What is the difference between platinum and 18K white gold?
Platinum is often compared to white gold, although the two metals are very different. Platinum is a naturally white metal. White gold is, actually, yellow gold which has been alloyed (mixed) with other metals. White gold contains silver or nickel and very little or no copper. Standard yellow gold has about an even mix of silver, nickel and copper. White gold is plated with rhodium in order to keep its platinum-like luster. This plating tends to disappear with time and wear, causing the gold’s natural color to appear. How long will it take? There is no simple answer. It depends on the thickness of the plating and the precise conditions under which it was applied. Pure gold, 24k, is too soft for reasonable jewelry use. A pure gold ring would bend and become dented very quickly. When we speak of 18k and 14k gold, there are standards for the amount of pure gold used for each. In the case of 18k the gold purity is 75 percent fine; with 14k gold the purity is 58.3 percent fine. The alloys ar
