What's your unpopular jewelry opinion?

[Swanky]

If you're not discussing unpopular opinions, then you're off topic. BE KIND and please stay on topic

 

[etoile de mer]

Platinum is 30 times rarer than gold. It’s denser than gold. It’s stronger than gold. It holds diamonds better than gold. It’s harder than gold in its pure form. It stays white. It doesn’t need to be alloyed. And it takes more craftsmanship and skill to utilize.

I think yellow gold has a certain romance to it. But, literally, humans have been making gold jewelry since the Bronze Age. It’s not a very technical material to work with. Give me a hammer and a piece of gold, and I could make you a ring.

When people talk about titles and ranks, platinum always goes above gold. I think there’s a common intuition that platinum is the superior metal. In fact, the origins of white gold were to mimic the appearance of platinum.

When you compare white gold to platinum, it’s just hard to see how white gold does any better or is more valuable than platinum in any jewelry sense.

White gold is lighter, which can be more comfortable for earrings. White gold is more ductile, which means you can theoretically create more ornate metal designs. At 18K, white gold is harder than platinum, so it is more scratch resistant. White gold is less dense and is alloyed up to 75%, which means you can make a lot more jewelry with less material. White gold is easier to work with, which means it doesn’t take as much time, training, or labor to produce a piece.

On color, white gold is buttery yellow. It’s only whiter than platinum once it’s rhodium plated, but platinum can also be rhodium plated.

On skill, white gold can have more elaborate metalwork. But that just means that the same design produced in platinum indicates a greater level of craftsmanship. There is a reason why white gold jewelry is so much more abundant than platinum jewelry in the marketplace.

On maintenance, white gold loses diamonds more readily. It needs to be replated to not show yellow. It loses microscopic amounts of gold whenever it’s scratched. Details in white gold are more prone to losing their clarity over time. White gold can also tarnish, because it is significantly alloyed.

On design, white gold theoretically should have a wider range of designs available because it’s easier to work with. Especially for naturalistic details such a horse’s mane or a peacock’s feather, platinum is probably too challenging or too expensive to utilize. But I feel that this distinction means very little, when the bulk of white gold is being used to produce the most rudimental shapes, like Cartier love bracelets or basic panthere rings. And for designs that feature very detailed metalwork, yellow gold is usually preferred to white gold, since it highlights the material a bit better and lends a more historical or romantic quality.

On comfort, white gold is more comfortable. It’s lighter. And this lightness scales up the more white gold or platinum the piece is using.

On heft, platinum feels more substantial since it’s weightier. Which of course is directly contrary to its potential comfort.

On cost, white gold should cost less. It takes less gold to produce the same volume of jewelry. The white gold is alloyed to 18K (or less), which further reduces the amount of gold input. The labor involved is also less. There is less training required to learn how to goldsmith.

On rarity, platinum is rarer than gold as a raw material. As a finished good, platinum jewelry is also rarer than white gold jewelry in the market. Some of that may be demand-driven, due to price consciousness or cultural factors that venerate gold. But on the supply side, the barriers and costs to create platinum jewelry are significantly higher, so this translates to less supply, even if the amounts of gold and platinum deposits around the world were equal.

On heritability, platinum makes better heirlooms to pass on than white gold. I used to buy a lot of antique jewelry, and the platinum stuff was always in better condition. Probably mostly related to how platinum requires less maintenance. Maybe also because platinum jewelry costed more money, so it was better treasured, though I don’t think that’s a great explanation. Either way, if you want your jewelry to last 200 years, platinum does a better job on average.

Maybe in another hundred years, if jewelers learn to master rhodium metallurgy, then that would be considered superior to platinum. But for now, amongst serious buyers of jewelry, platinum reigns supreme. And between platinum and white gold, there’s really no contest. Especially because the historical/cultural factors that lead to yellow gold (or even rose gold) to be admired are not present when it concerns white gold.

Overall, I think white gold does a poor job competing with platinum when it concerns luxury, craftsmanship, or quality. And white gold does a poor job competing with yellow gold when it concerns beauty, distinctiveness, or symbolism.

Summarized so well and I completely agree. I don't own any white gold jewelry. It's never made sense to me to try to turn a yellow metal "white" , when platinum is a better choice for durability, longevity, securing stones, etc... Also, some alloys used in white gold can cause allergic reactions to those who are sensitive (I can't tolerate anything with nickel). So, I'd always choose platinum! I also love sterling silver for pieces without gems. To my eye, the color of silver is much more beautiful than the color of white gold, or even platinum. Being softer, and prone to tarnishing, silver's not ideal for all purposes, but still lovely to own. I know some find it a bother, but it's very easy to maintain by oneself with periodic polishing.

 

[cromagnon]

unpopular opinion: Love and JUC are so plain and boring. It’s neither intricate nor industrial enough. It’s unisex, yet in the most possible boring way. I don’t see “edginess” even when I am looking under microscope. May be that’s the reason as to why so many people stack it with other bracelets to bring more “life” to it.

 

[Vintage Leather]

unpopular opinion: Love and JUC are so plain and boring. It’s neither intricate nor industrial enough. It’s unisex, yet in the most possible boring way. I don’t see “edginess” even when I am looking under microscope. May be that’s the reason as to why so many people stack it with other bracelets to bring more “life” to it.

Aldo Cipullo, the designer of JUC was inspired to make during a sleepless night after watching Jesus Christ, Superstar and meditating on his own religious beliefs in childhood. (From Vivian Becker’s book “Making Jewelry Modern”)

If you see it as a commitment to a life of sacrifice, it’s not edgy, but it is powerful.

If you see it as a commentary on commercial Christianity, it’s ironic.

When it’s something you got because you thought it was pretty, it’s just pretty.

Unpopular Opinion: stories make jewelry a lot more interesting and beautiful

 

[lorihmatthews]

I still can't warm up to lab diamonds.

*ducks*

 

[A bottle of Red]

I still can't warm up to lab diamonds.

*ducks*

Same here

 

[blinggirl74]

Same here

Ditto. It just seems off to me.

 

[Carinecrd]

This is true for some designs.
Example the Chanel coco crush and Chaumet BML series.

Chaumet BML collection is just SO beautiful !

 

[darkangel07760]

Adding a white metal bracelet to a stack of rose gold bracelets makes the rose gold pop. 🥰

 

[Mcandy]

I find vca necklaces very dainty. I feel like you only bought the name when it comes to vca. Very delicate too for the price. Im not fond of fake but if I had to, itll be vca necklaces. The fake ones are even more substantial

 

[newheart]

Lately, I am starting to dislike my fine jewelry because i feel too worried about them.

Also, I feel like sterling silver jewelry is high cost costume jewelry. With my costume jewelry I don't have to clean and polish them often.

 

[Mrs.Mac28]

I still can't warm up to lab diamonds.

*ducks*

I’m with you. But I can’t warm up to any stone that is “lab created” probably because back when I met my husband in 1988 he was looking to buy me an emerald ring. My late mother kept yelling “do not buy lab created emeralds, they are fake stones and are worth nothing!” My husband wound up buying me a natural emerald ring, but I never really knew what “lab created” meant or was until several years ago. It’s just not for me. *ducks*

 

[limom]

I’m with you. But I can’t warm up to any stone that is “lab created” probably because back when I met my husband in 1988 he was looking to buy me an emerald ring. My late mother kept yelling “do not buy lab created emeralds, they are fake stones and are worth nothing!” My husband wound up buying me a natural emerald ring, but I never really knew what “lab created” meant or was until several years ago. It’s just not for me. *ducks*

Wow, the technology is that old?

 

[Mrs.Mac28]

Wow, the technology is that old?

Apparently. I’m not sure about other stones, but there were lab created emeralds back in 1988/89.

 

[GraffS]

I still can't warm up to lab diamonds.

*ducks*

And I never will! They get cheaper each day.
My friend has just bought a pair of IGI certified lab diamonds 1+ carat each for $ 700. So the earrings in total would be like $850-900 maybe.
These will be cheap copies of her original diamond studs for $15K.

 

[Pursephile]

And I never will! They get cheaper each day.
My friend has just bought a pair of IGI certified lab diamonds 1+ carat each for $ 700. So the earrings in total would be like $850-900 maybe.
These will be cheap copies of her original diamond studs for $15K.

What’s also kind of insane is the markups on lab grown diamonds, still. I know someone in the biz (well), I wanted to get lab grown copies of my own studs for travel. They said they’ll do me a solid and give me a good price, and essentially gave me 75% off the price they charge in the market. And I’m pretty sure they would’ve still made some profit on the transaction.