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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you'd prefer a sterling silver or white gold ring

45 replies

MintCassis · 03/12/2018 21:38

DP is getting me a ring for Christmas. The design I like is a sterling silver one from Pandora but I'm worried about the quality as it seems so cheap compared to other rings - it's £55. A few of the reviews say stones have fallen out quickly, although on the whole it has good reviews.

I'm also wondering about tarnishing? I'll be wearing it every day and don't want to have to take it off every time I wash my hands. I thought a white gold ring might be a better option and easier to care for, problem is I can't find a design in white gold I like as much as the Pandora one.

I haven't worn a ring since early teens so unsure whether I should compromise on the design or metal Confused Blush

OP posts:
NotANotMan · 03/12/2018 21:39

Silver will get damaged much more easily than gold

Onlysocks · 03/12/2018 21:40

Silver is a relatively cheap metal hence the price difference. It is also a very soft metal so will wear away or damage more easily than other metals. Can you get a local jewellery designer to make something similar to the pandora ring but in white gold or other white metal?

DorisDances · 03/12/2018 21:41

White gold is much more resilient

Yidette86 · 03/12/2018 21:44

White gold is better quality in my opinion, my Dad was a jeweller and I hate yellow gold but liked silver, he told me to go to white gold as it's more resilient and he's right.

UtterlyDesperate · 03/12/2018 21:45

White gold is a bugger, though, with cleaning products (or where it rubs another ring) - unless you wear gloves or take it off: I don't do either, so need mine redone every two years or so (white gold isn't white - it has rhodium? on it, kind of like when something is plated, except with the gold in the middle)

Blanchedupetitpois · 03/12/2018 21:48

Silver won’t last if you want to wear it all the time. White gold is a pain and needs the rhodium redone every so often, but it’s much stronger than silver.

CardsforKittens · 03/12/2018 21:48

Silver bends more easily, which isn't ideal in a piece of jewellery you'll be wearing every day. But if you're reasonably careful you should be fine. The most important thing is that you like it enough to wear it all the time.

AamdC · 03/12/2018 21:52

I have a white. Gold emgagement and Wedding ring fourteen years on they still look pretty Good , i dont like yellow Gold at all ,

Drogosnextwife · 03/12/2018 21:55

Can I ask, to anyone who's had it done, how much it costs to have the rhodium redone?

AlmostAlwyn · 03/12/2018 21:57

My wedding ring is sterling silver. I haven't had any problems with it at all, and it's easy to give it a wipe with a silver cloth every so often.

As a PP said, the rhodium plating on white gold can wear off and need replacing every once in a while, so it's up to you really!

If you really like the Pandora ring, I'd go with that one :)

mrsmoppp · 03/12/2018 21:59

Love pandora rings but you will start to notice that every other person has the same ring as you. I like my jewellery to be more unique.

natwebb79 · 03/12/2018 21:59

My wedding and engagement rings are palladium. Silver in colour, hypoallergenic and pretty sturdy. Worth a look.

JudasPrudy · 03/12/2018 22:00

White gold is better. Instead of getting a low quality new ring you should look for a second hand ring, you get much more for your money.

MereDintofPandiculation · 03/12/2018 22:01

If you're wearing silver every day, you won't have tarnish problems because the rubbing against your skin will polish it.

theonlyKevin · 03/12/2018 22:02

All my sterling silver jewellery has aged pretty badly, all my gold one is still the same it was on the day I got it.

I am not jewellery rich by all means, just got a few pieces for birthdays or gifts to myself, and inherited some bits and bobs from my grand-mothers! If it's a fashion item that you only wear for a couple of years or so, it doesn't matter, but if you want to keep it for years, possibly have it resized if you need, I'd chose the stronger metal.

YouAndMeAreGoingToFallOut · 03/12/2018 22:03

My wedding ring is silver. 9.5 years on and it still looks absolutely fine.

AHeartAPenny · 03/12/2018 22:03

Could you find / get something similar made up in palladium? That's what we did for my engagement and wedding rings. It's in the same family as platinum so very hard-wearing, but is significantly cheaper (not much more than white gold IIRC).

steppemum · 03/12/2018 22:04

I have white gold, as engagement and wedding rings, been married for 19 years. they still look good, look white, and I've never had them re-done.
I wear them all the time, when cleaning etc too.
They were made by a local jewellry maker, who advised us against silver, as too soft and it wouldn't last for a wedding ring.

thymeandplaice · 03/12/2018 22:08

My favourite ring is silver. I’ve had it about 20 years and it still looks as good as when I bought it. I don’t wear it constantly, but probably about 80% of the time.

DPotter · 03/12/2018 22:10

Choose a ring made by a local jeweller rather than a Pandora ring. That way it will be completely unique, much better quality and value for money. And you'll be supporting a local artisan

Bringbackbertha · 03/12/2018 22:11

My rings are all platinum and diamond but my dh could never afford new ones so my engagement ring came from a antique shop and my wedding ring and eternity came from eBay. Total cost for 3 rings £750 obviously you may not want to spend that but get on eBay and trawl you can find lovely designs. Also the Birmingham jewlery quarter have some sellers on eBay which can be much cheaper than your high street shops.

DisneyMillie · 03/12/2018 22:29

I have a set of platinum rings from my first marriage that look so much better than my white gold rings from my second even though that was only a couple of years ago. As a PP said, if you wear more than one and don’t take them off to clean etc they start show the gold underneath quite quickly.

fruitpastille · 03/12/2018 22:30

I've got a silver ring that I've been wearing almost constantly for about 25 years and still looks fine! My wedding ring is platinum as I was put off by the idea of white gold having a coating on it. I've also got silver bracelets and necklaces which have only needed a bit of a polish from time to time. At £55 would it be cheating to buy 2 the same and keep one in the box as a back up?!! Personally I wouldn't be bothered about what other people are wearing. You like what you like!

Original poster
MintCassis · 03/12/2018 22:38

Thanks for all the replies! I’m pretty clumsy so that’s the silver one ruled out. We’re not in a position to have a ring custom designed at the moment but going to try some on tomorrow so will look at the white gold designs Smile

OP posts:
Tony2 · 03/12/2018 22:46

My daughter bought me a silver ring about 16 years ago. She was a teenager, Xmas present, she said was a fiver, discounted cos she worked Saturdays in the shop. It has an outside spinning ring, Celtic pattern, my worry bead. It has tarnished slightly, but is not bent or really worn, and I never take it off. Married yonks ago, divorced ten years. Both had slim white gold bands, not huge money, but bespoke. I wear them both together on my right hand, and I'm a soppy git, they're both coming in the box with me. As they say, it's the thought and the memory that counts