<p>It’s probably easier if you present it in the box.</p>
<p>BCEagle, Yesssss. A diamond set in white gold presented in a black velvet box is stunning. If a man took all the effort to plan an elaborate risky proposal scheme, and instead divided that effort into several everday loving gestures and acts of kindness, how could a girl not say “Yes”??</p>
<p>fus1981, what is your opinion of moissanite for daily use?</p>
<p>fsu, I’ve always heard that platinum is the more resilient setting. Is cost the only factor that should determine the choice between them?</p>
<p>Platinum is very strong and hard stuff.</p>
<p>When H proposed, he gave me a zirconia solitaire and we shopped for the replacement ring together. I think it was a better idea than a surprise that might not fit my finger or preferences.</p>
<p>I don’t know about “better.” I think by the time a lot of guys are at that stage they have a decent idea of the GF’s preferences by way of hypothetical discussions, comments about friend’s settings, cuts etc. Especially if she likes a classic style. There’s nothing wrong with either strategy, IMO.</p>
<p>Roshke, there are differing opinions on which is better for a setting. In our store, we recommend white gold over platinum. Platinum is more maleable than gold, so that when under stress it will flex and stretch vs 14k or 18K gold(an alloy of gold , nickel, palladium) which is stronger, and more resistent to flexing but if put under enough stress, could potentially bend or break. Because platinum is softer than gold, you will quickly see more scratching and a general dulling of the finish…creating a finish that resembles pewter. Platinum is more expensive to purchase than gold so many customers believe it must be better. Platinum is also more expensive to repair and re-size. The shiny finish on white gold will last much longer. In the end, customers will go in either direction based on their own personal preferences. </p>
<p>I am not a gemologist (but I do work closely with 2 certified gemologists and a master goldsmith) and most of my knowledge is based on stones that we sell or take in for repairs. Diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies. I am aware of moissanite and have heard of its use instead of CZ, but I have to admit I’ve never seen it up close. We do take in repairs and custom work for customers with other semi-precious stones, so that is when you see evidence of how well a stone or metal will wear.</p>
<p>For those who want information on purchasing diamonds, read pricescope dot com.</p>
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<p>I attest to that; I took trash outside to a built-in area where we keep the cans and got stung by wasps as I was putting trash in the can. My entire hand swelled up in a few minutes. Ended up going to the emergency room where the ER folks had to cut off my wedding band. It took forever and they kept complaining that because it was platinum it was impossible to cut. They ended up using a saw-like object, which was just as painful as the wasp stings. The good new was that I ended up with a beautiful new band!</p>
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<p>I have platinum eagles, gold eagles, maples Krugerrands, philharmonicas and pandas and the gold coins with out hardeners scratch really easily compared to the platinum eagle. In general, I have to be far more careful with gold coins compared to platinum coins.</p>
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<p>Platinum has been mostly cheaper than gold for the last year.</p>
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<p>I read that Rhodium is used as a common outer coat for white gold. Rhodium is a member of the Platinum Metals Group and is rather expensive too.</p>
<p>Well, BCE you make it sound like you’re sitting on a pile of coins with gold on one side and platinum on the other side. Anyway, I viewed yellow gold as my mom’s or nana’s jewelry so I thought I was being hip and cool by picking platinum.</p>
<p>The price of platinum vs gold per ounce on the trading market has not yet translated to a price reduction in the cost of jewelry. A platinum mounting is still 3x as costly as a similarly cast one in 14K and 2x as costly as one cast in 18K. To clarify, pure gold (24K) is a very soft metal and therefore most jewelry is made with 10K, 14K, or 18K. Any higher karat would be too soft for jewelry. If I’m not mistaken, gold coins do have a higher gold content, thus the ability to scratch. 14K is a very reliable metal and “harder” than platinum which is a denser, more maleable metal. Rhodium plating is applied to both platinum and white gold for the final finish.</p>
<p>Didn’t think all that much about the stress I’d put on my engagement ring, including carrying some heavy loads which deformed the thin band of the engagement ring. The jeweler kinky reshaped it a few times. </p>
<p>Mom had a platinum and diamond engagement ring with matching thin wedding ring but lost her first and a replacement engagement ring. Now she just buys inexpensive zirconia rings in silver settings. The thin platinum band she’s worn as her wedding ring for nearly 60 years always reminds me of an aluminum pull tab.</p>
<p>Gold Maples are .999 I think. Canada does sell a .9999 gold coin but the premium is pretty big. We were at the Canadian Mint several years ago and got to see these in the gift shop.</p>
<p>Gold Eagles have hardeners as do the South African coins. This results in some coins having an orange hue to them - it can be a lot stronger on the South African coins.</p>
<p>I looked into silver jewelry several years ago and I think that I found that the cost of silver jewelry was about five to seven times the price of the metal at retail. It’s probably not that big a markup with gold and silver but investing in jewelry for the metal is probably a pretty bad investment.</p>
<p>The jeweler we were just at recommended white gold over platinum and said it was more durable, which was news to me. We are still getting different opinions and researching what to get. I do have to get my rings resized every few years it seems like so the ease of doing so is a concern. My mother also had an incident once with her gold ring where it got caught on something and bent, pinching her finger severely, and we had to cut it off very quickly with garden shears to prevent damage to her hand… which made me wonder if one was safer than the other, we were glad her ring was so easy to cut off when it needed to be. I am kind of a klutz.</p>
<p>That said, I’ve been wearing a ruby ring set in yellow gold every day for 10 years and my ruby has no signs of wear that are visible to the naked eye, and I was wearing it as a child and teenager so I certainly gave it ample opportunity to get damaged. The gold is a little scratched, but nothing noticeable really unless you look closely. I had it resized last year by the jeweler who made it for me and even he was surprised how well it’s held up.</p>
<p>I’ve had a platinum band and platinum engagement ring for over twenty years, simple princess cut. Never had a problem with it.</p>
<p>One thing to caution with white gold is that when the plating wears off it can have a warmth to it, depending I think on the particular alloy. Some take their rings for regular “re-dipping” to have the plating reapplied. </p>
<p>I love my ring, but if I could do it again I’d probably opt for a man-made stone set in palladium.</p>
<p>I am not a big jewelry person. I wear a simple white gold band. My engagement ring was a 1/2 K nice stone. I misplaced it years ago. H has been kind enough to let that slide.I would like one day to add a eternity band.
I think my oldest would want a good sized diamond. My youngest would rather her H spend the money on buying her a fancy jumping horse.</p>
<p>"I do have an opinion on the appropriate size, but that is subjective Even though they may be teachers…consider are they a young couple or a bit older and further along in their careers, what size do her sisters, sisters-in-laws, colleagues, friends, etc have? A stone in the ¾ to 1 carat range may not be out of reach and is a respectable size. "</p>
<p>Yikes, I didn’t realize that my ring wasn’t a “respectable” size. I never thought that it was a competition with my sister,etc. I’m really offended that somebody in the jewelry business thinks that people of moderate means should be shamed into buying a “respectable” ring that meets current diamond cartel marketing standards.<br>
If you can afford bling and want it, fine.<br>
If you (like we were) choose a ring you can pay cash for at a very young age and cherish that even when you (like we are now) can afford the huge diamond, where does a jeweler get off talking about “respectable” ?</p>
<p>Sorry, end of rant</p>