Key points:

1.  Platinum is the most precious of all metals
2.  The most appealing characteristic of platinum is its durability - it will not lose any metal if scratched
3.  As it is a pure white metal, jewellery made from platinum will not tarnish or change colour
4.  Most platinum jewellery is 95% pure platinum and 5% iridium alloy

 

Platinum has evermore compelling qualities above gold and silver. There are five factors including its rarity and durability which makes platinum a highly desirable metal for fine jewellery. 

The symbol for platinum under the periodic table is “Pt” and its number is “78”.  It is “grey-white” in colour and is known professionally all over the world as a “transition metal”. It is highly durable and is known not to corrode, even in very hot and humid weather. Because of its highly resilient characteristics, it is used for a number of purposes beyond jewellery including dentistry instruments, electrodes, electrical contacts, thermometers and laboratory equipment.

Platinum jewellery has a fairly robust history. It has been noted that the ancient Egyptians wore platinum in their garments over 3,000 years ago and other cultures followed that fashion trend close to 800 years later. Incas that lived in South America used platinum for many instruments of clothing, tools, weaponry and architecture. This metal is usually found in alluvial sands by many different rivers that are branched all over the world. Thus, 16^th century European writings also mentioned the use of platinum and how citizens (of higher status) wore them during special occasions. It has been documented that this metal also appeared in the court of Louis XVI of France in 1780. However, platinum hasn’t really been seen in abundance in jewellery pieces until the last couple of centuries.

There are five factors that provide a better insight into what gives platinum jewellery such an appeal: purity, rarity, luster, strength and fashion.

Purity

Platinum is widely recognised as one of the purest metals in the world. Other metals (such as gold) are usually a composite of other minerals, with a 14K gold piece having 58% gold and a 18K piece having 75% gold. Hence, they don’t have the purity of platinum. There are now treatments used that extract platinum out of other metals, such as copper. During the “electrorefining of copper” electricity anywhere between 0.2-0.4 volts is used on a piece of copper that has been soaked in a solution that is a combination of 3-4% copper sulfate and 10-16% sulfuric acid. During this process, copper dissolves while marketable metals such as gold, silver, selenium and tellurium sink to the bottom of the cell. This is generally a foundation that many laboratories use in order to find platinum group metals. Lastly, the purity of platinum is fairly absolute since all that needs to be done is soaking an ore in a liquid that will extract impurities. The impurities that are found on the ore tend to dissolve much easier because platinum is a much more resilient metal.

Rarity

Platinum is the rarest metal in the world and it can only be mined within a very select few locations. About 80% of platinum is found in South Africa and sometimes it can be found within the ores of nickel and copper. Due to its rarity, the average density of an ore of platinum is around 0.005kg. Today, platinum is the highest valued element that’s unearthed from the ground. It is known that it takes about 10 ores of platinum to be mined before a single, marketable ounce of platinum is found. This is in contrast to gold, which only requires 3 tons of ore to find a marketable ounce. Chromites were discovered in 1865 within South Africa, which in turn lead to the discovery of platinum in 1906. Between 1927 and 1975, other mines were found throughout the world. There were platinum ores being unearthed in Ontario, Canada as well as Platinum, Alaska. These weren’t bonafide “platinum mines” but, rather copper and nickel deposits. There were platinum group metals found in antimonides, telluride, sulfides and arsenides within these mines and platinum were discovered in treatment processes.

Luster

The colour of this metal makes it a perfect companion for diamonds. Its white/silver sheen makes it an ideal metal for setting, accentuating the brilliance of a diamond making it appear twice as luminous. Platinum jewellery typically consists of 90-95% platinum combined with 5-10% of other metals. During the times of the 17^th -19^th century, platinum was a symbol of prestige and was seen on the garments of people of higher status. In fact, the first crown that was made out of this metal was the Crown of Queen Elizabeth.

Strength

Platinum is a very strong metal. It weighs about 60% more than a karat of gold and is twice as tough. It doesn’t corrode or tarnish in any way which makes it an ideal selection for jewellery. Platinum can be worn for many years and there will be no signs of erosion of any kind. Whilst it may not be quite as hard as diamonds, it is one of the toughest metals being mined today.

Fashion

Both coloured stones and diamonds are used with platinum metals because of its strength and unique tint. Obviously, the use of platinum being worn as jewellery has changed a lot over the last few hundred years. It is now becoming more affordable for many other classes of society. However, it is still a signature of prestige and is an increasingly popular choice for engagement rings. This metal truly acts as a testament to one’s eternal love and companionship.