If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Why jewelers encourage white gold than platinum?
Dear All,
I am wondering why the jewelers that I have been to at least 4, are recommending with engagement rings that white gold is better than platinum. It is very clear that plantinum is the superior metal on the websites and newsgroups ( durable, last longer, no need for replating). But why did 4 seperates jewellery designers push white gold still? I thought that jewellers would try to push the more expensive metal so they could potentially charge a bit more to the customer? The only reason/s I can gather why jewellers were encourging white gold, is that they don't have the jewellers skilled enough to deal with plantinum. Thanks Micheal |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Michael wrote:
Dear All, I am wondering why the jewelers that I have been to at least 4, are recommending with engagement rings that white gold is better than platinum. It is very clear that plantinum is the superior metal on the websites and newsgroups ( durable, last longer, no need for replating). But why did 4 seperates jewellery designers push white gold still? I thought that jewellers would try to push the more expensive metal so they could potentially charge a bit more to the customer? The only reason/s I can gather why jewellers were encourging white gold, is that they don't have the jewellers skilled enough to deal with plantinum. I wanted to say that after reading your first paragraph, and then you came to the same conclusion. I tend to agree. Instead of just saying, "I'm sorry sir, I'm not very experienced in working with Platinum, may I suggest white gold instead", they bluff their way through and try to convince you that white gold is "better". Call them on their bluff, or just look for a goldsmith who can actually work in Platinum. It'll cost you though. Abrasha http://www.abrasha.com |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
"Peter W. Rowe" wrote:
It's popularity and rising dominance in the jewelry market are farily recent, That is not true. In the early part of the century, i.e. 30's and 40's, "white" gold did not even exist. Platinum was the metal of choice of the United States from the turn of the century to the 1940s. During World War II, platinum was declared a strategic metal and its use was disallowed in all nonmilitary applications, including jewelry. This gruesome concoction called "white gold" was developed to replace Platinum and have something similar in looks. Only recently, thanks to enormous promotions by the "Platinum Guild", has Platinum regained some of it's previous popularity. A few fact bout Platinum: - Platinum is so rare it takes eight weeks and 10 tons of ore to produce 1 oz. platinum - Platinum is so malleable that a single gram could be drawn into a fine wire stretching more than a mile long. - Platinum is 60% heavier than gold - Platinum is so rare that all of the platinum ever mined could fit in the average living room. - Platinum is used in the production of most catalytic converters in automobiles. - A six-inch square block of platinum would weigh 165 pounds. - Most of the platinum comes from a few mines in South Africa and Russia. But it has also been found in Canada, United States, Columbia and Peru. Abrasha http://www.abrasha.com |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks Peter for the large sum of information.
the view really puts platinum at the top of the range. I guess the most important part of your information to me, was the last paragraph about decision and the analogy to cars. Thank you Mike |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Peter W. Rowe wrote:
Hallo Peter, At first, I like Platinum also, however not Platinum alloyed with cobalt wich is grayish like aluminum, better the old fashioned platinum, alloyed with iridium. This is really white and perfect for jewellery's work. One big problem with white gold is simply the reason it's white. In the U.S., most white gold jewelry is made of an alloy of gold, copper, nickel, and zinc or other trace additives. The nickel is a problem, since it's quite allergenic for some people. As many as 15 percent of the population cannot comfortably wear white gold, or will over time develope some degree of reaction to the nickel content. If you melt gold and nickel (and some other metals) together, they will build new crystals (Gold-Nickel). This crystal has new characteristic. The nature is very near to gold and far away to nickel. So this new crystals are not allergic. Their electro chemic voltage is near by fine gold and also far away from nickel. And this is the reason of metallic nickel for itīs allergic capacity. The European laws to specify gold-nickel alloy in the jewelry shop is based of an misunderstanding between metallic pure nickel, and alloys with nickel. This misunderstandig is based on an other reason: It is difficult in production to alloy smooth and white 14 kt and 18 kt nickel-white-gold. No sooo complicated it isnīt however some companies had problems. So they produced in masses white-gold with less nickel and grayish color. Next step was to brighten color with galvanic rhodium. Sometimes the rhodium dosenīt keep adhesive on surface, especially if it was not polished and properly cleaned. So most of the producers, found out that galvanic nickel will stick perfectly and then they added galvanic rhodium. This way cut the costs of rhodium, for you will need less and the surface is looking better with less work. During wearing the ring, after some time the rhodium gets off. Then you will wear metallic pure nickel in contact to your skin. This causes an allergic reaction on nearly 25 % of population. This is severe, for this reaction is cumulative. The oftener you get it the faster the allergic reaction will come. However, if you abrade this layer of metallic nickel and polish the surface with or without new rhodium plating the allergic reaction will disappear. We did it for nearly thousand customers in the last 30 Years, and this worked very well. However this is not cheap, for the layer of nickel is very hard and resistant. You must remove it really properly from all parts wich could get in contact to skin. So the problem isnīt caused by nickel-alloyed with gold, however galvanic nickel base for rhodium plating. Steps like Rhodium platinum the jewelry (very common) help somewhat, but don't really solve the problem. In europe, nickel based white golds have been highly regulated for just these reasons, and for most jewelry, are not used. There, and to an increasing degree in the U.S. use is made of white gold alloys containing palladium and gold, instead of nickle. These solve the allergy problems, and the palladium white golds are much softer, which makes the stone setters happy. But it's a good deal more costly than nickel based white gold, and is still not close to the durability of platinum. an additional problem with nickle white golds is a susceptibility under some conditions, to stress corrosion and cracking. Most notably, this is a problem if the metal is exposed frequently to chlorine, such as in swimming pools. chronic exposure of white golds to these elevated chlorine levels can cause the metal to crack and fail. Often, the part that fails is a prong holding the stone, leading to a costly loss of the stone. Also, with many white golds, there are problems with the color of the alloy. There are high nickle content white golds, called 'superwhite alloys", which are very white, easily rivalling platinum. But they can be VERY hard and sometimes brittle, and hard to work with. The lower nickle content alloys, which account for most of the white gold jewelry sold in the U.S., are more workable, but their color is, at best, a warm white. When it wears down a bit, it can look almost yellowish, and a bit dingy. This color problem is another reason so much white gold jewelry has been rhodium electroplated. Again, it works, but it also wears off with time. In the meantime there are good alloy adds for resistant 18 Kt nickel- white-gold in really good bright color. There is no necessity to plate anymore. The palladium white golds vary some in color, but tend to a dark greyish white with a sometimes almost brownish tone, especially in higher karats like 18K. Platinum, by contrast, is a beautiful cool greyish white. No problems with yellowing, tarnishing, or corrosion. From a strictly consumers, shopping, standpoint, understand that platinum jewelry sometimes needs to be made with some parts a bit heavier than in white gold, but that when this is then done well, the resulting jewelry is often sometime that can be expected to last a lifetime, with stones that should stay safe and secure for a much longer time than with white gold.. Little white gold jewelry can come anywhere close to that degree of longevity The color of platinum is more stable, and sets off stones beautifully. But it can be often expected to get more scratched and dinged. Unlike white gold, which looks crappy when it's gotton all worn, platinum retains it's color when like this, and unless you're enamored of a perfectly polished finish all the time, the day to day look of platinum jewelry that's gotton a bit worn (the usual finish on jewelry we wear) is clearly better overall. And the heft and weight of platinum is, for many people, just plain nice. Feels good. For all these benefits, however, you're going to be paying substantially more money. Here is the real crux of your decision. Unlike a car, which serves utilitarian needs, and often is essential, jewelry, even those types we've come to truly make part of our essential routine, is in essence, a luxury we can do without if we need to. The benefits of platinum over white gold are a lot more optional, if your budget is tight, than, say, the benfits of good nutritious food over junk food. Personally, I love working in platinum, and hate it when I have to go back to working in white gold. But that's me, as a jeweler. For you, as a consumer, you know what your budget is, and what your desires and needs are. if you think about why you want these rings, and how important they are, or are not, to you, the choice should become reasonably clear. Hope this helps. Peter Rowe As a consumer, one wants the best and platinum seems to be the 'best' metal out there. I didn't think white gold was that bad? It is a difficult choice. Thatīs true ;-) -- Heinrich Butschal casting technologies http://butschal.de/werkstatt |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
In article ,
Michael wrote: The only reason/s I can gather why jewellers were encourging white gold, is that they don't have the jewellers skilled enough to deal with plantinum. My partner and I have platinum wedding bands we are very happy with. We got them from www.sumiche.com. They tend toward less-traditional ring styles. Their work is wonderful. -- Stef ** avid/sensible/sensual/wise/essential/elemental/tangle ** * http://www.cat-and-dragon.com/stef ** Censorship like charity should begin at home; however, unlike charity, it should end there. --- Clare Booth Luce |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
[Ganoksin] [Issue #101] Tips From The Jeweler's Bench | Ganoksin | Beads | 2 | June 10th 04 10:30 PM |
[Ganoksin] [March 2004] Tips From The Jeweler's Bench | Kandice Seeber | Beads | 10 | March 9th 04 08:52 PM |
good vs bad white gold | HurricaneMB | Jewelry | 2 | December 31st 03 11:07 PM |
What does "salty" diamond mean? And 11k white gold? | AuroraeB | Jewelry | 1 | September 13th 03 05:22 PM |
[Ganoksin] [August 2003] Tips From The Jeweler's Bench | Ganoksin | Beads | 0 | August 22nd 03 02:24 AM |