AME: Why is white gold used instead of platinum by VCA?

T

tbbbjb

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Jul 21, 2006
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#1
This question was posted on the VCA support and addiction group and the following is one of the answers that was received. Followed by my response, but I would really appreciate if some experts chimed in, because I am by no means one.

texasgirliegirl said:
Does anybody know why VCA sets pave diamonds in wg instead of platinum?
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couturequeen said:
My guess is because platinum is softer. For these prices, you would expect platinum pieces!
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lisabmiller said:
White gold is much "whiter" than platinum. Diamonds look brighter and whiter in white gold. Platinum usually has to be dipped in rhodium to make it look as bright as white gold. But platinum is not as soft as gold.
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If that is the case than why do all the top jewelers put their biggest stones in platinum? I can guarantee you that my tiffany diamond with platinum prongs is not plated in rhodium. And neither is anyone else's that I know of. Also, it costs more to use raw platinum material plain and simple and you also need special tools which is why more jewelers shy away from it. But I have never heard of it being softer than say 18kt yellow or have the need to be rhodium plated. I believe it just needs a polish with the right tools and it smooths out the scratches without any metal loss like you see with gold. But I really hope AME chimes in with her wisdom.
 
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#2
Perhaps, metalworking is easier. Platinum is not for making small jobs, making "perlee", etc. Also, platinum is heavier. 20-motif vintage alhambra is already quite heavy.
 
#3
My craftsman doesn't like working with platinum. He says it's a difficult metal to work with, time consuming, you can't simply melt it down like gold and there's a lot of wastage. My guess is a lot of haute joaillerie now use WG for those reasons. Also, platinum doesn't need to be rhodium-dipped but there are some craftsmen who do that to make it even whiter.
 
#6
I wish this site would work on my PC at work without a million workarounds. I just typed up a nice long response and it ate it by "timing out" due to "security" or whatever it does every time I post more than a single line.

ANYWAY...

First and foremost: White gold is NOT white. It's pale yellow (usually) or pale gray (less common), depending on the alloy used with the gold. The reason it is ever "white" at all is rhodium plating. It's NOT WHITE. Nor is it whiter than Platinum. Platinum is naturally white-gray without plating.

Texas GirlyGirl: unless it's alloyed with palladium or another white metal, white gold will usually require replating as it's not white, it's usually yellow.

As for the "reasoning" behind white gold over platinum...since I don't work there I can only speculate. If I was to assume:

DIFFICULTY: While I would expect a company of that stature to invest in the craftsman worthy of those pieces...Most craftsmen do not prefer to work with, or are even remotely skilled in, working with platinum. It takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and very high heat, to mold the platinum how it would need to be. Many of those items are probably cast and hand finished/hand set, and gold is easier to cast and work with than platinum. Fully hand-wrought pieces are usually done better in platinum, with less waste than casting.

COST: Platinum is more expensive to obtain. A lot is also wasted in the process of working with it. White gold/gold is generally cheaper to obtain, and less is wasted in the process. They make much more profit at the end using gold than plat.
 
#7
ame said:
I wish this site would work on my PC at work without a million workarounds. I just typed up a nice long response and it ate it by "timing out" due to "security" or whatever it does every time I post more than a single line.

ANYWAY...

First and foremost: White gold is NOT white. It's pale yellow (usually) or pale gray (less common), depending on the alloy used with the gold. The reason it is ever "white" at all is rhodium plating. It's NOT WHITE. Nor is it whiter than Platinum. Platinum is naturally white-gray without plating.

Texas GirlyGirl: unless it's alloyed with palladium or another white metal, white gold will usually require replating as it's not white, it's usually yellow.

As for the "reasoning" behind white gold over platinum...since I don't work there I can only speculate. If I was to assume:

DIFFICULTY: While I would expect a company of that stature to invest in the craftsman worthy of those pieces...Most craftsmen do not prefer to work with, or are even remotely skilled in, working with platinum. It takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and very high heat, to mold the platinum how it would need to be. Many of those items are probably cast and hand finished/hand set, and gold is easier to cast and work with than platinum. Fully hand-wrought pieces are usually done better in platinum, with less waste than casting.

COST: Platinum is more expensive to obtain. A lot is also wasted in the process of working with it. White gold/gold is generally cheaper to obtain, and less is wasted in the process. They make much more profit at the end using gold than plat.
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thank you for the information! It's good to know.
 
#8
ame said:
I wish this site would work on my PC at work without a million workarounds. I just typed up a nice long response and it ate it by "timing out" due to "security" or whatever it does every time I post more than a single line.

ANYWAY...

First and foremost: White gold is NOT white. It's pale yellow (usually) or pale gray (less common), depending on the alloy used with the gold. The reason it is ever "white" at all is rhodium plating. It's NOT WHITE. Nor is it whiter than Platinum. Platinum is naturally white-gray without plating.

Texas GirlyGirl: unless it's alloyed with palladium or another white metal, white gold will usually require replating as it's not white, it's usually yellow.

As for the "reasoning" behind white gold over platinum...since I don't work there I can only speculate. If I was to assume:

DIFFICULTY: While I would expect a company of that stature to invest in the craftsman worthy of those pieces...Most craftsmen do not prefer to work with, or are even remotely skilled in, working with platinum. It takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and very high heat, to mold the platinum how it would need to be. Many of those items are probably cast and hand finished/hand set, and gold is easier to cast and work with than platinum. Fully hand-wrought pieces are usually done better in platinum, with less waste than casting.

COST: Platinum is more expensive to obtain. A lot is also wasted in the process of working with it. White gold/gold is generally cheaper to obtain, and less is wasted in the process. They make much more profit at the end using gold than plat.
Click to expand...

Thanks AME, you are the best! I can always count on you with accurate information in a way that us lay people can understand, Thanks again. Hope you are having a lovely day!
 
#9
einseine said:
Perhaps, metalworking is easier. Platinum is not for making small jobs, making "perlee", etc. Also, platinum is heavier. 20-motif vintage alhambra is already quite heavy.
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Tiffany uses Platinum in their diamonds by the yard line instead of white gold. So, I really do not think it has that much more weight to it.
 
#10
it does actually weigh quite a bit more. I have no idea why Tiffany selected plat for DBTY over WG since they offer YG and RG...Though I am glad bec if I ever buy one, it will have to be plat.
 
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#11
tbbbjb said:
Tiffany uses Platinum in their diamonds by the yard line instead of white gold. So, I really do not think it has that much more weight to it.
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Because DBTY design does not require much metal. So the price difference between YG and Platinum is minimum. If VCA made alhambra necklaces in platinum and WG, the price difference would be HUGE and the platinum one would be quite heavy.

Have you worn a Love Bracelet in platinum? Much more heavier than the WG one, and it costs as expensive as the diamond one.:smile:
 
#12
einseine said:
Because DBTY design does not require much metal. So the price difference between YG and Platinum is minimum. If VCA made alhambra necklaces in platinum and WG, the price difference would be HUGE and the platinum one would be quite heavy.

Have you worn a Love Bracelet in platinum? Much more heavier than the WG one, and it costs as expensive as the diamond one.:smile:
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I'd agree with that! My old WG diamond ring was SO MUCH LIGHTER than my new platinum one and they were the same "style" basically. Platinum is way heavier and the 20 motif necklaces are already quite weighty!!
 
#13
surfergirljen said:
I'd agree with that! My old WG diamond ring was SO MUCH LIGHTER than my new platinum one and they were the same "style" basically. Platinum is way heavier and the 20 motif necklaces are already quite weighty!!
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But, I am specifically curious about their pave diamond earrings that they choose not to use platinum when some of these earrings go for tens of thousands of dollars. That is were it makes no sense to me, not the entry line (being the Alhambra in this case) but their high jewelry.
 
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