Gold Vs Rhodium Trim- Your Preference?

[Olya]

Generally I like gold better (either b/c it looks better in some cases, or as others noted for its warmth), though sometimes "silver" looks better.

I have eg specifically decided for a "silver" trim in a pen I recently bought, as I intend to take it with me and don't want to attract (the wrong kind of) attention. I'm a little paranoid I must admit, but if I weren't paranoid I'd choose (yellow) gold more often.

[senzen]

Rhodium, can't stand gold. Bicolour might be acceptable.

[tinta]

Two-tone nibs are an acceptable compromise buy yellow gold still steals the show.

[orfew]

I have both and like both.

[Kataphract]

I like my gold to look like gold. Plating it so it looks like silver seems counter to using gold in the first place. Now, for some cool colors I prefer a silver look (blues, violets, white/white metal), but overall, give me the warmth of gold.

[sd10521]

I like both depending on the pen.

Older pens I tend to like gold in general, but on the modern pens I tend to go for Rhodium.

[Opooh]

And there is of course red gold also. It all depends on the pen, especially the color. For example rhodium matches blue like the MB blue hour.

[requiescat]

Most of my pens have gold trim. My preference really depends on the pen's colorway. I like red pens, for example, and I think gold coordinates with them better. But silver-tone would look very pretty on other colorways.

[kernando]

Solid metal is better, assuming suitable metals.

[gregamckinney]

Rhodium always if I get a choice. At the other end of the spectrum, two-tone is horrid, IMO. I will avoid pens that have two-tone furniture (not counting nibs, of course where it is very common.

 

(Could have gone the rest of my life without a MB 149 until they introduced them with the platinum finish...)

 

greg

[Mech-for-i]

really depends, I made no distinction and preference towards Gold or Rhodium, nor single color vs two tone. It depends on the pen and its color, ornament and etc .. 2 tone of course usually work well for most pen had gold trim or chrome / platinum / silver trim and its safe bet that the 2 tone can easily match any. On the other hand I think neither of them really goes well with many of todays new Pen models which had styling that require something , well, more contemporary. Say the allot tip Pilot had on the Metropolitan , and the same nib with the smily face on the Kaküno work quite well. An overly ornate imprint nib of other finish would just look out of place.

[ac12]

I'm with the "it depends on the pen" crowd.

The entire pen has to work together in harmony. How do the colors go and look together.

Example, I would not put gold on a WHITE pen; silver maybe black, but generally not gold.

Edited June 30, 2016 by ac12

[bjmoose]

Gold - to me it always appears much warmer and luxurious

[inkstainedruth]

It depends on the pen. Gold trim on something like a Noodler's Charlie pen would look silly. Rhodium trim on my Parker Vacumatics would look weird....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[corgicoupe]

Folks don't often think of the fact that gold & copper are the only two metals that are not "white" in color. Copper with zinc or tin become brass or bronze, with their characteristic color. Alloy in gold with various amounts of copper, nickel, etc., for eaxle allow one to produce rose gold or green gold or white gold. But I believe with practice one can see slight differences in the various white precious metals used. Platinum looks slightly different than white gold, and silver looks slightly different than either of them. Rhodium is harder than platinum, and much harder than gold, and wears better. But the golds are certainly warmer, and that is a personal choice.

[abstract49]

I generally prefer rhodium or silver accents, though, as most others mentioned, it depends on the pen. And, on the right pen, a ruthenium (black) plating can look magnificent.

 

I understand how rhodium or silver accents can look like cheap chrome, but if you look at nice rhodium or silver accents next to chrome, there's quite a difference.

 

 

Yes, if you put an inexpensive chromium trimmed pen next to a higher priced (not necessarily expensive, depending on your standards) pen with rhodium furniture, you can see the difference.

[pajaro]

I regard a pen as a whole and decide if I like the look and feel. I favor most Parker 51 with a Lustraloy cap (matte steel). Plastic body. I usually ignore gaudy trim. Rounded ends.

[catbert]

Started out preferring silver trim, more recent acquisitions have tended towards gold. Most of my pens are black, which works with either. It really depends on the pen, as others have said. Gold trim would be weird on an Esterbrook but seems fine on a Pilot 78G.

[Arkanabar]

Rhodium, stainless steel, even chrome plating. I just don't like gold all that much. I have gold-trimmed pens. I got the M200 and M400 that way cos that was what I get get at the time. The Baoer is also GT, but again, that's what I could get (and it's now rubbing off). My other GT pen, a lapis colored TipDip that I reckon is an Imperial (don't know enough about Sheaffers to say) was a gift. I had a Pilot 78G with GT, again, because that's what was available. It's now my wife's pen; she likes them skinny like that.

I've always preferred white metal for my watches and glasses, as well. And gold-colored trim on an automobile is somewhere between unattractive and an abomination.

[VivienR]

Tending towards gold, but it depend from the pen's overall style.