Platinum Jewellery

Platinum jewellery is made from platinum that is a heavy, ductile precious metal which is very durable. It is found with some ores like nickel and copper. Apart from platinum jewellery, this metal is used in laboratories and for anti-cancer treatment.Pure platinum is grayish white firm to the touch. Its durability makes it ideal for making platinum jewellery. The price is prohibitive – being double that of gold.

Platinum has been in use for hundreds of years. The pre-Columbian natives used it. Mention can be found of platinum in the writings of early Europeans exploring the Americas. It comes from the Spanish ‘platina’ meaning little-silver. It is extremely rare. If all the platinum of the world was poured into a big swimming pool, only one’s ankles would be covered.

Gold would cover three of these pools. South Africa, Russia and Canada are the three top producers of platinum – with South Africa contributing 80%. There is plenty of platinum on the moon and on meteorites.To make platinum jewellery the ore is pulverized and crushed to a slurry that is mixed with a special detergent.

Air is now blown through this mixture – this method being known as flotation. Next comes smelting.Platinum Guild International made its entry in 1975 to give support to the platinum jewellery trade. With its headquarters in London it has offices in China, Germany, Italy, India, Japan and USA. It is advisable to go to a retailer authorized by PGI and also for the buyer to know first hand about platinum jewellery. There is a wide range of platinum jewellery to choose from.Some jewelers take customized orders.

Each ring setting is distinctive – prong wherein the attention is on the stone, contour protects the stone on two sides, in channel the stones sit between two parallel rows of the metal, in bar a thin metal bar separates each stone, in bezel the stone is framed, in pave tiny metal beads discreetly support the stones, in tension setting one gets the illusion of the stone floating in air and in flush tiny stones are caged in small holes.

In France Louis XV made a declaration in the 18th century that platinum jewellery was to be worn only by the royals. On the occasion of the coronation of George VI, the frame of the crown of his consort Queen Elizabeth was of platinum.

Among more recent celebrities Drew Barrmore sported fantastic platinum ear drops, Jamie Fox wore a platinum diamond ring and Kate Winslet shone in platinum and diamond earrings, bracelets, dress clips and hair clips during the red carpet celebrations in Hollywood