White Gold
White Gold is a mixture of metals, with saying that keep in mind that gold when mined is naturally yellow. White Gold is alloyed with white metals like zinc, palladium and sometimes platinum to turn it into a grey color which is then Rhodium plated to give it a mirror like white finish that you see in the stores.
White Gold Specs – 18ct white gold has a Moh Hardness of 2.5-3 White gold has the same properties as yellow gold – meaning that 18ct white gold is 75% gold mixed with 25% Alloy.
Platinum
Platinum is heavier which makes it denser and more durable than other metals. Platinum Jewellery is 95% pure and it is also hypoallergenic and does not need the constant maintenance of Rhodium Plating like white gold, as it is naturally white. Platinum is not a very easy metal to work with and is totally unforgiving, so you need to be a real Master jeweler to know how to work with it. Therefore many Jewellers may steer you away from it to satisfy their manufacturing capabilities.
Platinum Specs – Platinum has a Moh Hardness of 4-4.5 Platinum is also purer than white gold. Measured in parts per thousand, platinum jewelry is typically 850-999 parts pure platinum (85%-99.9%), with the remainder made up of Alloy (ruthenium). White gold isn’t as pure or durable. Platinum is denser, heavier and stronger than white gold. Platinum is about 60% more dense than Gold. Platinum is said to be 35 times rarer than gold also.
So with all that in mind I hope that this puts it in perspective of the differences between white gold and platinum.
