Gold, Platinum or Palladium: Choosing the Metal

The metal is the part of a ring you touch every day. It decides the colour, the weight on the hand, the shine after five years and a surprising share of the price.

Yellow gold

The classic. 18K yellow gold has a deep, warm colour and a soft polish that develops a gentle patina; 14K is paler, harder and holds a high polish longer. Yellow gold flatters warm skin and makes near-colourless diamonds look whiter by contrast. It scratches, but scratches move metal rather than removing it and polish out.

Rose gold

Gold alloyed with more copper. Warm, romantic and slightly harder than yellow gold. It does not need plating, does not fade and suits morganite, pink sapphire and warm-toned diamonds. Rose gold varies from house to house; ask to see the exact alloy.

White gold

Gold alloyed with palladium or nickel, then plated with rhodium for a bright white finish. Rhodium wears off in one to three years, after which the slightly warmer gold shows through and the ring is re-plated. Nickel white gold can cause skin reactions; palladium white gold does not. White gold is the most affordable white metal per gram.

Platinum

Naturally white, dense, hypoallergenic and used at 950 purity. It develops a soft satin patina rather than wearing away, which many people love and some polish off. Platinum prongs hold stones more securely than gold prongs of the same size. It is heavier on the hand and, because of its density and purity, more expensive per ring even when its spot price is below gold’s.

Palladium

A platinum-group metal, naturally white, light and hypoallergenic, used at 950 purity. Cheaper than platinum per ring, lighter on the hand, harder to size and repair because fewer jewelers work with it. A good choice for men’s bands and for anyone who wants white metal without plating.

Choosing by piece

• Engagement ring worn daily: platinum for security and permanence, 18K or 14K yellow or rose gold for warmth and lower cost.
• Wedding bands: any; match the metal of the engagement ring so that the two do not wear each other down.
• Earrings and pendants: gold, because weight is a disadvantage and wear is minimal.
• Men’s bands: palladium or platinum for white, 14K for yellow; avoid soft 22K.

Metal and resale

All of these have scrap value, calculated on the live prices on this site. Gold is the most liquid; platinum and palladium are bought by fewer dealers at wider spreads. Signed pieces and fine stones outweigh metal value in every case.

Questions people ask

Is platinum always more expensive than gold?

Per ring, almost always, because platinum is denser and used at 95 percent purity. Per ounce of raw metal, gold has been more expensive for several years.

Does platinum scratch more easily than gold?

It marks more easily but loses no metal; the satin look is displaced metal, not missing metal. Gold scratches lose a little metal each time.

Which metal is best for sensitive skin?

Platinum, palladium and nickel-free palladium white gold. Avoid nickel white gold and cheap plated pieces.