Good Platinum Ring?
Q: I am in the market for a quality platinum mens wedding band. I've read
from some of the experts, and appreciate you folks posting on here.
Some questions I have are what should I ask jewelers to ensure I'm
getting the best quality material and craftsmanship?
My jeweler mentioned his platinum is "lighter" than most because is
contains more platinum and less of other metals used in lesser quality
rings. What does he mean by this?
What are some of the tell tale signs of superior quality platinum
rings (material and craftsmanship)?
A:This sounds like your jeweler doesn't actually know as much about platinum
alloys as he should. Platinum jewelery sold in the U.S. is most commonly
either 90 percent platinum (in which case the alloying metal is usually iridium,
another of the platinum group metals, used to harden the alloy, and which is
more expensive than the platinum itself), ir it's 95 percent platinum (to allow
it to meet stamping laws letting it be marked just as platinum, instead of
indicating the alloy percentage, and to allow sales in europe meeting those same
standards). The 95 percent platinum alloys are often alloyed with cobalt, or
ruthenium, and a few other choices and combinations. There is also one small
group of platinum alloys that can be heat treated to exceptional hardness and
durability that are alloyed with a rather more exotic cocktail of other metals,
but their platinum content is still in these ranges.
The kicker to your jewelers statement is that platinum is denser than those less
costly metals that may be alloyed with platinum. So if his platinum is
actually lighter, then something is very very wrong here. My guess is that it's
not his platinum that's wrong, but rather his understanding of platinum.
for quality issues, it depends a lot on what design your looking for. If you
want just a plain unadorned band, then almost any commercially die struck band
will be fine quality. Die struck pieces are a bit denser (less porosity in the
metal) and harder, and thus more durable, than cast metal. but about all you
can get that's made this way are plain traditional half round, flat, comfort
fit, and millgrain edged wedding bands. Some may also have been "diamond cut"
with various machined in patterns.
More more exclusive designs, a greater percentage of platinum jewelry is either
hand made from rolled and drawn sheet metal and wire (just as dense as die
struck, but may have solder seams showing where it's assembled), or most
commonly, it's cast. Casting allows great efficiencies in manufacturing, and is
cheaper than hand fabricating a piece. The metal MIGHT be a bit softer,
however, depending on the alloy and how the casting is later worked into the
ring.
things to look for would be thicker cross sections, since platinum's softness
can make it easier to bend and distort, so a heavier band will be less likely to
get out of shape. Also, if the piece is high polished, look carefully for tiny
pits and defects in the metal, especially right at the bottom of the shank (if
the design has such), or at thick sections. If the piece is hand fabricated,
look to see if the solder seams are overly visible. Depending on the types of
solder used, they can range from visibly greyer lines, or even slightly softer
and thus depressed lines in the metal, to totally invisible. the latter is of
course, better. If the piece is set with diamonds or other stones, examine the
settings for uniformity and for enough metal holding the stones. If its'
engraved or otherwise ornamented, look at the precision and uniformity of that
work too.
The important thing to look