Dear Hans Meevis, I was simply surprised that a jewelerwho
specializes in wedding rings has found that his customers are
betteroff buying white gold than platinum and says that it is easier
to replate white gold with rhodium than to fix dents and scratches
in platinum. I had never heard a comment like this before. In
general, jewelers have told me that the advantages of platinum (e.
g., hypoallergenic, not requiringplating, abrasion resistance)
surpass those of white gold. I agree with you that people should take
off their rings when doing hard work, gardening, or contact sports
and I always advise this. However, many people don’t want to take
their rings off for sentimental reasons orfor fear of losing them. I
tell them to at least select a low protectivesetting and to wear
gloves if possible. I also tell people that stamped rings generally
wear better than cast rings, but I have neverseen any data as to what
extent they wear better. Perhaps there was a casting problem with the
platinum rings the jeweler had sold. I do indicate advantages and
disadvantages of different platinum alloys based on from
the Platinum Guild and jewelers specializing in platinum, but there
is always something new to learn about possible alloys especially on
forums like Orchid. I suspect that this jeweler’s white gold rings
contain nickel, and I wondered what his experience would have been
over the years if his rings had been made of nickel-free white gold.
I think it is important to listen to people who sell a lot of
wedding rings and find solutions to the problems they encounter.
Renee Newman