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There is a popular misconception that platinum and white gold are both lustrous cold white metals. Wedding bands made from either of these metals do look white and do look great. Which is best? Let’s look at each one.

White Gold: This is one of the most popular choices when it comes to wedding bands. Sorry to burst any balloons, but white gold is not a pure gold. Gold, in its purest form, is yellow and very soft – too soft to use in most jewelry pieces.

Pure gold is mixed with other metals to form a harder alloy that is then suitable for jewelry making. When measuring gold content, 24 carat equals 100% pure gold. Common alloys include 22 carat, 18 carat, 14 carat and 9 carat. As an example, white gold that has 50% gold content is 12 carat.

A white gold alloy could contain quantities of silver, palladium, zinc, copper or nickel. It is the alloy created with nickel, zinc or palladium that produces white gold. When these metals are combined with gold they effectively bleach the yellow gold, white. Some metals have a stronger bleaching effect than others, however they also have stronger hardening effects.

Wedding bands that are 18 carat should contain 75% gold, with the remaining 25% often 15% palladium, 5% silver and 5% copper. This would result in an 18 carat white gold that is hard wearing and yet looks very much like platinum. You can buy very cheap versions of white gold, however, they are generally made with inferior metals and don’t last as long as quality white gold.

Platinum: this metal is much rarer than gold so it is far more expensive. Platinum is a fairly hard metal and while it can be worked into rings in its pure state, can also be alloyed for easier use. Like white gold, platinum has various grades of purity and is actually a light grey in color – not white.

To get the brilliant white finish that white gold and platinum are famous for, they need to be plated with rhodium. Over time, this rhodium plating will wear away leaving the base metal behind. As the rhodium plating wears away the brilliant white finish that platinum and white gold are famous for will be replaced by a dull light grey appearance. Platinum wedding bands also turn a light grey or off white color.

Platinum is more expensive than white gold, however they may both look quite cheap over time because of that rhodium plating. You can restore the white lustre to your jewelry by having the rhodium plating reapplied. Which is best? It is in the eye of the beholder. Many don’t realize that white gold was created to imitate platinum. White gold is no longer considered a platinum substitute, it is popular in its own right. If you are looking for a platinum finish on a budget, be wary – you will get what you pay for. If you really want the platinum look – get platinum.

For those wanting white gold, be sure to buy white gold that is good quality, not created from a cheap alloy blend. You cannot judge one as better than the other when it comes to wedding bands, they are both well suited so it is up to the buyer to buy what they like best.

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