Platinum Rings

They wear differently rather than one simply being better. Gold loses a small amount of metal with each scratch, so a gold band gradually thins over decades of daily wear.

Platinum mostly displaces metal instead of shedding it - the material moves aside rather than away - so the ring retains more of its substance and develops a textured surface instead.

That is why platinum is often chosen for a ring meant to be worn continuously for a very long time. It does not make the ring immune to damage, and the setting still needs checking.

That is patina, and it is normal. Fine scratches accumulate on the surface and scatter light differently from a fresh polish, giving a soft satin finish.

It is not damage and no metal has been lost - platinum displaces rather than sheds material when scratched.

If you prefer the original shine, a jeweller can polish it back at any point. Many owners leave it, because a patinated platinum ring looks like a ring that has been lived in.

Yes, but it needs a jeweller who works in platinum. The metal's high melting point and different working properties mean the techniques differ from gold, and not every workshop takes it on.

Whether a particular ring can be resized depends on the design rather than the metal. A plain band or a ring with plain shoulders is straightforward; one set with stones all the way around is not.

Because these rings are made to the size ordered, it is worth measuring carefully at the outset rather than planning to adjust later.

Most people find the weight is exactly what they want from a ring - it reads as substance, and a ring that can be felt on the hand is a ring you notice you are wearing.

Some find it more than they want, particularly in a wide or heavy design. Platinum is considerably denser than gold, so the difference is real rather than marginal.

If you can, handle the same design in both metals before deciding. It is the kind of thing a photograph cannot convey at all.

Platinum's resistance to metal loss means prongs hold up well under the constant small abrasions that thin a prong over years, which is one reason it is favoured for holding a stone.

That is a difference of degree rather than a guarantee. Prongs in any metal still bend, still catch on things, and still need checking.

Having the setting looked at periodically is the single most useful thing you can do for any stone-set ring, whatever it is made of.

Yes, and plenty of people do - a platinum engagement ring beside a gold wedding band is a common combination.

The one thing to expect is that rings worn touching each other rub, and the harder surface marks the softer one. Over years the gold ring will show it more than the platinum will.

A contoured band shaped to sit flush against its neighbour reduces the contact considerably, and matching the metals avoids the issue altogether if it bothers you.

Less than most metals. There is no plating to have redone, because platinum's colour is the metal itself, and it does not tarnish.

The only optional item is polishing, if you would rather have a high shine than the patina the surface develops naturally with wear.

Where the ring is stone-set, the setting is what wants periodic attention rather than the metal - prongs wear in any material, and a loose stone is cheap to tighten and expensive to replace.

No. Platinum is white all the way through, so there is nothing plated on the surface to wear away.

This is the practical contrast with white gold, which is typically finished with rhodium plating that wears with use and is reapplied periodically to keep the ring bright.

A platinum ring's only optional maintenance is polishing, if you would rather have a high shine than the patina it develops naturally.

Both appear across the range, and each listing states which a particular ring uses.

A laboratory-grown diamond is the same material as a mined one - the same carbon structure, the same hardness, graded the same way.

The differences are price and rarity rather than appearance. Lab-grown stones generally cost less for a given specification; natural stones carry geological rarity and an established resale market.

Warm water, a little mild soap and a soft brush, working underneath the setting where residue collects and dulls a stone from below. Rinse and dry with a soft cloth.

Platinum does not tarnish, so the metal itself needs nothing more. Where the ring is set with a coloured stone, that stone sets the rules - avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaning.

Take the ring off for manual work, sport and cleaning, and have the setting checked periodically.