Pros and Cons to Palladium January 4, 2007
Posted by Jill Renee in : Buying Engagement Rings, Buying Jewelry, Palladium Jewelry , trackbackAt our consumer jewelry site DanforthDiamond.com I received a very good question about palladium. Below I have posted the question and my answer concerning the pros and cons of palladium. – Jill
I have been looking at engagement rings lately with my boyfriend recently and have heard a little about palladium. I found your website very informative, but it is very hard to find information on palladium. Are there any downsides to a palladium engagement ring? It seems that it is almost identical to platinum, except for the price and the fact that palladium is lighter in weight, which are both appealing characteristics to me. I feel like this is too good to be true and I am finding it difficult to get more information. I found a ring that is made by a very reputable ring designer which can be made in palladium and I would like to know if I would be happy with a palladium engagement ring for the rest of my life. Are there cons to all the pros of palladium? I really appreciate any additional information you can give me.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
Dear Stephanie,
The only con to palladium jewelry is that it is a harder metal to manufacture with. However, this should not affect your purchase in any way. It matters most to the jeweler who is more accustomed to working with gold and platinum than the consumer. If you have seen a palladium ring and you like it you should not hesitate to make the purchase. Hope this helps and all the best wishes, Jill Renee
Comments»
Jill,
Your webpage is a Godsend! I think I speak on behalf of all of the guys lost in the search for the perfect diamond engagement ring: Thanks for all of your help!
I am a big fan of platinum – i like the “white/silver” look as it is very clean. My girlfriend likes it as well. I was unaware of the palladium option until recently.
Please let me know how much I can save by going the Pd route (instead of Pt). I am currently considering two rings – both with platinum setting right now in the classic “Tiffany” design.
The ring i am leaning towards is a 1.58carat Si-2 F. Its very clear to my untrained eye, except for one small carbon speck (typical for that caliber of diamond, from what I was told).
I am curious how much I can save by going with Palladium? They quoted me 8500.00 (platinum), but I think with a little work I can get it even lower… so if they come down to 8K, how much more can I save with Pd instead of Platinum?
It seems like the better alternative. My girl doesn’t wear much jewelry, and she is thin, with thin fingers, so the lighter metal looks good and makes sense.
I need to know so I know how much to set aside for the big purchase. Thanks again!
One more follow up – can you please clarify one more thing for me – how much is the aforementioned band/setting (in the platinum) and how much is actually stone?
I was advised earlier today to put my $ in the stone, not the setting, as her her preference may change over time. That makes a lot of sense.
If the total package is around $8000.00, how much is attributed to the platinum?
Current market prices are 1200 for platinum and 344 for palladium. Would that directly translate into jewelry setting that would make palladium almost a 4th less in comparison to Pt?
Dear Mr Confused,
Thank you for your kind comments regarding the Danforth Diamond Website. We put a lot of effort into making it the most informative diamond jewelry site on the Web.
Palladium may be a good option for you. I selected a 3mm heavy weight classic solitaire (style #117) for an example. In 14k the cost is $150, palladium = $160, platinum = $350. So you can save $190 for a basic solitaire, heavier rings and bridal sets (your going to need a band) will increase your savings. However, the largest opportunity is with the diamond.
For example I found two 1.5 carat, GIA certified diamonds that match your requirements for approx $7800, which saves another $600 vs your current diamond. Total savings for the most important purchase of a life time priceless (or $790).
Congratulations,
Jill R
In the debate of Palladium vs Platinum, if both equal 950 purity + (Ir or Ru), is the hardness and whiteness of palladium and platinum the same?
Palladium has a lower metal density level than platinum that is why it is so much cheaper though both are the same family and both rare. Palladium is, however, 12.6% harder than platinum so it is more scrath resistant. Both metals do require mcuh more heat than gold to reapir or size so stones are in danger of ‘cooking’. Also, platinum has NO metal memory which means if it is knocked and or bent, it will not spring back to its origianl shape like gold will. Palladium has more metal memory than platinum, but not as much as gold. Both metals do require more polishing, and will not hold a mirror polish as long as gold will. Palladium is a pure white metal though and is more white in appearance than platinum and does not have to be rhodium plated as does white gold.
i have with me a several pieces of Palladium weighing 240 kilogram each with the serial no. FCB 30889, 30890, ETC…which we recovered recently with my group here in the Philippines. Can we make good of this metals? HOW?
Jill,
I really like your palladium rings. I recently bought an engagement ring, which was absolutely perfect and was about to buy a palladium wedding ring, but I noticed that the price increased from $360 to $500 on the ring that I liked and others had similar increases. At the same time, palladium metal has decreased in price to <$200/ounce. This sudden 39% price increase seems odd to me and puts your rings that were once attractively priced out of my price range. What is the reason for this price increase? Will it go down in the near future? I would really like to support your wonderful business.
~Brian
I was wondering if palladium was hypo-allergenic like platinum. I am allergic to gold and have been looking for a less expensive option for platinum. The palladium jewelry has the look that I love, but I was wondering if I would develop an allergy to it as well
`karin
i recently bought a ring that i was told was palladium, it has a very white finsh to it and does feel lighter than comparable white gold rings. my fiance just went to get it cleaned and the jeweler noticed that it was stamped as being 14k. I don’t think palladium would be stamped this way seeing that it is usally only done with gold. The jeweler also said that it appeared that the ring was scratched a lot more than they would expect seeing that it has only been worn for a few months. The color is still very white and does not look like it is wearing at all like white gold dipped in rhodium would be. Questions: Does it sound like this is really a palladium ring? How easily is palladium scratched compared to gold? How would i be able to figure out what exactly this is? Please help me!!
If your ring is stamped 14k it should be 14k gold by law. This does not mean that it was stamped incorrectly and that it might be palladium. You should have the metal tested because from the way you say the metal is wearing it sounds like palladium to me. You can get it tested by a local jeweler by having him heat the ring shank. If its 14k gold when heated it will oxidize and turn black;Palladium will turn a blueish hue.
Thank you, Sincerely, Jill Renee
Hi, looking for a bit of advise please. My fiance has a 18k white gold engagement ring and we are now looking at wedding rings. as my fiance is a nurse she would be only wearing her wedding band to work and we were looking at palladium for the wedding ring as we believe white gold may need re coated on a regular basis? would this be a good choice? Also if both rings were worn together is there any likelyhood of one dmaging the other. i.e can both be worn together?
Hi Eric! Both rings can be worn together. However, the 18KW will probably wear the palladium over time since the palladium is much softer. The palladium will not need plating, but will mark and burnish much faster and therefore lose it’s shine quicker. The 18K white ring will possibly need rhodium plating over time. Hope this helps.