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Its History
Named by the 16th century
Spanish conquistadors in South America, platinum’s rarity, beauty,
and physical properties combined make it the most noble and precious
metal of all precious metals. In the mid 1700s the first samples of
platinum ore made its journey from South America to Europe, however,
it wasn’t used in the jewelry industry until French jeweler, Cartier
first created platinum jewelry in the 1890s. Platinum soon became a
symbol of status, luxury, and elegance, growing in popularity
through the Edwardian era (1890-1915), during the 1920s and 1930s
Art Deco era, and continued despite the U.S. Depression. When World
War II began, platinum was declared as a strategic metal. Its high
resistance to corrosion made it a perfect metal choice for the
production of jet aircraft engines and platinum was banned from
jewelry manufacturing use, until after the war. Many women engaged
before WWII wore diamond engagement rings set in platinum, however
when they were married during the war, platinum wasn’t available and
they were given a wedding band made to resemble platinum - white
gold.
After the war, platinum continued to be seen as
the choice metal for showcasing large diamonds and important
jewelry. In the past decade the world has experienced a tremendous
appreciation and rise in popularity of platinum jewelry. Today,
platinum is used in all types of jewelry, at various prices. Prized
for its beauty, rarity, and purity, platinum used in jewelry is
90-95% pure platinum alloyed with another platinum group metal such
as iridium, palladium, ruthenium, or rhodium. In comparison, 14K
(karat) gold is 58.5% pure, 18K gold is 75% pure, and sterling
silver is 92.5% pure. Because platinum is pure, it will not tarnish,
react with chlorine or cause allergic reactions.
Since first discovered in 1924, South Africa
has been become the world’s leading producer of platinum ore.
Platinum is rare and about 2.8 million ounces of platinum are mined
each year versus 50 million ounces of gold and 400 million ounces of
silver. Ten tons of ore is required to produce one ounce of
platinum. Extremely durable, resistant to corrosion, and ductile
(ability to be drawn into wire) are the characteristics that make
platinum a perfect metal for use in manufacturing delicate and
intricate jewelry designs. Because of platinum’s hardness (jewelry
prongs and settings are long-lasting) and overall wear-ability,
platinum is an ideal metal use in setting diamonds, and showing off
gemstones.
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