Platinum or 18ct White Gold – Choose Wisely
Platinum and white gold, both these metals are highly in demand for making jewellery these days. There are quite a few differences between white gold and platinum and they have their own positive qualities and negative qualities. You have to take into account all these qualities while buying platinum or a white gold piece of jewellery.
First of all you must know that gold is not naturally white. It occurs in yellow while platinum is naturally whitish in colour. To make gold appear white, it is mixed with other white metals which include palladium and Rhodium both of them belonging to the platinum family. Moreover, gold jewelry does not contain only gold, it is alloyed with other metals to make jewellery pieces. 18ct gold and 9ct gold are most commonly found whereas 24ct gold, which is pure gold, is not used to make jewellery because it is extremely soft. In 18ct gold jewellery pieces there is 75% gold and in 9ct jewellery items there is 37.5% gold. This is not the case in platinum jewellery. In a platinum jewellery piece there is 96% platinum.
Platinum is more durable than gold. A platinum ring could be worn for longer than a gold ring. Platinum can resist wear and tear better than gold and hence can be treasured at least for 70 years whereas a gold ring might need repairing over time. However, there is a flip side to wearing platinum and that is that it loses luster quicker than gold. Platinum is not really a hard metal and can sustain scratches easily which is not the case with gold. White gold will hold its luster if plated with rhodium frequently. It is harder than platinum and hence is scratch resistant and retains its hue and luster longer than platinum.
Both have become famous as engagement or wedding ring metals. Whereas there are so many different qualities to these metals, the difference in price is wide. A platinum piece of jewellery costs double the price of a white gold piece of jewellery. A rhodium plated gold jewellery item appears as white as platinum. However, in both cases the hue is not exactly white. It is nearer to soft grey. As for which is more suitable with your exclusive dress; it can be either of them depending on your attire and makeup and of course the occasion.