Red Nymph Jewelry
Platinum is PT for short, like pt990, pt950 and pt900. 18K white gold or 18KWG gold jewelry on the market means that gold is added 25% white palladium or nickel alloy, which is actually a kind of K gold with gold percentage 75%. Unfortunately, there are still many consumers who are confused about platinum and K gold. We can in fact identify platinum and K gold by following tricks.
1) Platinum is a natural pure white metal whereas K platinum is gold alloy with palladium, nickel, silver and zinc, also known as K white gold
2) Platinum is rare and more precious, much less annual output than gold.
3) Platinum density is high, a platinum jewelry is 20% heavier than a K platinum jewelry.
4) Platinum has characteristics like anti-acid/alkali corrosion, anti-oxidation, with better chemical stability than K platinum.
5) Platinum jewelry isengraved with “PT” and percentage. “PT900” indicates 90% platinum percentage. “18KWG” for K platinum is engraved based on its gold content. Platinum has higher melting point than gold and it’s not easy to process.
As for their appellations, white gold is spoken English whereas platinum and K platinum are written English.
It is generally very difficult to guess the metal by just looking at it, as a new ring made in either platinum or white gold will look very similar. However as time goes by, the white gold ring will turn slightly creamy whereas a platinum ring will develop a unique patina.
Platinum and white gold are 2 different metals, in fact 2 different elements on the periodic table, Pt & Au.
First look for a fineness mark for platinum which is usually PT 950 – but could also be some other mark -depending on country of origin. This mark varies from country to country, and also historically through time; as new hallmarking laws are passed or governments change. If there is no mark it most probably is not platinum – however to be sure – you can have a jeweler perform an acid test for platinum, or (not recommended) heat test. If the item is pure platinum alloy and has no gems mounted on it, you could do a specific gravity test yourself; to narrow down whether you will want to pay, to have it tested further.