WEDDING BAND CHOICES:
Ed's design choice
Thickness: 4mm
Metal: PT
E's choice is easy since he doesn't have a wonderful and beautiful engagement ring to wear with the wedding band. :) I have a few options or choices in mind and some are below. :)
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Some Research Information: (from e- Wedding Bands)
RE: Seamless Platinum Bands
- All e- Wedding Bands platinum bands are SOLID (not hollow) 95% pure platinum and 5% ruthenium. This particular platinum/ruthenium alloy combination -- generally referred to as PLAT or PT950 -- is the highest purity available in platinum bands. Platinum wedding bands made with ruthenium are harder and more durable than platinum wedding bands made with iridium. In addition, all of our platinum bands are made from the highest quality seamless tubing with the exception of a few of our Unique and hand-woven or braided styles.
- All of our Platinum Wedding Bands are stamped with either PLAT or PT950, both of which indicate pure PT950 quality as required by the FTC. We strictly follow guidelines set by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Title 16, sec. 23.7 which states:
(1) "The following abbreviations...may be used for quality marks on articles: "Plat." or "Pt." for Platinum.
(2) An industry product consisting of at least 950 parts per thousand platinum may be marked or described as "Platinum." We want you to be 100% confident in ordering from us and knowing that you are receiving true PT950 platinum!
1.) How does Platinum differ from White Gold?
Unlike white gold, which is pure yellow gold mixed with alloys that overpower the yellow color and create an almost white color, Platinum is naturally white. Platinum is very durable and typically outlasts gold by many years. Platinum is also one of the heaviest metals, weighing almost 60% more than 14K gold. This property gives platinum jewelry the substantial feel that many people prefer. However, care and maintenance of Platinum is a bit more demanding than gold is. Read more about the maintenance of Platinum below. The Platinum offered by e- Wedding Bands is 95% (PT950) pure. White Gold is 75% pure (18K) or 58.3% pure (14K) and is combined with nickel and copper alloys.
2.) How durable is Platinum and why does e-Wedding bands sell 95% pure Platinum (marked PLAT or PT950) and not 100% pure Platinum?
Platinum in its pure form is relatively soft. When alloyed with Ruthenium, however, it is extremely strong and malleable. If we were to offer 100% pure Platinum, your ring would bend and scratch far more easily than PT950 Platinum does. The stamp of PLAT* or PT950 on your ring is your guarantee that it is truly 95% pure. Some jewelers offer PT900 platinum which is no stronger and contains less platinum. We encourage you to be careful with PT900 as some jewelers use it to increase their profit by selling a customer inferior metal, and thus providing a lower value.
3.) Why is Platinum more expensive than Gold?
Platinum is mined primarily in Russia where the unstable political and economic climate has led Russia to restrict the export of Platinum. As a result, prices are typically higher than gold. Platinum is a rare metal that today requires the processing of nearly 10 tons of ore for one ounce of Platinum. In comparison, Gold requires only 3-4 tons of raw rock for the same yield. There are also fewer Platinum mines. For every 10 Gold mines there is only one Platinum mine.
4.) How do I care for and maintain Platinum?
No jewelry is completely resistant to scratches, and Platinum is no exception. Often times Platinum loses its new look a bit more rapidly than gold, but with proper care can retain its new look. Unlike Gold which is easily restored to a like-new appearance with just a few minutes of polishing and cleaning, Platinum is more difficult to polish and refinish than gold. The result is that Platinum is very beautiful when maintained, but maintaining it can be a bit more time-consuming and costly than gold.
5.) A brief history of Platinum
The first Platinum processing techniques date to Ancient Egypt in 700 BC. Platinum was not widely used in jewelry design until the 18th century. From 1901-1940 Platinum was the metal of choice, lending its unique luster to classic Deco and Art Nouveau designs. In 1940, during World War II, Platinum was placed on the strategic metals list. This prohibited its use in jewelry fabrication and White Gold became the white metal of choice. After its removal from the restricted metals list, Platinum found widespread use in the electronics and automobile industries. By the late 1980s Platinum had begun its resurgence in fine jewelry.
- E-Wedding Bands is excited to be the first online jewelry store offering a comprehensive selection of the most exciting wedding bands introduced by the jewelry industry in years: premium white palladium wedding bands! For years, jewelers have been wishing for precious metal wedding bands that are hypoallergenic and whiter than white gold wedding bands, but lower in cost than platinum wedding bands. When considering the best values and properties of today’s white precious metal choices, palladium is the perfect choice!
- Platinum Group Metals
All of the palladium wedding bands from e-Wedding Bands contain 95% palladium and 5% ruthenium, a combination of two of the precious metals from the Platinum Group Metals*. This combination is referred to as 950 palladium or PD950. Palladium is one of the relatively unknown “sister” metals of platinum and shares many of the same unique characteristics and physical properties of platinum: both are naturally white precious metals, strong, non-tarnishing, and hypoallergenic. They are equally rare and are mined together in less than a half-dozen regions around the world. - Palladium was first used for jewelry when platinum was declared a strategic metal and reserved for military use in 1939. Since then, palladium has been the metal of choice for diamond setters. But with the formulation of newly developed 950 palladium alloys, palladium is now a smart choice for engagement rings and wedding bands.
1.) Why Palladium instead of White Gold?
The weight of 950 palladium wedding bands is very close to that of 14k white gold wedding bands. However, palladium wedding bands will stay white forever, never needing the “renewed whitening” from rhodium plating that white gold requires. Palladium wedding bands are the perfect choice for those with sensitivity to nickel because they are nickel free and hypoallergenic - unlike white gold wedding bands. Palladium is an extremely rare metal, much more so than gold. It is one of the whitest of all metals and consequently yields wedding bands of extraordinary and uncommon beauty. Plus, palladium wedding bands are incredibly durable and virtually tarnish proof.
White gold is not a true white metal like platinum or palladium. It is made by mixing pure yellow gold with other white metals like zinc and nickel to change its color to white. As a result, it usually has a slight yellowish tint. To enhance the whiteness of white gold jewelry it is electroplated with another precious metal called rhodium. Rhodium is very white, reflective, extremely hard and virtually tarnish free, so it's the perfect protective coating for a white gold ring. However, rhodium coatings wear off gradually. Many people choose to have their rings re-plated with rhodium. Others love their rings with the natural not-quite-white look of white gold.
2.) How does Palladium compare to Platinum?
In virtually all jewelry circles, platinum is still considered to be the king of metals. Platinum wedding bands are approximately 60%-70% heavier than gold or palladium wedding bands. They are extremely durable and will last much longer than comparable gold wedding bands Plus, a high world-wide demand for platinum has driven prices much higher in recent months, making platinum wedding bands a great investment. Even the name Platinum denotes the highest standard available.
3.) So why choose palladium?
If your budget allows, platinum is still the king of all metals. However, palladium offers many of the same desirable characteristics of platinum at a much lower price. It is equally as white as platinum and whiter than white gold. Palladium is hypoallergenic, never needs rhodium plating, and is more precious than white gold. And, as a Platinum Group Metal, palladium wedding bands provide wearers with the same durability and premium white beauty that platinum wearers have learned to treasure. But perhaps the best part is that palladium wedding bands offer a pricing choice right between white gold wedding bands and platinum wedding bands.
4.) Characteristics of Platinum/White Gold/Palladium:
Precious Metal / Specific Gravity / Melting Temp / Color / Vicker's Hardness
950 Platinum / 20.7 / 3235˚ F / Tin white / 131
950 Palladium / 12.0 /2480˚ F / White /150
14K White Gold / 12.7 / 1710˚ F / White to yellow / 165
Just like the other top quality precious metal wedding bands featured on our site, all of our palladium wedding bands come with the full e-Wedding Bands warranty and guarantee of satisfaction. We are convinced that palladium wedding bands are a perfect fit between white gold and platinum wedding bands, so find the style you like best and buy with confidence.*The Platinum Group Metals (PGM) are iridium, osmium, platinum, palladium, ruthenium, and rhodium.
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