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Platinum, a Precious Metal For Wedding Rings
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Each year, 88 tons of platinum is crafted into jewelry, compared to 2,700 tons of gold. Furthermore, it requires 8 weeks and 10 tons of ore to produce a single ounce of platinum, which actually makes platinum one of the most uncommon precious metals on earth.
Platinum jewelry is also at least 90-95% pure, as this naturally white metal requires no additives or rhodium plating and this purity level makes it hypoallergenic and ideal for those with sensitive skin. Platinum is also one of the heaviest and strongest metals in the world, weighing 60% more than karat gold.
Therefore, it is ideal for jewelry worn every day because it exhibits little material loss, even after prolonged wear, and it is for this reason that many jewelry designers and manufacturers feel that platinum is best suited for both diamond and colored stone jewelry.
In fact, some of the world's most famous diamonds, like the Hope, Jonker Diamond Number One, and the Koh-I-Noor, are all secured in platinum settings.
Brief History as a Jewel
Although platinum is regarded as a "new" metal in its present form, it has a long history. Ancient Egyptians and Pre-Columbian Indian civilizations already valued it as a decorative element as theymade rings and ornaments from platinum nuggets found in river beds.
The modern discovery of platinum is attributed to Spanish conquerors in the 17th century. They called it “Platina” because it resembles silver which they called “Plata.” The Spaniards had discovered alluvial deposits of platinum when they were mining in search for gold in the Chocó region in Colombia. In their quest for gold they actually considered platinum as a nuisance, and some even thought that platinum was unripe gold so that for many years it had no value except as a means of counterfeiting.
Due to platinum’s extremely high melting point (3,225 degrees Fahrenheit) its production requires processing techniques that were not available until the end of the 19th century. However, as jewelers became more adept at using these techniques platinum quickly became the diamond setting of choice with the European court jewellers of the 18th century, as well as with the jewellers of the Edwardian and Art Deco periods, such as Cartier and Tiffany.
Platinum reached its peak of popularity in the early 1900's when it was the preferred metal for all fine jewelry in America, howeverwith the economic depression of the 1930s and the advent of World War II, when platinum became a controlled material, its use for jewellery declined. In the past few decades platinum has grown again in popularity as new mines and sophisticated mining processes have been developed thus making platinum more accessible to jewelry manufactures now more than ever before.
One of the most popular choices today when a couple is looking to purchase wedding rings is platinum, a precious metal which offers a universal appearance for both men’s and women’s rings. The appeal of platinum includes several reasons. First of all, platinum is much rarer than gold.
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Article submitted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 & read 85 times.
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