The perfect pieces of jewelry are usually designed by using gold or platinum. Mostly, people get confused while choosing one out of these two precious metals. If you want to choose the best metal for your jewelry pieces, you should consider the major difference between these two metals. Gold is considered an original precious metal. The value and beauty of gold have been appreciated for many years. On the other hand, platinum is one of the rarest metals and it is more valuable as compared to gold. Here, we are going to share some tips that will help you choose one out of two: gold or platinum.
Consider Color Difference
One of the most important factors to consider while choosing the right type of metal for your jewelry is a color difference. When it comes to choosing one between gold and platinum, you should pay attention to the color of these two metals. Gold is originally yellow and it is mixed with other metals to change the color like white gold or rose gold. On the other hand, platinum is naturally greyish white. Another common dilemma faced by the people is to choose one between platinum and white gold. If you are one of those, you should know some important facts. The platinum is pale grey when it is in unpolished form. When platinum is polished, it starts shining bright. On the other hand, white-gold reflect a little-bit off-white color. This metal also retains a hint of yellow gold, even after heavy polishing.
Alloys and Hallmarks
These two metals are mixed with other metals to form stylish pieces of jewelry. These two metals are fragile and not good to create jewelry pieces in their original form. Therefore, it is imperative to mix them with other metals. The different colors of gold are obtained by alloying. If we mix gold with copper and silver, it will retain a yellow color. On the other hand, if we mix gold with copper then it will create a rose gold color. By mixing gold with solver and palladium, white gold can be generated. In the industry of gold, 24ct gold is considered a pure form of gold. On the other hand, the platinum is alloyed to 95% of purity. It means 950 parts of platinum out of 1000 of total mixture and 50 parts of impurity in the mixture.
Malleability
Another important factor to be considered while choosing one between gold and platinum is malleability. Platinum metal is comparatively less malleable than gold. Therefore, platinum is the best choice for complicated structures. When you want to have diamond-studded jewelry, platinum offers a perfect and secure diamond setting. On the other hand, platinum can also create a problem if you want to integrate soft gemstone such as emerald. If you apply pressure, the platinum setting may lead to damage to the soft gemstone.
Wear and tear
Wear and tear of jewelry is another factor that helps you to choose the right metal out of two. You should consider how these two metals start aging. Instead of high tensile strength, marks are easily formed on this metal.
We have to wear a wedding or engagement ring daily and it undergoes high wear and tears. It can be noticed by observing the underside of the ring. Your engagement ring will come in contact with various harsh chemicals, dust, dirt, and grease regularly. With time, platinum will start losing its bright finish. You will observe that your bright platinum will transform into a grey color. Thus, you have to re-polish your engagement ring to make it look bright again.
On the other hand, if you consider a white gold ring then it will start revealing its warmer color underneath due to regular wear & tear. If you want to keep it look bright and scintillating, you should consider re-polishing it. You can choose any metal out of these two and design your own engagement ring.
Weight
The last factor that you need to consider is the weight of these two metals. There is a significant difference between the weights of the two metals. Due to the high density of platinum, it is heavier than gold.
Final Words
After reading all the important factors that help in differentiating these two metals, the choice is yours. You can choose any one of these two metals as per your preferences.