How to Tell the Difference Between Silver and Platinum

For those who prefer something other than the traditional gold for jewelry settings, there are a number of metals and alloys that give a "white" gleam to their stones or settings. Chief among these are silver, platinum and white gold.

All of the above are similar in appearance, and although termed as "white", they are actually more of a metallic silver color, which are hard to tell apart just by observation. What can give you a clue, is the price of an item you are looking at, whether it is a ring, necklace, or candlesticks.

White gold is a blend of pure gold and other metal alloys, which override the yellow tone of gold to let the silver color emerge. As a rule of thumb, white gold is cheaper than "real", or true yellow gold with a karat rating. For small items of jewelry, like rings, a silver appearance is more than likely white gold, if it does not have a sterling silver rating stamped on it, and if it's significantly less expensive than items with similar stones.

Silver is a metal in its own right, valued for its brilliant gleam. But it's also a metal that tarnishes. Almost no small jewelry items are made of pure silver, but are rated as .925SS. The softness of the metal requires that it be blended with another such as copper, to give it more strength and durability. Larger items such as candlesticks, trays and tea services, are generally silver-plated.

Platinum is by far, the most valuable of the three metals. Where it takes only three tons of ore to mine an ounce of gold, it takes ten tons to get that same ounce of platinum. Its very rarity, makes it one of the most valued jewelry metals. If your jewelry is marked as "pure" platinum, it will contain 90-95% of the precious metal, with a price tag to match. Platinum is not used for plating as silver and gold are, due to its softness and lack of durability as a plate. But in its pure form, platinum will hold gemstones longer, showing less wear and tear over the same period of usage.

One of the few ways of telling platinum from similar metals is to weigh the objects. If they are of exactly the same size and thickness, for example, plain wedding bands, then the platinum will be the heavier

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How to Tell the Difference Between Silver and Platinum

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