Starting to plan & Wedding Rings

Hi Emma - firstly congratulations

I'm not that clued up on rings and the different metals, I have a platinium ER but before that I did have a white gold ring, when i was first engaged I did wear them next to each other, but the white gold ring looked dirty compared to the shiny new ER.

Have you tried any on together and seen what it looks like?

Hi Emma

Congratulations! Welcome to hitched!

I don't really know a massive amount about rings/metal. When we went shopping for them the people we spoke to advised that you shouldn't wear white gold together with palladium/platinum as they are much harder/denser than gold and would wear it away. I'm sure it would take a long time for this to happen, but still- perhaps not something you want to happen?

With regards to the difference between platinum and palladium, I think it is only very slight. When we tried the rings on I know that Platinum was much heavier than Palladium, and I can only assume that as you pay for metal in weight this may explain the price difference? Anyway, as I said I'm no expert but that is what we found when shopping.

Where do you live? Can you get to Hatton Gardend in London or the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham? They have loads of shops with staff that are well trained and can explain things to you.

Hi Emma, welcome to Hitched! ?

I'm afraid I don't know an awful lot about the different metals but I'm sure somebody else will be able to help. There's always someone on here that knows the answer! ?

Hi EmmaJo,

Firstly, congratualtions and welcome to hitched!

Pixee999 is quite right, palladium is lighter than platinum, 40% lighter in fact, and jewellery metal is sold by weight, so that is why it is far cheaper than platinum.

It looks pretty much identical to platinum, is hard wearing, and will never need to be re-plated like white gold.

As far as wearing it with white gold goes, it should be ok. If you wear 2 rings together over a very prolonged period of time (and we're talking decades and decades) they will rub together, and the metal will wear away slightly. With palladium/platinum against white gold, this process may be quicker, but you would still be looking at a VERY long time until it became noticeable, and even then you would have to examine the rings very closely.

As for people still choosing platinum over palladium, well there could be any number of reasons. Some people may have a platinum engagement ring and want the same for the wedding ring (although you wouldn't be able to see the difference), some jewellers still don't offer palladium as an option. And perhaps there is still a certain amount 'snobbery' with platinum - it's the most expensive, therefore it's the best.

Hope that helps...

Laura x

Thankyou for the lovely welcomes! And thanks Laura, that was just the answer I was hoping for! I live in Northamptonshire but don't mind travelling a bit for some good shopping! I'm definitely going to have a look at Palladium if its just as good as Platinum!

We designed H2B's ring and he had it made in palladium......I'm off to see if i can find a pic

This is really interesting thanks! So if I chose I palladium wedding ring to wear next to my platinum engagement ring, would this work? Would they look the same over a long period of time or are they likely to wear differently?

(Sorry for hijacking the thread!)

EmmaJo - You're very welcome, feel free to shout if you have any other questions.

GemGem81 - Palladium and platinum go perfectly together. I think you would really struggle to see the difference between the 2 metals, and you could save yourself an absolute fortune. Some of our palladium rings are a third of the price of their platinum equivelant. They shouldn't wear any differently, and the colour will remain without the need to be re-plated like white gold. HTH :o)

Laura x

Found a pic (sorry it's not that clear).....we already had the stones so it was just the design, making and setting but i don't think you can tell it's not platinum and H2B LOVES it

Where we had this made we were told that they can polish them up if it gets dirty, scratched etc

Hi Emma, my hubby bought me a platinum engagement ring and when we came to choosing the wedding bands the platinum was so much money we opted for palladium. My rings match perfectly togethers, no-one has ever noticed. I think if anything palladium is more durable and a hell of a lot cheaper, so don't think its worth paying out all that extra money, unless you have the cash to splash of course... we didn't

Heres mine:

Emma x

EmmaJo welcome to hitched!

Sorry to hijack, Laura I have a 9ct white gold engagement ring but think palladium might be best for a wedding ring as it doesn't need replating etc and is obviously stronger than gold. Will it be easy to reset my engagement ring in palladium in the future if i wanted it doing?

It shouldn't be a problem, but without seeing your ring I couldn't say for sure. It's normally pretty easy, and even though you'd be paying out for a new ring, you would save yourself an absolute fortune over the next, say, 50 years or so in re-plating. I'd definately look into it if I were you! Let me know if you need any more info and I'll do a bit more digging for you.

Laura x

Hi Vintage Dream, can I interrupt and ask where your wedding ring is from? It's the sort of thing I may be after but haven't seen in any jewellers. Thanks!

thanks laura. The setting is quite intricate underneath so am worried it can't be replicated without the original designs but i'm sure it will be fine. Don't know if you can see the setting in this photos or not? (sorry its massive!)

Hi Mrs H to be

I had the same problem, I couldn't find anything in the least bit inspiring and to match with my engagement ring so I had a bespoke one made, found a floral/scroll design I liked and took it into our chosen jeweller to have it made.... Hubby's is matching but without the flowers and diamonds and just scroll pattern going round it. The jeweller we used was in Enfield, London and would really recommend them if you want something a bit different, very very reasonable too, not overly expensive. x

I have a platinum ER and a palladium WR:

You really can't tell the difference.

But white gold needs replating every couple of years anyway, so it shouldn't make much difference - except for the price.

Hi Emma

Just to agree with all the other responses really that palladium and platinum are the same in terms of wear, durability etc the only difference is weight. Platinum is heavier and so platinum rings are more expensive as the prices are calcuated by weight. There are plenty of online people offering palladium. One online site is doing free engraving too: Diamonds and Rings.?

Joanna x

Hi and welcome!

just to say you should consider the company Smooch for your rings (Laura's company). They come to your house and show you a huuuuge selection. It was great. I knew what I wanted but H2B didn't and it was by far the best selection we've seen. nice to do it in your own setting too. Rep was lovely! haven't got the finished product as we only ordered last week.

Hi

Diamonds & Rings online can have any bespoke ring made to suit you....have you thought of designing your own?