(especially if you are considering purchasing Platinum wedding bands.)

Recently, we have had several potential customers tell us they were "pricing" wedding bands.  They were apparently comparing several purchase option sources.  From the questions they were asking us, we realized that some of them were using methods of comparison that might be flawed.  And from what they were telling us, some other sources were actually encouraging using only one of several methods of comparison (other than price of course).

In the past, all of this was not such a big deal.  What is making this such a big deal, is the recent popularity of Platinum as the precious metal of choice for wedding bands.  Simple Gold wedding bands, that might be less than $100, are being replaced with the same style simple wedding bands, but of Platinum, that can be several hundred dollars.

Therefore, we decided to provide an "Understanding Bands" Page much like "Understanding Diamonds" educational Page.   So take a few minutes to understand the what to use for comparing one offer to another.

Example, one source has a size "X",  4mm wide, 1mm thick, Inside Round "Comfort Fit"  at $200.00 with a penny weight of 2.99.  Another source has the same size, width and thickness, but it has a penny weight of 3.79 for $225.00

Using only width, thickness and ring size, the consumer would quickly think the $200.00 is the better deal.  You now know that is not correct as the $225.00 item is by far the better purchase of Platinum.

One last thing, make sure you are comparing "Finished Weights".  Believe it or not, there are measurements of a wedding band before and after the finishing process (making rough precious metal look beautiful).  The finishing process actual removes some precious metal.   A much bigger percentage of metal is removed in this process than you might think.  We will not bore you with the details, just remember to use "Finished" weights for comparison.  If the source does not say the weights are "finished weights", ask!

So that you may compare us to your other purchase options, every Platinum wedding band on the RingDesigner.com web site, has the "Finished Weights" provided in grams and penny weights.

There are actually regulations about Platinum content, but here are some things to remember.  The bands that RingDesigner.com offers are PT 950/1000 (parts per thousand).  That is a metallurgist's way of saying 950 parts out of 1000 or simply put, 95% Platinum content.

Just make sure you are comparing apples to apples Platinum content . So compare ours to others who have 95% Platinum content.  If they have less a percentage, than you are not getting the same value if the prices are equal.

Just so you know: What makes up the other 5% to 10%?  OK, it is  time to go back to high school chemistry class.

It depends on the style and shape of the ring as to what makes up the other 5%.  Machinists tell us 100% Platinum is not the best metal for forming shapes such as rings.  So some other metal is added to the Platinum for machining/casting purposes.  Make sure you are getting 95% and not 90% Platinum for a 95% price!!!

Our products that are “machined or die cut” in to their rough shape prior to finishing, contain  5% Iridium.    This makes for very good metal for machining properties.  Wedding bands are usually a good example of this.  Some other manufacturers use 5% Ruthenium.  That is absolutely fine as well.  Do not get hung up on what is the 5%, rather that the other 95% is Platinum.

Our Platinum items that have unique shapes and form can be a combination of Platinum and 10% Cobalt.  This combination of metals is suited for the casting process when heated to very high temperature. This combination is more “fluid” than the other potential Platinum and other metals combinations.  It is then used where a wax mold of the item is crafted and the hot metal Platinum is poured into the casting process replacing the wax in its rough shape, then to be finished.  But, whenever possible, we use 95/5.  In short our goal is to use 95% whenever possible.  Sometimes (rarely) when there are unique nooks and crannies of a mounting's shape, only a 90% mixture will flow in the casting process to create them.

In a long about way of explaining, our RingDesigner.com Wedding Bands are 95% Platinum and 5% Iridium (for our styles of Half Round, Inside Round or ComfortFit, Flat, Solstice™ and Milgrain).  A few of our engagement mountings (which are cast shapes) can be 90% Platinum so the metal can flow through the casting process, while most including the Solitaries, Solstice™  and other mountings are 95%.  The other 5%-10% can be either Iridium, Cobalt or Ruthenium depending on the casting or machining processes required to finish the item.

Again, do not get hung up on what is the 5%-10%, rather that the other 90%-95% is Platinum.

The vast majority of the time,  jewelers use an outside "casting" jewelry foundry to cast their jewelry pieces.   Why, economics of course.  Casting one platinum jewelry piece at a time, is not economical or the best use of a jeweler's busy day.  An outside casting source can combine multiple jewelry items into one casting session. that makes it more economical for each individual jewelry piece being cast at that time.

Platinum is not the easiest metal to use in the casting process or in the extruded band roll process (such as used for die stuck bands).  Gold is much easier to work with.   So many manufacturers are more comfortable working with one combination of 95% platinum and its 5% of another element, that they are comfortable using some other 95% &  5% combination.  Some band manufacturers get better deals for their price per gram for a 5% Ruthenium combination than they can get if the other 5% is Iridium.  See we are back to that word "economics" again.  

The "hardness" of Platinum 95% & 5% combinations
Is it absolutely factual that some combinations of Platinum and their 5% other metal are "harder" than some other combinations by using precise scientific measurements.  But the word "harder" is used very liberally in the jewelry industry when used to compare different 95/5 combinations as to how they will "scratch" over time. 

Scratches?:
When we talk about scratches on hand worn Platinum or Gold jewelry, we are not referring to large eye visible scratch marks (like a cat’s claws made on my mother’s favorite dress).   Instead we are referring to thousands of “micro-scratches”, no one of them visible to the eye, but in combination over time, all jewelry worn on the hand will eventually be covered in small “micro-scratches”, which will give a dull appearance.    

Platinum, which is slightly more malleable, but more dense than Gold, will take on a frosted appearance.  Platinum does not micro-scratch the same as Gold, but Platinum actually “furrows” instead.  The furrowing effect pushes metal to the sides instead of removing material.   Visualize the Red Sea parting or a farmer furrowing the dirt in his field!   On the other hand, when Gold is micro-scratched, Gold metal is actually removed.  Sometimes these micro scratches can leave white gold looking a bit yellowish.

Platinum Micro-Scratches versus 95/5 "hardness:  
If one wears two different Platinum bands on his hand, both 6mm wide, both ring size 10, but one 95% Platinum / 5% Iridium and the other 95% Platinum / 5% Ruthenium, they both will micro-scratch over time.   The 5% Ruthenium band is technically "harder than the 5% Iridium band. But after a year of identical wears, there is not a human being on this earth (with the unaided eye) who could tell which band was the 5% Ruthenium and which one was the 5% Iridium band band.  Under a microscope, a metallurgist "might" be able to tell visually.

So when a jeweler makes an issue out of one 95/5 combination versus another combination of 95/5, there usually is a reason of economics, availability, comfort level, familiarity or inventory versus a customers requirement for Platinum alloy hardness to overcome "scratching".

This is the manufacturing process used to create our Wedding Band styles of
Half Round, Inside Round/ComfortFit, Milgrain and Flat.

[1] you use consistent criteria for your "price" comparisons.   

[2] Make sure the Platinum content is identical (compare 95% to 95%, not 90%)

[3] Be cautious of sources telling you to use "thickness" as your absolute comparison criteria.

[4] Compare the "Finished Weights" of each ring for precious metal used, rather than just thickness.  Weights can’t lie, thickness measurements can be deceiving.  You might try a calculation of the most precious metal per dollar spent  (i.e. how many dollars per gram of weight).  

[5] If the "Finished Weights" are not provided, write an e-mail to ASK for them.  

You can then judge two things by asking, [a] what does their item really weigh, and [b] how fast is their Customer Service for your important purchase?  You can ask yourself, if they do not get back to you quickly when you want to buy, how quick will they get back to you when you have a potential problem?

The ComfortFit got its name simply because of it being a design more comfortable to wear than the Half Round band for wider band width sizes.  When all bands were thinner in width (like 2mm to 3mm) there was no major discomfort "pinching" the skin bending one's ring finger.  In the 1960's when wider and wider bands became popular, (we carry up to 12mm wide), when a person bent their ring finger, the outer sharper defined edge of the band would tend to "pinch".

A ComfortFit band actually has a rounded bottom edge where it touches the finger.  When a person bends their ring finger, the bottom portion of the ring will "roll" with the skin and not pinch at all.  Thus born the ComfortFit!!

Below we have prepared an image to help explain the difference.  To give you what might be called a "side view" or cross section, we actually took two bands and cut them in half (one 8mm wide Half Round and the other a 8mm ComfortFit).   We wanted to give you a cross section of each style and then explain what you are viewing. And yes we now have four half bands for sale.

The Inside Round or ComfortFit has significantly more cross section surface area 3 than the Half Round.  That equates to much more precious metal (Gold or Platinum) required, to craft an 8mm Inside Round or ComfortFit Band than a 8mm Half Round Band.  In the image above,  the Half Round Band is approximately 2.0mm thick while the Inside Round or ComfortFit is approximately 2.5mm thick. 

The amount of metal required for an Inside Round or ComfortFit Band is probably 40% more than a Half Round Band of exact equal width.  Thus, when considering Platinum versus Gold, with Platinum's higher price per ounce of metal, you can easily now see why an Inside Round or ComfortFit Band is significantly more expensive than a band of exactly the same width in a Half Round style.  

Having your Wedding Band
"Fit" Snuggly up against your Engagement Ring

There are almost as many wedding bands where an element of their design (sometimes the ProngSet  that secures the center diamond or another design element), does not let them "fit" snuggly, right up against the engagement ring.

Two good examples of this are the original design Tiffany™  solitaire engagement ring and the Stuller Solstice™ .  In each of their cases, the ProngSet starts out protruding from the shank (the ring part) at a level close to what is its base (where the shank actually touches the skin of your finger.  That might be a hard design concept to visualize, so here are two images that may help.

Notice how the Platinum ProngSets on the Solstice™ 4 prong ProngSets, protrude from the base of the 18k Yellow Gold Solstice™ shank.  

Therefore as you can see, the matching Solstice™ band (upper left in the image above) will never 'naturally" fit snuggly against the Solstice™ engagement ring.  You need to give it some help.

Viewed by another person, if crafted skillfully, it would not be visible.

Again, it is a concept easier to understand with images.

Clicking on any one of these images above will take you to our Wrap page where more examples are present.

But if that process becomes a pain/inconvenience, a skilled jeweler can actually weld the two together in a process we refer to as "fusing" or "invisible weld".   This can be done before or after your ceremony, or in the future.  If crafted correctly, the 4 or 5 welds are 100% invisible to the viewer.  In our case, today's laser technology has given us a tremendous tool to fuse rings together with no hint they actually are.  They appear as two distinct separate rings, yet they are welded together.  Wraps can be fused as well. We fuse engagement rings to their matching wedding bands daily.   Whether it is us or a good "bench" master jeweler in your area, the fusing process can be performed flawlessly and completely invisible to a viewer.!

Platinum Versus White Gold  (and a "PS" regarding Titanium)
Plus......14k Yellow Gold Versus 18K/24K Yellow-Gold

(Click Here) Platinum Versus White Gold

(Click Here) 14k Yellow Gold & 18k Yellow Gold choosing between

The "Look" of Platinum versus White Gold

Click on the above image to read more.

 

What the Heck is happening to the price of Gold or Platinum Wedding Bands???

Example of what has happened to precious metal prices in the last 5 years
  Remember this is for JUST a block of the raw material
BEFORE any casting to create your Engagement Rings or
any drop-forged die striking process for your Wedding Bands.
One prospective Customer asked,
“so you mean, this is just your cost for just a hunk of metal??”
The long and short answer is Yes!

Wedding Band
Ring Size

Width

Thickness

Finished
Gram Weight

Finished
Penny Weight

Finished
Ounce Weight

2001 Cost
Platinum
Low of
$415/oz

2006 Cost
Platinum
High of
$1,331/oz

9

6mm

2.25mm

14.65

9.42

0.471

$195

$626

Potential customers ask about the "look" of a resized band?  Will a person be able to see where metal was re-joined back together? Will a resized band look like it was cut, then joined back?

The bottom-line, Yellow Gold, White Gold and Platinum can all be resized by a quality bench jeweler.  Titanium can not be resized easily.   An experienced bench jeweler can craft the enlargement or reduction of your band so no one will be able to tell.  Today we use not only better tools and better solders, but lasers are used commonly now.   When we use a laser, the metals are "melted" together (for lack of a better way to describe the process).  Therefore, the joints between two pieces is almost invisible. 

When we spoke, they asked about us crafting a new wedding set for them, re-setting the diamonds for sentimental reasons.  We asked, why not repair/resize the originals?  They said the damage of emergency removal was just too great.  We asked them to send them to us to evaluate.  Here are images of what they looked like when they arrived on January 15th 2006.