Platinum and Gold
An Imporant Message
Due to the extremely high Gold price which is very close to Platinum price, more customers request to have their jewelry made in Platinum, having in mind that they may have it for about the same price.
The wrong impression is that Gold and Platinum jewelry are about the same price “so why not to make it in Platinum and take advantage of it”. This conception is misleading and totally wrong and here is why:
- Gold jewelry contains 58% (14K) to 75% (18K) pure gold. The rest is alloy.
- Platinum Jewelry contains 95% pure Platinum.
This is a 37% to 20% difference comparing pure metals. In reality the difference is slightly lower due to the fact that the alloy has a value as well.
- Platinum is about 40% heavier than Gold.
- Platinum labor is higher than Gold.
Combining all the factors above the price difference between the gold and the Platinum is nearly double.
Lately we do receive requests for quotes in Platinum for some inexpensive jewelry which does not make sense. We highly recommend educating the customers and presenting the facts correctly.
Platinum
Platinum is the rarest of the precious metals used in jewelry, 35 times rarer than gold and often twice the cost of gold in its raw form
| Purity: | Platinum, as it is used in jewelry, is typically 90 to 95% pure and as such is considered to be non-reactive and hypoallergenic. The stamp "PLAT" on a piece of jewelry indicates 900 or 90% platinum and 100 or 10% alloy. New experiments in 58.5% platinum, marketed as “14K platinum”, cannot legally be called platinum. |
| Color: | Platinum is an inherently white metal and will retain its color. It is not plated with other metals and will not tarnish. |
| Properties: | Platinum (950) has a density that is 40 to 60% higher than 14K white gold, so a platinum ring has obvious weight. |
Platinum wears away much more slowly with time than other jewelry metals. Like all jewelry metals, platinum will scratch, however the scratch or nick on a platinum piece of jewelry is simply a displacement of the metal and none of its original volume is lost. With wear, platinum will develop a soft visual patina, much like silver.
Although it is dense and wears away slowly, platinum does not have "memory". It lacks the ability to spring back when moved. White gold by contrast wants to retain its original form.
Gold
Gold is the traditional precious metal used for fine jewelry throughout the ages. Rarely used in its pure form for jewelry in the United States, gold is typically alloyed with other metals either to improve its strength or durability or to alter the color (i.e. white gold or rose gold).
| Purity: | Gold karatage is defined in parts per 24, i.e. 24K gold is pure gold. The following gold standards most commonly used in this country:
18K gold or 750 gold = 75% gold and 25% alloy |
Underkarating of gold is not uncommon. Although a manufacturers’ trademark and karat stamp is legally required in all jewelry in the United States to help guard against underkarating, the practice still exists.
White Gold
With the growing emphasis on use of white metals in jewelry, white gold is the metal of choice for many jewelry manufacturers.
| Color: | Even though gold may be alloyed with other metals to produce a whiter color, most white gold is in reality either a creamy white or gunmetal gray color. To achieve the bright white color seen on new jewelry, white gold is almost always plated with rhodium. With ordinary wear the rhodium will wear off of the ring, sometimes in as little as six months, exposing the creamy color of the white gold. This is usually seen first at the back of the shank. |
| Properties: | Because the atoms of gold wear away more easily with white gold than with platinum, white gold keeps a shinier or more polished look with daily wear than platinum.
Nickel is the least expensive and most commonly used alloy historically to produce white gold. People who are allergic to white gold are often allergic to the nickel alloy. Newer alloys, such as palladium, are being introduced in the manufacturing of white gold. While these new alloys are more expensive, they improve the white color of the finished gold and are non-reactive. |
While it may seem that price is the most obvious difference between platinum and white gold, there are some other distinct differences between the metals in daily wear.
|
Platinum
|
White Gold
|
|
|
