Which is better- white gold, yellow gold, or Platinum setting?

When choosing the setting for the expensive gemstone, the question often arises as to what metal would hold the stone most securely.

Platinum settings resist breakage, chipping and cracking better than those of gold. They can be more delicate, yet secure， provided they’re hand fabricated or die stamped and not cast. Most platinum alloys retain their finish better and do not wear down the way gold does. This is due to the greater density and strength of platinum. In fact, some European insurance companies won’t insure diamonds over one carat if they’re not set in platinum because they know platinum settings are more secures. Platinum jewelry should normally have platinum settings.

It’s appropriate for gold jewelry to have either gold or platinum settings. Whole gold heads are often used on yellow gold rings to provide a harder and more secure setting than yellow gold. The white gold can also enhance colorless diamonds. The same effect can be achieved by plating yellow-gold prongs with rhodium, a hard, white, highly reflective metal of the platinum family. The plating will war off, through, and will need to be redone later. Another drawback of rhodium plating is that it makes jewelry more difficult to repair because the rhodium layer will burn in the heat of the soldering torch, flaking off the jewelry piece and making it impossible for the solder to flow. Solder only flows on a clean surface. Therefore before any heating takes place, the rhodium has to be removed from the surface. This is costly and time consuming. To avoid repair and replaing problems, it’s best to select platinum for white metal settings. It’s both durable and white throughout.

Nuckel-white-gold alloys are strongly discouraged in Europe. In the late 1980’s, the European Union of the Common Market started the No-Nickel Policy in jewelry because it’s estimated that about 30% of all people are allergic to nickel to some extent. For example, you may get itchy or infected ears after wearing pierced earrings with nickel-white-gold or nickel-silver posts. Skin irritations from nickel zippers and jean buttons have been common too. Nickel was originally chosen as a preferred alloying element for white gold because it was inexpensive and easy to work with. However, due to new health regulations, European refiners are avoiding the use of nickel and are creating different alloys with working qualities similar to nickel white gold.

Companies who want to export white gold products to Europe are also modifying their white gold alloys.

Yellow gold is an appropriate setting for yellowish diamonds because it can mask their yellowish tints. If a diamond is so yellow that it can be classified as a fancy color, a platinum setting would be better. The white metal would emphasize the yellow of the diamond.