I need to buy an 18 K white gold chain...should I buy Tiffany?

[closetluxe]

I'd like to buy an 18 K white gold chain that I could wear by itself or with pendants. I just recently bought an Effy sterling silver pendant necklace that I would like to change out with a white gold chain instead. Does anyone have any experience with buying just a chain from Tiffany's? If yes, are they sturdy? And lastly, will Tiffany redip the gold if it starts to fade? Below is the pendant necklace whose sterling silver chain I’d like to swap out with a white gold one.

 

[periogirl28]

I have bought WG and Plat chains from Tiffany, they also shortened them in-house to 15” for me. They are beautifully made and have that fineness, strength and elegance I admire.

 

[closetluxe]

I have bought WG and Plat chains from Tiffany, they also shortened them in-house to 15” for me. They are beautifully made and have that fineness, strength and elegance I admire.

Oh wow, great to know! What length did you buy them originally? For the wg one, can you get them redipped? Do you even need to? What is the difference between the wg vs. platinum? If I could buy only one, which one would you recommend? TIA

 

[periogirl28]

Oh wow, great to know! What length did you buy them originally? For the wg one, can you get them redipped? Do you even need to?

I bought 16” and they returned the extra. I have never had to get the chains redipped though, so I do not know if they have that service. Only the silver ones occasionally needs polishing, but Tiffany silver is good quality as well. HTH!

 

[closetluxe]

I bought 16” and they returned the extra. I have never had to get the chains redipped though, so I do not know if they have that service. Only the silver ones occasionally needs polishing, but Tiffany silver is good quality as well. HTH!

Can I ask why you got a wg one and a platinum one? Is there much difference between the 2? I was thinking of getting a wg and yg one. Didn't consider platinum one...maybe I should?

 

[periogirl28]

Can I ask why you got a wg one and a platinum one? Is there much difference between the 2? I was thinking of getting a wg and yg one. Didn't consider platinum one...maybe I should?

Oh they were to match the material of my specific pendants. The shade of silver vs WG vs Pt to me are very different. I'm not sure if this is true but I was also told never to wear gold and Pt against each other due to the difference in hardness, as it causes unequal wear. I might becompletely wrong so you can also just chalk it down to me being OCD.

 

[closetluxe]

Oh they were to match the material of my specific pendants. The shade of silver vs WG vs Pt to me are very different. I'm not sure if this is true but I was also told never to wear gold and Pt against each other due to the difference in hardness, as it causes unequal wear. I might becompletely wrong so you can also just chalk it down to me being OCD.

I never thought about the difference in hardness. Great point. I think I should take my pendant in and see what matches better or ask the SA which metal they recommend I wear with my silver pendant. Thanks again for all your great replies and help.

 

[JamesMax]

oh really, this is the best silver pendant and also a very attractive or smooth pendant, I really like this because it is very simple and beautiful, made of metal which will be a strong pendant, awesome

 

[SPBiaes]

platinum is whiter than white gold, since platinum is a naturally white metal and white gold being an alloy with gold...well it naturally carries some yellow undertone even if it’s mixed with palladium instead of nickel (the yellow undertone can of course be hidden with rhodium plating). Pt also has that softer glow that WG and silver doesn’t always carry. Silver’s white can be a little pale comparing to Pt IMO, so it’s more “vibrant” and “outgoing” looking.

 

[foxgal]

Is the butterfly silver? Note that silver and gold are different hardness, like the above comments re platinum, they will wear against each other. I’ve also found wearing silver and gold together exacerbated the silver tarnishing and black on my skin. Just something to keep in mind....

 

[closetluxe]

platinum is whiter than white gold, since platinum is a naturally white metal and white gold being an alloy with gold...well it naturally carries some yellow undertone even if it’s mixed with palladium instead of nickel (the yellow undertone can of course be hidden with rhodium plating). Pt also has that softer glow that WG and silver doesn’t always carry. Silver’s white can be a little pale comparing to Pt IMO, so it’s more “vibrant” and “outgoing” looking.

Thank you for this most detailed explanation of the differences. When you say vibrant and outgoing, are you referring to the platinum?

 

[closetluxe]

Is the butterfly silver? Note that silver and gold are different hardness, like the above comments re platinum, they will wear against each other. I’ve also found wearing silver and gold together exacerbated the silver tarnishing and black on my skin. Just something to keep in mind....

Yes, it is silver. Never thought of the interaction between metals in terms of the gold tarnishing the silver quicker. Is there something I can do about it? Can I dip the butterfly in gold? I really love the design.

 

[foxgal]

Yes, it is silver. Never thought of the interaction between metals in terms of the gold tarnishing the silver quicker. Is there something I can do about it? Can I dip the butterfly in gold? I really love the design.

Not sure. Honestly, I’d just stick with the silver chain. I love the color of silver and it looks like a nice solid chain. Most quality silver pieces I’ve had have never tarnished, especially when worn 24/7, and if they do, it’s pretty easy to get the tarnish off. Was there any reason in particular you wanted to switch it to gold?

 

[closetluxe]

Not sure. Honestly, I’d just stick with the silver chain. I love the color of silver and it looks like a nice solid chain. Most quality silver pieces I’ve had have never tarnished, especially when worn 24/7, and if they do, it’s pretty easy to get the tarnish off. Was there any reason in particular you wanted to switch it to gold?

The chain is a little longer than I like. I usually like to wear a shorter chain ~15-16 inch and there is no option to shorten the chain. When the pendant is dainty I like to wear it higher up so it's more visible.

 

[foxgal]

The chain is a little longer than I like. I usually like to wear a shorter chain ~15-16 inch and there is no option to shorten the chain. When the pendant is dainty I like to wear it higher up so it's more visible.

An...gotcha!