You’re strolling down the walkway on a beautiful sunny day, joyous laughs of children in the park across, swans quacking and endlessly preening themselves in the pond nearby. In the midst of all the commotion, you notice a maiden walk by with a shimmering gem atop her ring finger…and everything else just seems to melt away. That is the effects that diamonds have on us! The precious gem birthed by the raging heat and the intense force of mother earth herself! Diamonds are themselves the 8th wonder of the world…
But with so much of the attention driven to diamonds, one mistake that most of the newbies make is the band on which the diamond rests on. The band can bring out the inner brilliance and accentuate the splendour of the diamond. Or it can work against it, hiding its true beauty behind a veil. What a shame, if that were to happen…
Today we shift our focus on two of the main diamond bands that are making a scene. These are platinum and palladium bands.
Setting The Stage
Many of us heard or may even have a diamond platinum ring. Especially with the diamond gold ring being deemed too old fashioned, millennials have begun migrating to more chic and sophisticated looking platinum banded ring. What about palladium? Most of you wouldn’t even have heard it in passing. But palladium has started to garner a market, and is being compared to platinum. But many ask what the difference between these two are. Both are unique, but are similar in more ways than one.
Let us have a look!
| Palladium | Platinum |
| These are slightly cheaper | These are costlier compared to palladium bands |
| Durability of palladium rings is more. They don’t scratch as easily | These have comparatively lower durability |
| lower in strength | Much stronger |
| These are lighter than their counterpart | These are twice as dense and twice as heavy |
The Overview
Palladium Rings
These are naturally white precious rings, and belong to the platinum metal family. Palladium is even rare than platinum or gold! These began making rounds in the 1930’s. Ever since then, their popularity has been steadily growing!
Platinum Rings
Platinum rings are naturally white. Their popularity skyrocketed because of the sophistication and glamour that it bought to the table. People began choosing platinum over white gold simply because over time the colour of platinum doesn’t fade, but the rhodium plating on white gold wears off leading to it having a yellowish ting. On re-polishing and re-plating, they regain their whites. But, this was a hassle for many!
Appearance
Platinum rings are a shade lighter than the tone of palladium rings.
Platinum and palladium belong to the same metal group and hence both are naturally white metals. Meaning they will remain white forever. This means their owner needn’t bother with the hassle of re-polishing and heavily maintenance. Furthermore, they attain a patina finish over time. This means even lesser maintenance!
Patina finish is the finish these rings get when the surface gets scratched. When this happens, the metal moves from one part of the ring to the other. The result is a matte finish called a patina. This finish is particularly pleasant with a shiny finish! If you aren’t a fan of the look, you can always get it re-polished.
Beating On The Wallet
I would have said “This is where platinum falls”. But I stand corrected. The market for palladium was much lower and as a result, it was priced half as much. The reason for this is that platinum is almost twice as dense as palladium. So for the same dimensions, platinum rings would weigh twice as much as palladium ones! But now the market for palladium has caught up, and the pricing of palladium is slightly lower than platinum. So if you’re looking for a more budget friendly option, don’t fret.
Taking The Brunt! Durability
Palladium’s hardness exceeds that of platinum. Meaning palladium rings are harder to scratch than platinum ones. So, if you are somebody who feels that you will be getting down and dirty, know well that palladium rings won’t let you down!
Strength
Although both are quite strong metals, platinum leads in this department. But nevertheless, both palladium and platinum are ideal to be used daily as a wedding band or engagement ring!
Comfort
As mentioned earlier, platinum rings are denser than palladium rings and as result, they are heavier. Although some people like to feel the weight of the ring, others may like to wear something light and nimble. So, make the selection accordingly!!