Platinum vs White Gold

Both are white, both are precious and both suit a white diamond beautifully. The differences are in what each one is made of, and so in how it ages.

New white gold is often the whiter of the two, because its rhodium plating is a brilliant, mirror-bright white. Platinum is a slightly softer, greyer white.

As the plating wears, white gold slowly shows the warmer tone of the gold beneath, first on the underside of the band. Re-plating restores it. Platinum has no plating to wear: its colour simply stays. If you never want to think about it, that is the strongest argument for platinum.

Claws do the most important job in an engagement ring, and they take the most wear. Platinum claws wear more slowly than gold ones and tend to bend rather than snap, which is why platinum is often chosen for the head of a ring even when the band is gold. Whichever you choose, have the claws checked from time to time.

Platinum is far denser than gold, so a platinum ring feels substantial on the hand. Some people find that reassuring; others prefer the lightness of white gold. Try both on if you can.

Platinum 950 is very pure and very rarely causes a reaction. Some white gold alloys contain nickel, which a small number of people are sensitive to. If you know you react to nickel, say so before anything is made: platinum, or a nickel-free white gold, avoids the problem.

Choose platinum if you want a white that never needs re-plating, the most secure hold on the stone over decades, and a ring with weight. Choose white gold if you prefer a lighter ring, love the brighter white of new rhodium, and would rather put more of the budget into the diamond. Our gold vs platinum guide compares every colour of gold as well.