India is a gold crazy country. But slowly and steadily, jewellery buyers here are also warming up to other precious metals, and alloys of gold and platinum is one such metal that has gain prominence in today’s gems and jewellery scene. And rightly so – its naturally white sheen and ever-lasting radiance are hard to resist for jewellery enthusiasts.
This has also inspired jewellery designers the world over to roll out some of the exquisite designs in the platinum range. As a result, jewellery showrooms are dazzling with platinum collections. There are ample options to explore from platinum love bands and bridal platinum collections to men’s jewellery in platinum.
Still, there is a lot of confusion amongst buyers over how to distinguish platinum and identify platinum jewellery from the ones made in other white metals and alloys that look like platinum.
Platinum vs Silver
The silvery sheen of platinum makes it look identical to silver. But as you run your nail along the surface of the jewellery piece, if it is not made of pure platinum, it will get scratched. This means it is either silver or platinum alloyed with silver.
Platinum vs White Gold
Another niggling question is – what is the difference between platinum and white gold. Here’s the answer. Platinum is a naturally white metal that will never lose its vivid lustre. But white gold is an alloy of yellow gold. Even though white gold looks similar to platinum, it usually needs to be re-plated over time to maintain its white sheen, adding additional expense.
Platinum vs Other Alloys
Keep in mind, precious metals such as platinum are nonmagnetic. So, you can use the magnet test to determine whether the platinum jewellery you are buying is pure or not. Just bring it near a magnet, if it reacts the jewellery is not platinum or is a platinum alloy.
