The Pleasures of Palladium

The jewelers best kept secret here, as far as custom work is concerned, is palladium. It's a sister metal to platinum, without the weight or price tag. The same ring in platinum verses palladium is about 40% heavier.

While guys tend to appreciate the weight, people like my customer Cherie don't want to feel weighed down by their jewelry. "I'm really active and a heavy ring, is nice because it let's me know it's there, but not something I like for everyday."

Palladium wears like platinum, in the sense that overtime it will develop patina, or a dull appearance that is remedied by a quick trip to your jeweler. Other than that, it's a naturally occurring white metal, that's hypoallergenic, and doesn't have the heavy handed price tag that platinum does.

You can always email me, or check us on facebook with any questions. Or you can check out the Palladium Guild's facebook for more info.

(P.S. They are running an awesome giveaway.)

Platium Particulars

Platinum is the most expensive metal to have jewelry made in. (Even though briefly, gold was more expensive.) For some people buying platinum is a status symbol. Platinum is one of the rarest elements in the earth's crust, attributing to it's price.

But for others platinum is the only thing they can wear. It's hypoallergenic. A lot  people who have a metal allergy, it tends to be from gold. Because most gold jewelry on the market is not 24 karat, pure gold, it causes a reaction in those with sensitive skin. When I see 14k gold, (get ready for fraction time) it's 14/24 parts gold, so just over half gold. The reason this is done is because pure gold, isn't white, and doesn't hold stones as well as if it were alloyed with other metals.

 However platinum, isn't alloyed, or mixed with other metals in order to use it in jewelry. We can use it in it's pure form.

Platinum is 40% heavier than gold. So, if I dropped two identical bands into your hands, you would easily feel the weight difference in the platinum.  And from working in a jewelry store I've noticed, men typically prefer the heavier ring. They like its feeling. It's a constant reminder that it's still on.

It is also a naturally occurring white metal. Unlike white gold, which has to be rhodium flashed once a year, platinum never loses it's grey-white color. The thing about platinum, it nicks. This causes it to develop a  dull appearance (called patina), but that's quickly taken care of by a trip to the jeweler.

Platinum also wears better over time. An example I use with customers is: if I put a rock of gold and a rock of platinum against a grind stone and left them for the day an interesting thing would happen. The gold would end up as a pile of gold dust on the floor, while platinum would have become an amorphous blob. This probably accounts the the number of vintage platinum jewelry that we still see being worn on a regular basis.

Hope this answers any questions about platinum, let me know if there is something that I didn't cover

White Gold -- Exposed!

Just had a great conversation with a customer about her ring. She bought it from another store and was adamant that she got white gold. She's had her ring about a year and now it's yellowing.

I reassured her and told her, that's normal.

All white gold, starts as yellow gold. It's mixed with whiter metals that make it whiter, but still not quite that bright shiny white that we are attracted to. From there the gold is rhodium flashed, which gives it that bright white finish that we love.

That rhodium typically wears off in about 12-18 months, it really depends on the ph of the person. From what I have seen natural redheads wear through it quicker, and pregnant women leech through it with lightening speed.

If you are not excited about your gold turning yellow, you can opt for platinum (I'll write a pro and con entry on this later), or palladium (which is a sister metal to platinum). Both platinum and palladium are naturally white metals.

Diamond Color part 1

One of the four “C’s” and the first one I education my customers on is color, or how white the diamond is. Diamonds can come in all colors, but before you run out and search for a colored stone, make sure that’s what she wants, particularly if it is going to be set in an engagement ring.

Diamonds have a color scale from D-Z

D, E, and F are the bright ice white diamonds. G has a slight amount of body color, and for reference’s sake, Z is the color of Red Bull. Most people tend to favor the whiter stones, while some people side with a diamond with a little more warmth to it.

The color of your center stone really begins to matter when I am setting it in a mounting with side diamonds. For instance, if my side stones are colorless (F or better) and I put something even as close as an I, the difference is going to be startling (not in a sexy “is that a canary yellow diamond”, but a “Is something wrong with that center?” sort of way).

Another factor to note is diamonds pick up the color of the metal they are set in. Meaning that if you are setting your diamond in white gold, platinum and palladium it’s more important to use a whiter diamond to avoid a contrast, while there is more lee-way with yellow gold.

When viewing diamonds, try to wear neutral colored clothing. I made an interesting mistake of wearing a deep green when showing my customer a diamond, while he was thinking about the stone at home he could have sworn the diamond had a greenish hue. View the diamond against a white background, and other stones to double check the color. Or cheat and double check the certification -- if the diamond is certified.