Photograph showing Palladium wedding ring as new (left) and after many years of natural wear (right) easily refurbished by a professional re-finish.
Will Palladium Jewellery Scratch?
The popularity of Palladium as a jewellery metal has soared in recent years. Most jewellery ranges include at least a few designs created in the standard 950 Palladium.
Naturally white, with a similar appearance to Platinum, Palladium once appealed to buyers owing to the low cost of the metal. However, in the last 5 years, the Price of Palladium skyrocketed, making Palladium far less affordable for jewellery. The following chart shows the extreme rise in price from the early 1990’s onwards.
When buyers choose their precious metal, one of the considerations is always durability and scratch resistance. But how does Palladium compare to other precious metals in terms of scratch resistance?
Like most other precious metals, Palladium does scratch. Despite being harder than Platinum, it will nevertheless pick up scratches. The following chart shows a comparison of hardness forvarious materials, including Palladium.
Brand New Palladium vs Worn / Scratched Palladium
In spite of wear and scratches, Palladium will retain its shine. Especially if cared for. In addition, Palladium does not tend to tarnish. Cleaning products such as the Connoisseur wipesrestore the gleam but do not remove deeper wear and scratches.
Our main photograph shows a 5mmlightweight slight court wedding ringbefore and after many years of wear. You can see small scratches and wear. These are typically removed during a professional re-finish.
How to clean Palladium jewellery at home
If you are looking for a simple and easy way to polish up your Palladium wedding ring without sending your jewellery away, we recommend the Connoisseur jewellery wipes, which provide exceptional value. Re-use each wipe as many times as you like to restore the shine to any item of Palladium jewellery. Each wipe contains a micro-particle, never dries and helps remove tarnish and fill scratches. Try them and let us know what you think!
Can scratches be removed from Palladium?
Scratches can be removed from Palladium. For complete refurbishment and removal of scratches, Palladium wedding rings and engagement rings should be polished professionally. This process will restore the mirror polish of the brand-new ring.
Palladium is a metal that suits wedding bands very well. It is unsuitable for delicate engagement rings (small claws holding diamonds, for example) but makes great sense for wedding rings.
Almost identical in appearance to Platinum, wedding rings are often half the price of the same Platinum band. However, the lightness of Palladium contrasts with the heavier weight and density of Platinum.
Can Palladium be set with diamonds?
Palladium is ideal for setting diamonds and features as an option for our diamond engagement rings and diamond wedding rings.
Palladium and Platinum wedding rings set with diamonds. Channel set (left) and scattered flush set diamond wedding ring (right)
Which is more scratch and wear-resistant? Platinum or Palladium
Scientifically speaking,Platinum scratches more easily than Palladium. Our surface hardness diagram above shows this. But, the density and workability of Platinum mean that it is more easily crafted, refurbished and re-polished. Despite being less scratch resistant than Palladium, it is a wiser choice for long-term jewellery and is undeniably a better-quality precious metal.
For anyone uncertain of whether an item is Platinum or Palladium, look for the hallmark added to the item of jewellery. Both feature a 950 stamp.
Platinum features the 950 stamp inside a square pointed box, whereas Palladium appears within a bubble-shaped stamp. The goddess “Pallas” often features as an identifying mark with the hallmark.
Restoring a Palladium engagement ring with heavy wear and damage
We recommend re-making a badly worn or damaged Palladium engagement ring. As part of our service, we refurbish and remake ring designs in Palladium. If clients accidentally damage rings beyond repair, we provide this additional service. The following example shows a badly damaged, worn and scratched Palladium ring. A new ring created in the same design shows the original diamond re-set.
Palladium vs Titanium
If you are deliberating between Palladium and Titanium, there are 2 main differences. Titanium is not a precious metal and costs far less than Palladium. Furthermore, it is harder but will also scratch. Both Palladium and Titanium can be engraved. Buyers on a tight budget may favour Titanium due to the cost. Titanium has more of an earthy colour, whereas Titanium is whiter by comparison.
Two examples of wedding rings – Palladium set with diamonds featuring a fingerprint and Rune engraved Titanium wedding rings
Advice on losing a Palladium ring
In recent years, some of our clients have lost their Palladium rings. Some were wedding rings. Others were engagement rings. Many of these clients had out-of-date insurance valuations based on the old price of Palladium.
For this reason, we recommend checking on the replacement value and insurance details for your existing Palladium jewellery. Otherwise, should you lose any Palladium item of jewellery, the cost of replacement might come as quite a surprise.
About Mark Johnson
My name is Mark and I'm founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you'll find me working in our showroom—in a variety of roles. My work (which I love) ranges from photographing jewellery, to writing blog posts and helping clients with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.
