Over the last few years platinum engagement rings have grown in popularity as the trend for silver-coloured jewellery increases and online jewellery stores have managed to bring prices down low enough to make them affordable to the greater population.
But what about white gold engagement rings? They look the same as their platinum counterparts but are they an adequate substitution? The answer is not simply yes or no. To start with it is necessary to take a look at what makes platinum so expensive in the first place.
The main reasons are that platinum is rarer then gold and much stronger which not only makes platinum jewellery more durable but means it take a greater degree of labour to create a platinum engagement ring. White gold was created as a less expensive alternative. It is an alloy of yellow gold mixed with white metals such as palladium or silver, used to strengthen it as yellow gold is pliable and soft in comparison to platinum.
In the past nickel was used to make white gold but as it was found to cause reactions in many people, under UK regulations the practice was stopped. When gold is rated it is done via the measurement of carats, where 24 carats is pure gold. With yellow gold engagement rings, if the ring is 18carats then it means that 75 percent of it is gold and 25 percent is made up metals ranging from copper to zinc. In white gold rings, 18carats would denote that it consisted 75 percent gold while the rest was white metals only.
Once these metals are combined the result is a dull yellow colour. In order to make it almost indistinguishable with platinum, the engagement rings are then coated with the white metal rhodium, which not only gives the rings their final colour but makes them more hard-wearing. This process should be repeated every couple of years to keep the ring looking its best and can be done at most jewellers.
Ultimately there are benefits with both types of engagement rings. White gold offers people the chance to have the beauty of a platinum ring but at a fraction of the price. Although platinum rings need less looking after, with just a little care it is possible to keep a white gold engagement ring looking like brand new for years to come.
Michelle Elkins is a contributor to The Diamond Store.co.uk, an online jewellers which provides white gold engagement rings and yellow gold engagement rings at a fraction of high street prices.
