Which Metals Truly Are Strongest and OK With Tanzanite Rings
by Darci
(NY,NY)
Hello,
I am having a tanzanite engagement ring made and I've heard mixed things about the metals you can use with it and why some don't work.
Platinum - Good, but not that strong, setting can snap on impact (based on experience).
White Gold - Good, but since you have to re-dip it to maintain color I was told you cannot do this with colored stones. The ring has rubelite and tanzanite in it.
Palladium - Good and strongest, but you cannot resize this metal. Is this the only downfall of this metal?
I really appreciate your help.
Thank you,
Darci
Hi Darci,
All of the metals you mentioned are appropriate for tanzanite engagement rings, but there are some which are a bit better than the others.
Palladium - Palladium 950 is by far one of the best metals for gemstone and diamond settings. This metal is extremely strong, and has almost no spring back - so gemstones stay put. The only catch is that palladium can be a difficult metal to work with and so the selection of tanzanite rings made with palladium may be somewhat limited. Palladium is resizable - in most cases - but resizing costs can be expensive.
Platinum - Platinum 950 is also one of the most preferred metals to use for luxury gemstone and diamond engagement rings and wedding bands. While platinum can sometimes pick up scratches more than gold, the scratches can be easily buffed out...a process which will not affect the tanzanite gemstone. Having a platinum setting snap is quite rare and would usually require a very strong blow - one that would probably injure the hand or finger as well. If you had a platinum setting snap in the past, I think it was either crafted very poorly (which would be rare for an expensive metal like platinum) or possibly not platinum at all.
White Gold - The rhodium plate on white gold can be re-applied on colored gemstone rings. The rhodium molecules "stick" to the metal on the ring through electrical charges - because diamonds and gemstones do not hold these charges, they are not affected during the plating process. What could affect the tanzanite gemstone though in this case is cleaning the ring to prepare it for another rhodium plate. In most cases rings are cleaned through ultrasonic methods - which could harm tanzanite gemstones. Alternatively the ring could be cleaned with a steam bath, although chemicals in the bath could harm the tanzanite gemstone. This is not the ideal metal to use for a tanzanite setting/ring. (Yellow or rose gold though, which would not undergo rhodium plate would be a better choice if you want to stick with a gold ring).
If you are really looking for a superior tanzanite engagement ring, and you find a palladium style you like, then I would go with the palladium. Platinum would be the best second choice for tanzanite followed by 18k yellow or rose gold and (lastly) white gold.
I hope this information helps! Good luck with your ring, and do write us back if you have any further questions.
Suzanne Gardner
Everything Wedding Rings