Did you know that white is the most popular metal color for engagement rings?
If you love the timeless look of bright white bridal jewelry, you’ll need to decide platinum engagement ring or 18k white gold engagement ring?
Although both white gold and platinum look very similar, each metal has its own unique characteristics of color, purity, strength, and price.
At Tacori, we recommend platinum as our preferred white metal for its durability, longevity, and natural white color. Whichever metal you choose, we only use the highest quality materials to individually handcraft your ring. You can trust in the quality and craftsmanship of either platinum or white gold to create an heirloom to be worn for years to come.
Our Tacori Specialists will help simplify the process of buying your ideal engagement ring. Here's a full run-down on Tacori's premium white metals to help decide which is right for you.
Metal Color
Platinum is naturally white and the purest of precious metals. The platinum that will form your Tacori engagement ring is 95% pure platinum. Only the smallest amount of other platinum group metals are added to create an alloy that can be molded, cast, and shaped into your treasured piece. Because platinum is naturally white, it won’t yellow over time and doesn’t need replating to retain its colorless luster. It will always remain the perfect colorless canvas to spotlight your diamonds.
Gold is naturally yellow. Pure gold is known as 24k, but is much too soft to be worn alone. To achieve 18k white gold, we use 75% pure gold and additional white metals to form an alloy. Because pure gold is very yellow, the white gold alloy will always retain a yellowish color. Jewelers add a very thin coating of rhodium (a pure white metal) to give the 18k white gold its brilliant pure white appearance. This rhodium plating will wear off over time and begin to reveal the yellowish hue underneath.
Rhodium replating is recommended regularly to retain the white finish. To ensure the most longevity in your rhodium plating, we recommend removing your white gold ring when applying cosmetics, hair spray, perfumes, lotions and avoiding exposure to saltwater and household cleaning supplies, as this can all lead to diminishing the ring's color.
Metal Strength
Though both platinum and gold are strong and durable precious metals, platinum is the more durable of the two.
Platinum is approximately 40% heavier than 18k gold- when you hold it in your hand, you can feel the difference. Platinum's density provides its longevity and durability. Platinum prongs offer the best protection to secure your diamonds and gemstones.
What makes platinum different from gold is that, as it gets scratched, platinum doesn't lose the scratched portion. Instead, the scratched bit of metal simply moves, accommodating the dent. You may also hear this characteristic referred to as "patina". The patina is considered a mark of platinum's enduring strength, making it possible for your rings to remain cherished heirlooms to pass down from one generation to the next.
24K gold is naturally soft. The addition of alloys helps strengthen and improve the performance of White Gold. While white gold is more scratch-resistant than platinum, it is important to note that when scratched, some of the gold is lost. Over time and with polishing, it is more likely that some gold will begin to wear away.
Due to the difference in platinum and white gold's composition, we do not recommend stacking or mixing gold with platinum rings as this can cause wear and tear on your gold ring(s).
Metal Price
When comparing both metals, price per gram, you won't see a large difference. However, due to the different densities and the amount of each metal needed to make the same ring, the prices will be different.
There are many factors that contribute to Platinum's higher price tag. First and foremost, because of the density of platinum, there is more platinum needed to make a piece. Platinum is approximately 40% heavier than 18k gold. Second, platinum is 30 times more rare than gold. According to our friends at Platinum Guild International USA (PGI), "If all the platinum ever mined were melted and poured into an Olympic-sized pool, the platinum would barely reach your ankles, however, gold would fill three pools." Third, you're paying for the purest of all precious metals, 95% pure to be exact. With platinum, you're investing in longevity.
White gold is a mixture of pure gold with durable metals. With less pure gold being used, the price is lower. It's important to consider, although you are paying less for white gold in the beginning, it will require more frequent professional maintenance to maintain its bright, white appearance in the long term.
Metal Sensitivity
Platinum is 95% pure metal, making it the only hypoallergenic metal you can purchase. Being hypoallergenic means it will help reduce the possibility of an allergic reaction by minimizing explore to irritating elements. If you have sensitive skin or allergies to irritating substances, platinum is your safest bet.
White gold alloy includes a mix of metals, and certain materials of its composition may cause skin irritation if you have sensitive skin or certain allergies. While some brands use nickel in their white gold alloy, which is the culprit to most skin allergies, rest assured all Tacori metals are nickel-free, and we pride ourselves in using only the highest quality materials. Our 18k white gold is a proprietary mix of pure 24k Gold and White Gold alloys. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the gold carat, the more hypoallergenic it is and better for sensitive skin.
To recap and for all the visual folks out there, we made this handy chart to help differentiate between platinum and white gold. 
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