AboutThomas Expertise Have a question about jewelry repair or working with precious metal jewelry and gemstones? I am a working professional bench jeweler, involved everyday with setting stones in mountings, designing and making jewelry, repairing and limited custom manufacture. Over 30 years experience. If you work with jewelry as a hobby or as a profession, I might be able to help. I deal with the retail business, not mass production. Ask privately if you wish. See the box for that: It keeps your question between us. Please DO NOT ask MAKER'S MARKS, but metal quality marks are fine to ask. Please DO NOT ask diamond prices. See a gemologist for that.
Experience I have near 35 years experience at the sort of jewelry work I do.
Education/Credentials Education is English/Physics! Started in human resources, to advertising, to jewelry...wow, what a road. Now a jeweler for many years. I have had formal training in jewelry work and many shared experiences with top grade jewelers. We just never know were we will go or be. Follow your best, your dreams, with some discretion! Don't let the work tear up your body along the way.
Question What is the pros and cons of palladium compare to platinum engagement ring?
Answer Maryjane, palladium was considered the “wonder child” of the industry a few years ago as manufacturers touted the benefits over platinum. The main benefit cited was price. And in truth, the price differences in palladium and platinum are substantial. The paragraph below tell part of the reasons why, besides the fact that on the metals market palladium is priced closer to gold than the platinum, a lower price to begin with.
We will wait to see how the palladium jewelry plays out in acceptance by the consumer. People like you will make or break the idea of palladium being the new choice besides white gold and with some of the same attributes as platinum.
MORE FOR YOUR MONEY FOR RINGS OF THE SAME DIMENSIONS
Specific Gravity, what we would call the “weight” of the metal is not exactly weight but is an easy way to compare the heft of metal. The higher the number, the heavier is the metal. You will see that platinum is almost but not quite twice as dense (say heavy) as palladium. This weight difference makes a huge difference in the weight of a ring. The weight also make a difference in price. Even with platinum much more costly than palladium, the mere fact that the item will weigh more make the price even higher since you pay for weight of metal used, not volume. You pay for less weight in a ring of the same exact dimensions made of palladium than one made of the much heavier platinum. On the finger, a palladium ring will feel much like one of 14k gold while the platinum ring will feel heavier (because it IS heavier).
Palladium 12.02 sg
Platinum 21.5 sg
Palladium will cost more than gold but substantially less than platinum.
WEAR CHARACTERISTICS
Platinum in the popular trend is finished with a bright shine. So is palladium and white gold. Be aware that the shine will not last with platinum. Platinum does not scratch like gold but the metal behaves differently, more like a “rubbing” or “scuffing” effect than gold. The result is that in a fairly short period of time a platinum ring will be dull and not shiny. This is a characteristic of the working properties of the metal. Palladium appears to fall somewhere in between white gold and platinum in ability to retain a shine. We have sold several palladium rings but our experience of the wear characteristic is limited. Still, palladium appears to stay shiny longer than platinum and not as long as white gold. White gold, palladium and platinum can be refinished by a jeweler to bring up the original shine. With either platinum or palladium the process is much more tedious and time consuming than with white gold. Platinum take the longest and will cost the most to refinish, keeping in mind the dullness will return. Palladium takes perhaps half as much time to refinish as platinum. Platinum takes about 5 times longer to refinish than white gold.
SECURITY OF STONES
Both platinum and palladium offer quite superior stone setting security than white gold. The reason is called “spring back”, a tendency of metal to spring back to its original position and not stay in the place it was bent. When a prong setting is pushed over a diamond with platinum or palladium, the prong shows no spring back and stays in place. Gold take a bit more push and nudging to get the stone quite tight in the setting.
Prongs on platinum and palladium rings appear to wear about the same degree, still working from limited experience in this statement! : ) Both wear better than does most white gold, even if the prongs are dull and not shiny anymore from wear.
As for other comparisons of platinum and palladium, I can not think of any reasonable ones right now. If you have a concern I have not addressed, please use the “follow-up” option that should come with this answer to get back to me. I really do not want to leave anything out. You see, we jewelers are in a state somewhat like the consumer with palladium: Not enough experience just yet to address all the possible issues.
ALLOY SHAKEDOWN
While manufacturers were touting the wonders of palladium, which is a fine jewelry metal, they were also working frantically to develop the best alloys or “mix recipe” for the metal for jewelry usage. Pure platinum is not used. Pure palladium is not used. Both are mixed with a small amount of another metal to make the metal tough enough and with the proper working character for jewelry manufacturing and reasonable wear by the consumer. This should be no surprise since that is the very reason we see different karats of gold, pure 24k being much too soft for jewelry use.
Ahh…the metals used to mix with platinum and palladium are generally in the platinum family of metals, of which palladium is a sibling. Some is alloyed with ruthenium and some with iridium, both expensive platinum family metals. Either platinum or palladium are generally sold as “950” meaning the alloy recipe is 95% the main metal and 5% alloy components. So, palladium is marked 950PD. Platinum is marked PT or PT950 among other ways to indicate the amount of alloy metal. Not as with gold which has silver, copper and a touch of zinc in the mix, most platinum and palladium metal is entirely precious metal. To know just what mix a palladium ring might be is hard to find out. The makers have been trying to get the most workable and suitable alloys on the market and often do not give up their secrets. We do know that palladium by Scott Kay is alloyed with 5% ruthenium. The others? I really don’t know.
Jewelers working with palladium rings when first introduced this time( the previous time was early last century and it faded away), have had mixed reactions to the metal.
Those used to doing platinum work as am I, found palladium not difficult to work but taking special needs had to be addressed. The solders used to join ends when a ring is sized down, for instance, were often not up to the task and left pits in the brazed joint. Since last year, this has improved from my point of view but I am still a bit leery of sizing a palladium ring. We had on Scott Kay ring actually snap in two when the band was bent to bring the ends together to make the ring smaller. Bad casting? That is what we were told but it should not have happened. Bad alloy still not refined in mix to do the job? I don’t know that answer. At least with platinum, the working is well established and these problems do not happen. I believe palladium might have little to go in the “alloy shakedown” to find the truly best mix for jewelry use. That is only my opinion and the manufacturers will get up in arms telling me to get on the ball and see what is out there and how fine it is. I still wait a bit longer for more experience with this palladium metal.
ALTERNATIVES IN WHITE GOLD
Likely white gold is not in your thoughts. However, there are palladium white gold alloys which have the same hypoallergenic character and close to the same stone setting character as either platinum or palladium. You have to ask for palladium white gold, a white gold alloyed with palladium instead of the normal nickel. This is a fine metal for jewelry even if not so white as white gold, tending to have a slightly grayer cast.
New white golds with no or very little nickel are on the market and these stay white without any need for rhodium plating. These appear harder than normal white gold and meet all the strict gold standards now in force in Europe. Two examples and X1 gold from Stuller(mentioned previously) and the Precise White gold from W. R. Cobb company. Both have net sites and tell about the X1 gold and Precise White. The styles of ready jewelry are a bit more limited but the metals seem to be very well thought out.
A jeweler needs slightly different technique to work these metals but it is not a biggie for a competent jeweler. Platinum and Palladium should not be biggies, either, for a competent jeweler.
Whew…answer long enough for you? It is long enough for me! The cats want attention and I am at the keyboard. Anyway,Maryjane, that is my story on comparisons of plat and palladium. Get back if you need more. Best wishes in sorting it all out.
