FH's band - Platinum vs White Gold vs Palladium?

I love palladium, but it's very light, so if he's looking for something more substantial, that might not work. Another con is that it can be difficult for jewelers to work with if they are not familiar with it (which some are not).

It's a pure metal though and does not tarnish.

@Powers2 thank you for your reply! He's definitely got a desk/admin job so I'm not too worried about it not being 'heavy' enough or anything like that.

ETA: By 'light' do you mean weight wise? Or do you mean, easily "crushable"? Or both?

Sorry I see you asked about white gold as well.

WG is fine, but it has to be redipped (in rhodium)every so often. It also will eventually wear thin (like 20-30 years of wear). However it polishes up easily.

Platinum is super dense and will never wear away like gold will, but of course it's the most expensive of the three and any repairs you may need down the line can be pricey.

(I used to work for an engagement ring manufacturer)

My FH went with palladium because it is so much cheaper than platinum. We both did some research and didn't any real cons to choosing that alternative material. FH wanted a very think band, so the light weight of the metal was a pro for him.

Op, no, not easily crushed/ damaged. It's just intrinsically a lighter element.

There's a definite difference in the "hand" of the metal - ask a local jeweler to let you feel a platinum band and then a palladium one of the same size and you will see what I mean.

Very cool--loved reading all of these. Thank you!

FH and I debated between Palladium and Platinum for mine but in the end settled on Platinum because I've never tried palladium and have several metal allergies. I heard good things about the palladium and it is significantly cheaper - especially when compared to platinum.

I adore my platinum band though. It stays sparkly even if I wait a little longer than usual between cleaning it, it holds up very well and its not very heavy either. I've also been told it's stronger than the palladium option, holds up better to rougher wear.

Palladium is not a new metal. It's been around a very long time and was used extensively in jewelry pieces in the early part of the 20th century -- especially in the 1940s, when gold and platinum were restricted for military uses... but I digress.

Platinum is very strong, is the most expensive and will get dull the fastest. It also has a grey/white quality.

White gold is strong, but there are various qualities of white gold these days -- most often in the United States it is alloyed with nickel and other metals to become 'white'. Jewelers will plate white gold with rhodium - this is what they are "dipping" It in... giving it a chrome or mirror like look. Unfortunately the rhodium will wear off and depending on the quality of the jewelry it can even give some people reactions to the nickel. Older white gold or European white gold is often alloyed with palladium -- which is a metal from the platinum family. If you want white gold I recommend getting this alloy over a nickel one.

Palladium by itself is very white and beautiful - it's lighter than platinum. You may have a hard time finding an experience jeweler to work on the ring and resizing these can be a challenge.

Good luck finding a ring you like!