Platinum vs White Gold: Which Is Better for an Engagement Ring?

Platinum is a naturally white metal. Ours is 950 platinum, which means 95% platinum. White gold is gold alloyed with white metals: 18k white gold is 75% gold and 14k is 58.5%. Ours is nickel-free and rhodium plated, which gives it a bright white finish.

Freshly polished, the two look almost the same. The differences are in how they wear, how heavy they feel on your hand and what they cost.

No, but its rhodium plating wears with time, and as it thins the gold’s slightly warmer tone can show through. A jeweller can replate it to bring back the bright white. Our white gold guide covers what wears it and how to care for it.

Platinum is white all the way through, so it never needs plating. Over time it develops a soft grey patina from everyday knocks. Some people like that look; a jeweller can polish it back to a bright shine if you prefer.

Yes, noticeably. Platinum is much denser than 18k gold, so the same design weighs about a third more in platinum. On our 3D model of a 2.5mm wedding band at US size 6, the metal works out at about 2.9 grams in 18k gold and 3.9 grams in platinum.

Some people like the solid feel of a heavier ring; others prefer a lighter ring they forget they are wearing. The difference is easiest to feel in wide bands and in settings with a lot of metal.

The claws matter more than the metal. A well-made platinum or white gold setting holds a diamond securely when its claws are thick enough and sit properly against the stone, which is what GIA’s setting benchmarks look at. Claws in either metal can bend or wear, so have them checked once a year.

The 2016 Santa Fe Symposium comparison of six platinum alloys shows how much platinum alloys differ from each other, which is why the setting’s design matters more than the metal’s name.

Our white gold is nickel-free, and our platinum is 950, which is 95% platinum. If you know you react to a particular metal, ask us which other metals are in the alloy before you order.

If a rash keeps coming back under a ring, see a dermatologist. The American Academy of Dermatology’s contact dermatitis guidance explains the common causes.

Choose by look and upkeep, then by price.

• Choose platinum if you never want to think about replating, you like a ring with some weight, or your wedding band is platinum.
• Choose 18k white gold if you want the brightest white finish, a lighter ring, or to spend a little less.

For a white ring with yellow gold claws or a yellow gold band, see yellow gold vs white gold.

Yes. Freshly polished they look almost the same, so a platinum engagement ring sits well beside a white gold wedding band, or the other way round. Over time the platinum develops a soft patina and the white gold’s plating wears, so the two can drift apart slightly in tone. Our guide to mixed metal rings covers stacking different metals.