Platinum: The Magic Metal

PLATINUM, is more precious, and more enduring than gold. It is truly a magical metal.

HISTORY takes us back over 3000 years to ancient Egypt where the remarkable metalsmiths of that time became extremely skilled in the art of working with platinum. A 2500 year old coffin of an Egyptian High Priestess was discovered, decorated with platinum hieroglyphs. Their polish and luster were still perfect, giving dramatic proof of platinum's incomparable strength and durability.

Another ancient people who created adornments from platinum were the Incas. But the invading Spanish Conquistadors saw little use for the this metal, and deemed it "silver of lesser value", platina. They even went so far as to throw great amounts of the metal into the sea, thinking that it might become a cheap imitation for silver.

Finally, during the eighteenth century, platinum's value as a metal supremely suited for jewelry started to take hold. Then in the nineteenth century, platinum became the de-facto standard for setting the finest of the newly discovered gemstone, the diamond. In fact, the most famous of these gems, the Koh-I-Nor, the Jonker, and the Hope diamonds were all set in platinum.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Platinum is the hardest of the precious metals, it never tarnishes. Its intense luster remains intact over the years, and it is completely hypoallergenic.
• Platinum is extremely dense, and remarkably heavy. Much more so than silver or gold. This property of platinum enhances and ennobles the quality of the jewelry from which it is created.
• The ultimate stability of platinum over the years is unmatched. It does not wear, and its extreme level of durability offers a profound guarantee of strength and longevity.
• Platinum requires special skills and tools to work with.
• Platinum has an extremely high melting temperature. In its purest form it melts at 3214 degrees F, almost twice the temperature needed to melt 14 karat gold.
• All the platinum ever mined would produce a cube 17 feet on each side, less than 5000 cubic feet. 
• It takes up to 10 tons of ore to produce one ounce of platinum, more than twice as much ore that is typically needed for an ounce of gold.
• Platinum is not susceptible to problems like stress corrosion or stress cracking as can be the case with white gold.