Does Platinum Stay Shiny?

Unfortunately, platinum doesn’t stay shiny. Platinum is one of the materials which is malleable, and thus when it’s in contact with any hard surface, it can easily get scratches. The scratches can cause the platinum to dull down. Platinum is also used in a more pure form than gold, so it doesn’t have a lot of resistance to scratches and can easily lose its sheen.

Platinum articles or jewelry are also more likely to be softer than white gold. Jewelers use platinum in a purer form than they use white gold. White gold has other additives that make it harder and thus likelier to hold on to its sheen.

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What Is Platinum Patina?

Platinum Patina is one of the things that you will have to take care of when you buy yourself a Platinum ring. When you initially buy a platinum ring, it will be shiny, but does platinum stay shiny? The answer is no. It doesn’t. Platinum rings are generally ones you wear daily. With daily wear and tear, the platinum surface distorts and gets filmier; a patina is formed.

When the patina develops, your ring will start to look older. The ring has a different texture, and a more aged appearance is likely to appear.

Platinum is different from other metals as once platinum is scratched, it doesn’t lose any of tis other material. Instead, we see that it gets duller. The occurrence of a dullish appearance due to the great number of scratches is called a patina.

Does Density Make Platinum Wear Differently?

Platinum is one of the most common metals when it comes to ring shopping. Platinum is a precious material that many people opt for when trying to buy a ring. Platinum is denser than gold. The same amount of platinum will weigh more than 60% of the weight of a similar piece of gold. This is because platinum molecules are more close together, and thus platinum can pack more weight in the same space than gold. Platinum’s density also means that jewelers can use it in a purer form than gold.

Gold in its rawest form is exceptionally soft. Thus, jewelers often add other metals to the gold to be used for jewelry.

The increased density of platinum also means that it wears differently when you wear it. Platinum is a soft material regardless of density, which means when it comes into contact with a harder material, it is essentially moving out of the way so that the harder material can take its place. The density of the platinum means that it will take on the impact of the blow, but unlike other metals, it will not lose its particles and will instead dull down.

Other metals tend to take scratches and lose the particles present on the top of the surface. When they do so, they manage to remain shinier. Thus, the density of the platinum affects how it wears and appears.

Do All Platinum Rings Lose Their Shine?

All Platinum articles, at some point in time, will get patina. Platinum bands and rings are likely to hold on to their sheen for at least a year after you’ve gotten them. But signs can start early or later depending on the type of ring you have and the conditions you expose it to.

If you’re not wearing your platinum ring too often, then the chances of getting a patina are a lot less. If you wear it more often and expose it to the environment more often, it will lose its shine more easily.

Generally, you will see that the lower portions of the ring start to acquire a patina much more quickly than the upper portion will.

How Can You Ensure Your Platinum Remains Shiny?

Platinum is a great material to house your precious stones or even use as an investment. However, you have to maintain it to ensure it looks its best. You have to take care of platinum jewelry in a specific way.

Take Care of Platinum Jewelry

1. Take off your platinum jewelry before handling chemicals like bleach and abrasives, as these may cause scratches or damage to it.
2. If you’re gardening or doing any heavy labor, keep your platinum away from it.
3. Do not store your platinum with other jewelry. Other jewelry can be hard, which means it’s likely to cause much more damage to your jewelry. If you want to prevent scratching, it’s best to keep the platinum jewelry in another compartment.
4. Take your platinum jewelry to a professional so they can examine it after the impact. You will see that doing so helps you closely monitor how well-set your precious stones remain.
5. If you have to get it refitted for size or any damage coverage, you have to ensure that the jeweler will use platinum to make the fixes. If they use anything else like white gold, your platinum band will have darker solder joints that ruin its overall aesthetic.

Clean Platinum Jewelry

To ensure that your platinum jewelry is shiny, you want to ensure that it gets the care and cleaning to maintain its sheen.

1. It would help if you cleaned it regularly with a cleaner made especially for platinum and white gold. You can also go into cleaning with warm water and mild soap if you don’t want to invest in any old cleaner.
2. Use a soft brush with softer bristles to clean it gently from the inside out.
3. Rinse your jewelry as best as you can under warm water. Make sure that you avoid the sink drain or keep it clogged.
4. Dry your articles with a dry, lint-free cloth.
5. Ensure that you don’t brush or soak any delicate gemstones in the ring. Instead, you should leave the cleaning of these to the professionals.

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking to yourself, does platinum stay shiny? Then the simple answer is that it doesn’t stay shiny for long. However, you’re likely not buying platinum only for its sheen. But even if you are, there are other ways of keeping it from losing all of its sheens.

You can also get it polished professionally if you don’t want to go through all the trouble of cleaning the metal yourself.