Wedding Jewellery.
Platinum vs White Gold - Written by Don Gillett.
To understand the differences between these two metals you first need to understand what each of the metals are.
White Gold
White gold is an alloy of gold and white metals. White metals such as silver, nickel, palladium and platinum change the colour of gold to a white colour.
White gold is not strictly speaking white; it is a grey steel-like colour, which is treated to make the article look white. The treatment used is an electroplate of another metal called rhodium. Rhodium plating makes the finished white gold article look white, but unfortunately is wears off and the plating should be replaced approximately once a year.
Summary of white gold’s properties:
- stronger than platinum
- more rigid than platinum
- half the price of platinum
Platinum
Platinum on the other hand is a white metal. Platinum is used as an almost pure metal, approximately 95% pure, whereas white gold is only 75% pure in 18ct and only 58.5% pure in 14ct.
Platinum’s best property as far as jewellery is concerned is its abrasive resistance. Platinum rings and in particular platinum claws will still be in great condition many years after the equivalent gold article is worn away. This is quite amazing when you consider that platinum is relatively soft and bends more easily than gold.
Summary of Platinum’s properties:
- natural white color
- looks better than white gold when it is old and scratched
- feels heavier than gold
- will wear better and last longer than gold
- is very expensive