alloy metal. However, it is more expensive than 14k gold. You only select 18K for prestige. More gold makes the metal weaker. Hence, there are some designs it cannot hold. Also, it contains gemstones for a shorter time than 14K gold. It translates to more trips to the jeweler for stone setting.
Color
White gold and platinum are both white metals. However, white gold is whiter than platinum when new. White gold achieves that appearance through rhodium coating. Raw white gold has a yellow undertone. It appears dull to wear in jewelry.
Platinum is a natural white meal. However, it looks greyish white to people with a keen eye. Platinum never fades. If you want a white metal that you will never need to polish or coat, you should select platinum.
Weight
Platinum has a dense composition. Hence when you compare the similar size of white gold vs. platinum, the platinum will be heavier. It is perfect for people who love heavier jewelry. That is why platinum is more common in men’s jewelry pieces than women’s jewelry pieces.
Hardness
The hardness of a metal is the degree to which it can resist scratches. Thus, white gold is considered harder than platinum. You can wear a white gold jewelry piece without experiencing any scratches. On the other hand, platinum is soft. It can develop scratches when you rub it against another surface.
The hardness also affects durability. When you subject platinum to scratching, the metal moves aside, creating a patina finish. Thus you do not lose part of the metal. But when white gold scratches, it loses a piece of the metal. Therefore, platinum is more durable than white gold.
Hypoallergenic Properties
Platinum has hypoallergenic properties. It is suitable for sensitive skin. You feel confident using platinum since it is in its pure form. Gold, too, has hypoallergenic properties. However, we cannot say the same for alloy metals. It can cause skin reactions to people with sensitive skin.
Cost
Gold vs. platinum cost in the market shows that gold is pricier than platinum. However, in the jewelry market, things are a bit different. Since platinum makes jewelry in its pure form, the end product is more expensive than white gold jewelry.
However, the cost of caring for platinum is lower than white gold. You’ll need to take platinum for replating and polishing every few years. It is optional to polish platinum as you can wear it with its patina finish.
In Conclusion;
White gold vs platinum metals are excellent choices for jewelry pieces. Many people do not spot the difference. The information above will help you select the best metal to suit your needs. Your lifestyle will affect the choice of your metal.
Author Bio
Naman Modi is a Professional Blogger, SEO Expert & Guest blogger at https://alexandcompany.com/, He is an Award-Winning Freelancer & Web Entrepreneur helping new entrepreneur’s launches their first successful online business.
