You may have heard that platinum is a better metal to use in the manufacture of your diamond ring. This maybe based on hearsay or on personal experience.

The truth of the matter is that this is not the case, here is why:

It is true that low quality white 18ct gold does lose it's rhodium plating quite quickly, sometimes in the space of 6 months, and will then need to be re-rhodiated.

24ct yellow gold, in order to be made into 18ct 'white' gold can be mixed with either nickel or paladium as the alloy.

Nickel is cheap, paladium as expensive as platinum.

The cheap nickel will give a pale yellow 'white' gold mixture, paladium will give a pale white 'white' gold mixture, very near to the unpolished platinum equivalent.

Now both these 18ct white gold mixtures (alloys) will need to be rhodiated or rhodium plated.

When the rhodium plating, in time, is worn away the cheaper nickel alloy variety will show a pale yellow shaded area coming through, the paladium mixture (alloy) will not but will only show a more mat or unpolished surface hardly noticeable against the already worn and tarnished shiny rhodium surface.

In time the rhodium plating will wear away, this will depend on the quality of the plating itself, if poorly plated then within 6 months signs of wear will appear, however, if properly plated it will certainly last at least 3 years, in fact just as long as would platinum, which, as with rhodium, will have lost most of its 'shine' and will need to be re-polished as well.

Re-polishing platinum will mean taking a thin layer of actual metal off the ring in the polishing process. This means that in time, say within after 20 years and on average 7 polishing sessions later, the ring will become thinner each time and may, in time crack which will then require a new mount to be made.

The 18ct white gold, on the other hand, within this same time span, will need to be re-rhodiated, but this time much less polishing is required, and a further layer of rhodium is applied. This means that your mount will last much longer and cost you less in maintenance costs, not the contrary.

Another disadvantage of platinum is its brittle nature. If knocked, a platinum mount may crack, if it is a claw, this will break off and you may lose the stone, gold, on the other hand, will give and bend which will then easily allow repair and safeguard your losing the diamond.

Lastly Platinum is over twice the price, per ounce, as compared to 18ct gold and has a 30% extra density as well which means that it will cost over twice the price to manufacture than the alternative 'better' solution.

Yes you may well ask, then, why do some jewellers recommend this metal.

Well there are three reasons really.

The first being that they may just have that particular style you like in platinum, so it is easier to supply something they have than what they don't have on hand.

The second is that their margins are based on turnover, platinum being much more expensive will allow them to earn more.

Third being that they are being supplied poor quality white 18ct gold by their wholesaler and prefer 'pushing' the platinum model as they will not be getting complaints from their clients, risking losing them in the process.

We only supply 18ct white gold mixed with paladium, hence the small surcharge.

We are always happy to answer any further questions on this subject.