mens wedding bands-platinum vs. 14k white gold? titanium?

Hi there girls! My FH and i have begun looking at wedding bands and for a platinum plain band, we can't seem to get anything for under $1500. And that to me is ridiculous! So does anyone have any good online places i can check out?

*Can anyone explain the major differences between the metals?

ice.com

bluenile.com

www.e-weddingbands.com


they had them starting in the 100s!!!
this was 775

i don't know how wide of a band you are looking for but there are a couple on the zales website that are under $1500

5mm $700


8mm gold and plat $900


and 6mm $1300

platinum is heavier and instead of *gasp* 'yellowing' over time, it greys...and it scratches up more easily (which can be polished away by a professional) and of course, cost. i think it's somewhat 'sturdier'...in the end, it's a personal and budget-wise decision.


eta-spelling

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Posted by aliwnec10

okay well one more question... what is the huge difference between 14k white gold and platinum?? Is it just that platinum holds up better?

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I'm not sure, all I know is that platinum is 3 times the price and I can't get a definitive answer as to what justifies this

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Posted by mcb916

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Posted by aliwnec10

okay well one more question... what is the huge difference between 14k white gold and platinum?? Is it just that platinum holds up better?

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I'm not sure, all I know is that platinum is 3 times the price and I can't get a definitive answer as to what justifies this

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FH and I are economists and have been following platinum prices. Like any precious metal, the price of it fluctuates. Currently the plain platinum band I want is about $400. A year or two ago this was like $125. I think what we might do is buy a sterling silver one for like $10 and then when platinum prices go down buy it then.

Precious metals are just like stocks. About a year ago gold was sky high. And because jewlers buy these metals in bulk, they pay the initial high costs and then pass them on to the consumers.

I think it's a personal decision. I love platinum, I love the way it wears. White gold needs to be re-dipped because it wears to yellow. This is from a jewelers website:

Which is heavier?
Platinum, nearly twice as much as gold.

Which tarnishes?
Gold does, platinum does not. White gold is easier to clean, but platinum will always retain its color. White gold can take on a yellowish cast over the years. Both can be polished without fear of thinning or excessive wear as long as they are of high quality.

Which is stronger?
Platinum is more durable, but gold is more scratch resistant.

Which provides a better mount?
Platinum prongs are more secure and in no way will damage the stone. Also, platinum mounts will not add its own color to the stone whereas yellow gold can sometimes add a yellow tint to a colorless or near colorless diamond, making it appear to be a lower color grade.

Which is more hypoallergenic?
Platinum, because it is purer. Platinum jewelry is up to 95% platinum. Gold jewelry is commonly 58% or 75% gold.

Which is more expensive?
Platinum is, however it will last longer. But either metal can be used to create wonderful pieces.

This is VERY long, but from another jewelers website:

Q: Expense aside, is there any reason to use white gold instead of platinum for jewelry?

A: As a pure or nearly pure noble metal, platinum is much less likely to be chemically or allergically reactive to the body. So the chances of irritation are much less. As the main whitening agent in most white gold alloys is nickel, to which many people are at least slightly sensitive, this can be a rather important difference in itself. Platinum is denser and stronger than white golds. This means that settings can be made of thin, seemingly fragile constructions, and still have the needed strength and integrity to securely hold stones or jewelry together. Its density and strength combine as well to make it remarkably resistant to abrasion.

This doesn't mean it is scratch-proof; what it means is that an abrading particle creating a scratch on platinum tends to plow a furrow without actually removing material. Over time, Platinum simply doesn't wear away anywhere near as fast as white gold or other gold alloys, despite the fact that the actual surface hardness and stiffness of the white golds may seem much higher. So jewelry made of platinum simply lasts longer- sometimes a whole lot longer. There are a lot of pieces of jewelry inherited from grandmothers out there, made of platinum, which have survived in reasonably good shape, despite lots of loving use, since the early part of this century. Very little white gold jewelry has lasted even close to the same way, and generally what has done so wasn't worn much.

I generally figure that platinum jewelry has about three times the lifespan, in the same conditions, as a similar piece in white gold. While platinum's tensile strength and resistance to breaking exceeds that of gold, it isn't actually as stiff (for normal alloys). Unlike white golds, which even when annealed are slightly springy, platinum is a 'dead' soft metal, which means it has little spring-back at all when bent. For setting stones, this is wonderful. You push a prong or a bezel over the stone, and it stays where you put it, without springing back just a little. This means that there is no need to bend a prong a little too far to get it to end up in the right place, or to otherwise have to fight with the metal to get a stone properly and safely set.

In short, setting stones in platinum is less risky for the setter, and it makes it easier for the setter to use heavier prongs or bezels as well, when the design would benefit from it. You can set fragile stones more securely, and with less effort, in platinum They are safer when set, more secure, and the setter is less likely to have any problems getting it that way. And then, after all that, the setting will last, instead of wearing out in 7 to 10 years, as so many white gold ones seem to do.

By the way, this lack of springiness normally associated with platinum isn't a completely sure thing. Kretchmer and Nissing worked out the requirements for an alloy that would, with proper heat treatment, produce a very servicable spring. This allows them to build proper tension style settings. These settings work as compression springs, clamping a stone in place with a good deal of pressure from spring tension. Here too platinum excels, making a setting that can keep its strength and spring and durability far longer than any similar white gold one. So far, though, the alloy is a proprietary one, so don't ask me for details. I believe Mr. Kretchmer is planning to license the alloy to a commercial metals supplier, but I don't think it's yet available.

The color of platinum is its native color, and is not due to minority additions to the alloy. So you don't have the problem with surface depletion of the more reactive nickel that you get with white gold, which gives a white gold piece a dingy, slightly yellowish look needing to be repolished to restore the color after pickling. Also, platinum's basic color is a darker, grayer white. This happens to be very flattering to diamonds and other gems, making them look all the brighter; yet the basic white/gray color of platinum does not interfere with the gem's color. At the same time, the darker, grayer color of platinum also contrasts better with the yellow colors of gold, so two-tone designs can be quite dramatic.

The heavier density of the metal can give a very satisfying weight to a piece of platinum jewelry. Of course, some people prefer a light feel, and the heavier weight does mean that since the metal is sold by weight, the cost is higher as the weight goes up, more than with gold. It costs more as well, because it's used nearly pure, with usually only 5 to 10 percent alloy added. And the alloy as often as not is another platinum group metal. Iridium, for example is just as noble as platinum, and is just as costly, if not more.

With gold alloys, only a certain percentage (about 58% for 14K, or 75% for 18K) is actually gold. The remainder of the weight is copper and silver and other cheap metals, lowering the cost of the gold alloy. Because platinum melts at a much higher temperature than gold or silver, working with it requires different tools and skills, and normally a greater degree of skill and workmanship than gold. A platinum piece will take longer to make than a gold one as well.

All this adds to additional increased cost over gold jewelry. But it also means that most platinum jewelry has been made by better skilled smiths than much commercially available gold or silver jewelry. Obviously, this is a great generalization, since there are also a great many very fine gold and silversmiths out there. But it seems as though there are fewer platinum-working 'butchers'. Platinum jewelry is more 'exclusive', and pieces made in it tend to be made right in the first place. It's much less likely to be treated with the 'per gram' commodity-oriented mindset that characterizes the marketing of many gold items.

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Posted by kittythestray

I think it's a personal decision. I love platinum, I love the way it wears. White gold needs to be re-dipped because it wears to yellow. This is from a jewelers website:

Which is heavier?
Platinum, nearly twice as much as gold.

Which tarnishes?
Gold does, platinum does not. White gold is easier to clean, but platinum will always retain its color. White gold can take on a yellowish cast over the years. Both can be polished without fear of thinning or excessive wear as long as they are of high quality.

Which is stronger?
Platinum is more durable, but gold is more scratch resistant.

Which provides a better mount?
Platinum prongs are more secure and in no way will damage the stone. Also, platinum mounts will not add its own color to the stone whereas yellow gold can sometimes add a yellow tint to a colorless or near colorless diamond, making it appear to be a lower color grade.

Which is more hypoallergenic?
Platinum, because it is purer. Platinum jewelry is up to 95% platinum. Gold jewelry is commonly 58% or 75% gold.

Which is more expensive?
Platinum is, however it will last longer. But either metal can be used to create wonderful pieces.

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All are great points, except that platinum DOES tarnish.

This link might help

http://www.ringdesigner.com/platinum_versus_white_gold/platinum_versus_white_gold.htmk

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Posted by SomethingBlu

All are great points, except that platinum DOES tarnish.

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I have to disagree. I have done a lot of research on this, I have never read anywhere that platinum tarnishes. That's not to say it can't happen, I just never read it anywhere in doing my research on the differences.

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Posted by kittythestray

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Posted by SomethingBlu

All are great points, except that platinum DOES tarnish.

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I have to disagree. I have done a lot of research on this, I have never read anywhere that platinum tarnishes. That's not to say it can't happen, I just never read it anywhere in doing my research on the differences.

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Hmmm, I have to disagree. I spent 3 years at Tiffany and Co. and saw extremely expensive pieces made of platinum tarnished. Sorry, it does. It's tarnish resitant, not tarnish proof. It definitely doesn't tarnish the same as gold and silver, but it does tend to change color slightly (and I'm not referring to the patina) and needs polishing.

Thanks everyone, I have been trying to figure all of this out for awhile now and now it's much clearer

You're right - neither one tarnishes, they just wear. I think it may be because some platinum rings are finished with a thin rhodium plating much the same as white gold does, but when it wears, the white gold wears to yellow where the platinum just wears to the 'white' platinum. Here's a cool picture, the TOP is platinum, the bottom is white gold. The platinum is 'whiter' that the white gold.


ETA: I did the search again to see if I could find anything saying platinum tarnished. I read generally all platinum jewelry is made 95% platinum which is why it doesn't tarnish, but occasionally there are 90% platinum pieces made that are more scratch resistant but can tarnish, so I guess you'd have to ask your jeweler.