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What is 'plating' in terms of platinum jewelry

I have just returned from a very romantic weekend in Paris where my boyfriend proposed to me at the top of the Eiffel tower with what I thought was a beautiful white gold diamond ring. Later that day he told me it was in fact Platinum and I was delighted since I loved it already and I thought it would look as beautiful for longer. Having arrived back home to show off my beautiful ring to all of my friends they have informed me that in order to care for it I will need to get it 'replated ' every so often. What do they mean? How often will this need doing? How much will it cost me? Would I have been better off if I had been given a white gold ring instead? I thought platinum was supposed to be so much better. Incidentally one of my friends does have a white gold wedding ring. Would this be plated? It is very white.

Pauline Onley
- Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK
2002

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Congratulations on your engagement and please don't worry about your platinum ring. Your fiance used good judgment so wear it and enjoy it.

Neil Bell
Red Sky Plating

Albuquerque, New Mexico

2002

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You can't beat platinum! Don't tell your friend, but platinum is a good 3x as expensive as white gold.

Your friend's ring is rhodium plated to make it bright. Both platinum and white gold can be rhodium plated quite inexpensively (less than $100) if desired. It's a matter of whether you prefer the mirror-like bling of rhodium plating or the softer color of the platinum.

White gold is a mixture of regular yellow gold with other white metals that whiten it up; but with so much gold in it it never gets brilliant white, and today almost all white gold is routinely rhodium plated. it's possible for the plating to last a few years, but we have dozens of reports here that indicate that these days it usually doesn't. No matter what look you prefer, platinum is a better answer.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

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