· By Tobias Vale · 1 min read
Platinum or gold? How the metals wear
Platinum, white, yellow and rose gold side by side: their colour, weight, how they scratch and what they cost to keep.
All four metals in the photo are hallmarked and all four will last a lifetime. The differences are in colour, weight and how they age.
Platinum (Pt 950)
Naturally white, heavy and dense. It doesn’t wear away: a scratch moves the metal rather than removing it, which slowly gives a soft satin look. It’s the strongest metal for holding a diamond.
18ct white gold
Gold alloyed with palladium, plated with rhodium to make it bright white. The plating wears off over a few years and shows a warm grey; we re-plate it for £45.
18ct yellow and rose gold
Three quarters pure gold. Yellow is the warmest; rose takes its colour from copper. Both are softer than platinum and wear down very slowly over decades.
Wearing two together
Wear an engagement ring and a wedding band in the same metal. A harder metal rubs a softer one away where they touch.