A Time for Platinum?
- Thread starter VeryChic
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I have found jewelers will price 18kt gold items in inventory higher when gold prices go up. So it does effect the cost to the customer. I'm looking for a very heavy gold chain, told one jeweler to keep me in mind when prices drop or give me a good price on something he's had in inventory from when gold was much less.
This is where I ordered mine. A private jeweler charged me $120.00 to put the head into a new mounting. Even though platinum is a white metal, people often do this with yellow gold, as well (two-toned). I don't think it looks weird.
http://www.annharringtonjewelry.com/pegheads.html
^^^ On 2nd thought, these may have been the prices before the reduced cost. It might be cheaper to have your jeweler do everything for you (be sure to mention you want to do it because you learned the price of platinum has gone down).
After having some bad work done in the past, I went with a jeweler that was also a master goldsmith. Make sure he's reputable & knows what he's doing. The good ones typically own their own shops & make a lot of their own creations.
The earlier web-page gives you an idea of the different types of peg-heads there are.
Good luck!
After having some bad work done in the past, I went with a jeweler that was also a master goldsmith. Make sure he's reputable & knows what he's doing. The good ones typically own their own shops & make a lot of their own creations.
The earlier web-page gives you an idea of the different types of peg-heads there are.
Good luck!
Wow, it's actually pretty cheap!! A platinum princess head is only $210?? Is that accurate?! So what would they do?? Take out the head I'm using now and replace it with the platinum one?? They'd still use the same ring though right?? Just a different head?? The ring I have now originally came with a smaller head that did not fit my diamond so they had to change it and put in a bigger head. Can they do it again, or will it effect the ring from being changed so much??
(I'm so clueless!!)The price of any gold jewelry, especially 18k will definitely go up as the price of gold goes up. What I'm saying is that the price of platinum won't be that much cheaper in comparison to white gold even when the spot prices are really close.
Wow, it's actually pretty cheap!! A platinum princess head is only $210?? Is that accurate?! So what would they do?? Take out the head I'm using now and replace it with the platinum one?? They'd still use the same ring though right?? Just a different head?? The ring I have now originally came with a smaller head that did not fit my diamond so they had to change it and put in a bigger head. Can they do it again, or will it effect the ring from being changed so much??
I'm thinking they would just replace it. I've seen two metals merged that way, tho I've never had it done myself. I would think that it could be done again without affecting the ring. It's worth asking your jeweler.
I am so confused...I am going on a trip tomorrow and I'd like to get me some new bling...I hear diamond prices are low but gold is going up...so how are we supposed to negotiate a better price if gold is still expensive? I am going to a place where they sell wholesale...I just suck at negotiating (but I am taking my sister in law who is really good!)
Based on your argument, and the fact that indeed 18k Gold is roughly 75% gold while platinum is 90% or 95%, if platinum and gold are trading at identical prices (for theoretical purposes) there would only be a 15% price difference between 18k gold and PT900. I think most people would prefer platinum over white gold when the price is a mere 15% different, especially when you look at the qualities of platinum which make it a simply superior luxury metal.
-Platinum is hypoallergenic, white gold is not
-Platinum is significantly more durable, it never needs to be re-plated and loses virtually no metal when scratched (surface simply ripples), while white gold will need to be re-plated to maintain its white finish.
-Platinum is significantly stronger than white gold. There is much less of a concern for precious gems or diamonds becoming lose or falling out.
-Platinum is much rarer and fewer people wear platinum... its not just another white gold ring.
I mean the list could go on but even if you take into consideration that platinum is trading (as of today) at 1050 vs gold at 905 there is at maximum a 25-30% price difference in platinum and 18k gold when purity is taken into account.
Your going to want to make sure that you have a jeweler who is well versed in working with platinum and gold in conjunction. Platinum and gold have very different properties and it can be difficult to work with both in union. You will be happy with the results however, platinum heads are much stronger than their gold counterparts.
Buy platinum instead of gold? lol Im not really sure I understand what your getting at with this, yes golds price is still high while diamond prices may be low (not sure about this), so your obviously not going to be able to negotiate any better of a deal than you would have before. Give your money to your sister in law and hope for the best?
-VC
I'm not arguing that gold is better than platinum. I really like platinum, and if I could afford it my entire jewelry box would be stuffed with it. But my price argument was based more on the availablity of 18k white gold vs 14k white gold. In my area at least, your options at most jewelry stores is either 14k white gold or platinum. So with 14k white gold, the prices of gold and platinum aren't as much of a factor if you know what I mean. If price isn't a huge concern I'd say go with platinum anyway because it's more durable and because of the color. Also, I personally dislike the color of 18k white gold, I think it's a little weird compared to 14k WG and even platinum
The last quote of mine was from the OP saying that the price of gold jewelry at her jeweller went up as gold prices went up. I was basically trying to clarify that yes, gold jewelry gets more expensive as the price of spot gold rises, and if you normally buy 14k gold, even with gold and platinum being near parity, platinum isn't suddenly a bargain.
If you normally get 18k gold stuff, go for platinum. At the very least it's whiter than 18k white and has a whole lot of other stuff going for it. I think I should just work on becoming more articulate
I don't know if it's too late but the forums on pricescope.com have a lot of info on diamond jewelry prices and bargaining.