Normal wear for white gold?

July 11, 2008 11:32 AM

Married less than a week, and the mister's ring is already scratched up.

Got married Saturday, and my husband's ring is already showing visible wear. It's a white gold ring with a matte finish. We've been on our honeymoon and so he hasn't done anything that harsh to it.

It's mostly little scuffs and scratches all around the ring. Is this normal with white gold? he is able to scratch it with his fingernail. Is there anything that can be done to protect the ring from getting too beat up?

posted by Becko to clothing, beauty, & fashion (18 comments total)

My ring was beat to hell quick too. A good buffing by your jeweler should take most if the scratches out.
posted by doorsfan at 11:38 AM on July 11, 2008

I cannot scratch my white gold matte finish ring with my fingernail so that seems odd.

They do get scuffed and scratched over time and you can have the matte finished restored but that is normally after years not days. Definitely time for a return trip to where you bought it and ask them what is going on.
posted by pixlboi at 11:39 AM on July 11, 2008

That's very strange. I have a white gold ring that I just tried scratching with my fingernail--no scratch whatsoever. Perhaps it's the finish that's on it that's getting scratched? Maybe take it to a jeweler and see if there's some sort of protective finish that could be put over the matte finish to preserve it?
posted by Verdandi at 11:41 AM on July 11, 2008

The fingernail thing is a bit odd, but I have a white gold wedding ring and any jeweler will be able to polish them up for you.
posted by unixrat at 11:45 AM on July 11, 2008

Scratchable with a fingernail? - Maybe if your husband is a pirate!

Higher Karats == softer metal, but I would go back and see what they say.
posted by azlondon at 11:46 AM on July 11, 2008

White gold is often rhodium-dipped and pretty easily marked ime. Mine looked a bit shit after a year to be honest, but then that's what they are for, to get good and worn-in.
posted by Iteki at 11:51 AM on July 11, 2008

You should not be able to scratch a white-gold ring with your fingernail, period. There is no normal alloy of white gold that is that soft. It could have something to do with the finish but that really seems not right to me. I'd go to your jeweler and if they say "that's normal" I'd get a second opinion from a better jeweler. It's normal for gold jewelry to get a dull patina from micro-scratches over time, it's not normal for it to get significant, visible scratches from everyday wear.

The idea that higher carats = softer jewelry is disputed.
posted by nanojath at 12:03 PM on July 11, 2008

We got white gold rings for our wedding last month. Mine was considerably scuffed and scratched after a week too. My wife's still looks pristine. The two rings were made by the same jeweller.

I would report further, except that I managed to lose mine after 23 days. The replacement will be something more durable.
posted by roofus at 12:04 PM on July 11, 2008

My DH's ring is white gold too....we got it from Gilletts online. It came with a certificate and everything, and it's gorgeous. But it is scratched!

I'm just guessing but I think the higher the karat, the purer and more easily scratched the piece will be. I knew someone who had 24 karat gold bracelets. They used to have an ornate carved design which had completely worn away. The bracelets were still beautiful though!

A higher percentage of alloy would make the ring harder, but I wouldn't bother replacing or polishing it. Eventually it'll have a nice brushed patina. Enjoy!
posted by frosty_hut at 12:07 PM on July 11, 2008

I was married last month, but wore my ring - white gold with a high polish finish - a few months before the wedding. Normal wear caused a lot of scratches despite my best efforts to keep it looking new, but I just tried a fingernail and it only left a mark that wiped right off without damaging the surface.

Through talking to two different jewelers, I've learned a lot:
- The scratches are common with white gold, especially with a polished finish.
- Satin finishes do slightly better but can also make the scratches appear more obvious.
- With white gold, you can have the ring replated as often as you want without causing any damage or wear to the ring.

Just before the wedding, I had the ring replated. It cost between $30 and $40, and the ring came back looking shiny and brand new. I do think that if I give the ring time to build up enough marks in different directions, it will look less noticeable than the first few blemishes. I've decided to let the scratches go for a while and see how the ring looks over the next year or two, then decide how often I want to bother to get the ring replated.
posted by tkolstee at 12:25 PM on July 11, 2008

I think tkolstee has the solution. One scratch is a flaw; a thousand are patina.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:33 PM on July 11, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

My not-cheap white gold band was scratched to hell in a week, and bashed nearly flat in a year of hard labor. Fortunately, my marriage survived it. A jeweler was able to re-shape it, bit it will never look the same as the day it came out of the box. And my wife and I are okay with that, we see it as kind of a mark of survival over time.

The only suggestion that the jeweler had for me was "don't wear your ring to work".
posted by kuujjuarapik at 12:43 PM on July 11, 2008

Gold is soft. Scratching the finish with your fingernail seems suspect, but your ring is going to get scuffed. I have been wearing a 18K ring for not very long, and it's got all sorts of scuffs on it already.
posted by chunking express at 1:02 PM on July 11, 2008

Just agreeing with the beat up white gold ring contingent, and I've only been wearing mine for a year and a half. I call it "character".
posted by JaredSeth at 1:08 PM on July 11, 2008

It's white gold. Just have it dipped. The outside is basically rhodium. Find a jeweler and ask them about it.
posted by charlesv at 3:22 PM on July 11, 2008

My rings have a couple of nicks and scratches, after 3 years of wear since the last replating. They look fine, though.

That said ... I need to get it fixed because three of the six claws have worn down, and I'm worried about how secure the diamond is.
posted by ysabet at 3:55 PM on July 11, 2008

My wife and I got white gold wedding rings. After 9 years, they have a fair amount of scratches on them, particularly mine. My ring started getting scratched after only a few days.
Metal will get scratches without much effort. New steel clasp on my watch has a few scratches after only 2 weeks.
Like a few of the people above, we choose to think of them as patina/character and a sign that like the ring, our marriage is holding up well despite the passage of time :o)
You can choose to get it buffed or replated if it bothers you too much.

Congratulations on the wedding!
posted by arcticseal at 5:14 PM on July 11, 2008

Our rings are 9 karet white gold, and they are quite scuffed after 3 years of marriage. For our first anniversary, we had them engraved, and got them polished at the same time, but it didn't last. And mine now sports an obvious mark from where I tripped and fell on the sidewalk, and damaged it when trying to catch myself. So yeah, I think it's normal other than the fingernail scratching thing.
posted by happyturtle at 2:27 AM on July 12, 2008