Which White Metal is Best?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 5:04PM 
Platinum is by far the superior metal. Platinum is hypoallergenic, corrosion free (won’t tarnish), and has a luxurious heft to it.
Platinum is tougher (resistance to breaking) than gold...and it has horrible memory. Which is a good thing! It means that platinum literally can not “remember” its previous position, so if a prong is placed on a diamond, it “stays put.” Furthermore, although platinum scratches at a similar rate to gold, when it’s buffed, it immediately restores its bright finish, and little metal is lost in the process.
Until recently, the greatest downfall of platinum has been its high price, often double that of gold. These days, the gap is shrinking.
White gold, on the other hand, has some issues. For starters, gold is not white. It is alloyed and then dipped in rhodium. Over time this whiteness typically wears off and needs to be redipped. Although gold is hypoallergenic, many people are allergic to the metals that are alloyed with gold.
Likewise, although gold is corrosion free (won’t tarnish), its alloys can cause discoloration. Gold is not as tough as platinum and has only decent memory. Furthermore, when gold is buffed to remove scratches, quite a bit of gold is lost in the process.
For more info on diamonds, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.
diamond education, platinum, white gold 
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