|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
PlatinumJewelry.biz Platinum Facts and Information
The perception of luxury today has become identified with platinum in the promotion of goods and services in any number of categories. Consider these examples: The American Express platinum card and dozens of other platinum status credit cards; leading luxury vehicles are now touting platinum models; platinum records of the hottest music; furniture, fine china, and stemware and fabrics are being designed with the color of platinum. Platinum is the symbol of quality and understated elegance. And fine Platinum Jewelry is no exception. We all want the finest to convey our deepest emotions, to bring joy, to last forever. More precious, more lasting, more lustrous, more understated and more elegant, platinum is undeniably the ultimate and RARE white metal. Mother Nature makes platinum pure white. Never bleached or dyed, platinum never tarnishes or discolors - compared to white gold which is really yellow gold plus other white ingredients - white gold will not be white forever. The majority of Platinum is found in the Russian Federations, South Africa and Canada CustomFineJewelry.com 15% OFF Custom Designs thru December 31, 2004 - CALL 1-800-376-6725 Platinum Facts? While 14 karat gold is 58.5% pure gold and 18 karat gold is 75% pure, most platinum sold in the US is 90-95% pure. The majority of the other additives are Cobalt ( cheaper used in mall jewelry - it scratches); Iridium (very hard the best - used in older designs) and now Ruthenium (less expensive than Iridium but better than Cobalt). Platinum's strength and density greatly slow the wear and tear process - scratching, making it the metal of choice for holding diamonds and other precious stones. A six-inch cube of platinum weighs 165 lbs. As much as the average groom. There's a wonderfully luxurious feel to the weight - solid, significant, and valuable. Platinum is hypoallergenic. Great news for people with allergies to nickel and silver, often found in gold and white gold. It takes 10 tons of ore and eight weeks of processing to produce one ounce of platinum. In fact, only 150 tons of platinum is produced yearly worldwide, a precious few to gold's 2,200 tons. Platinum is so rare, all the world's supply would only fill an average living room. PlatinumJewelry.biz Home Today 2004, 40% brides and grooms are purchasing rings with platinum for five reasons: it's secure, lasting, unique, modern and gorgeous - such as this custom designed set specifically made in Platinum Iridium by Opals International Jewelers, Inc. including 18kt diamond pave bands and 18kt gold accents - this is as unique as it gets - hand engraved, filigree, vintage look - cutouts under diamonds, and a top quality lab certified princess cut diamond at wholesale cost. Let us design a set of rings for your special bride or groom - CALL JEFF 1-800-376-6725 and lets get it started !
Types of Platinum Measuring Perfection 1000 parts = 100% platinum All alloys are derived from these 1000 parts Platinum % Common Quality Marks Alloy Composition 100-99% Platinum 999 parts per thousand Plat 1 part other metal Pt999 95% Platinum 950 parts per thousand Pt and 50 parts other metal 950Pt Pt950 950Plat-RU - Ruthenium - The new alternative to "scratchy" Cobalt-Platinum 900Plat-IR10 - Iridium 10%- This is what PlatinumJewelry.biz uses! Iridium: The rarest of the PGMs, iridium is second only to osmium as the densest element and is the most corrosive resistant known. It is white with a yellowish hue. Although brittle, it is extremely hard (over 4 times that of platinum itself) and with its high melting point, temperature stability and corrosion resistance, is used in high-temperature equipment such as the crucibles used to grow crystals for laser technology. Its biological compatibility is what we owe most to iridium as this enables it to be used in a range of medical and surgical applications. Iridium can be found in health technology combating cancer, Parkinson's disease, heart conditions and even deafness and blindness. A shiny, oxidation-resistant metal, iridium also adds to the brilliance and durability of jewelry. This is the Platinum of choice for PlatinumJewelry.biz Custom Platinum Designs also used by Van Cleef and Arpels and Harry Winston since the early 1900's. 950Plat-CO - Cobalt or No Mark ( beware this is Mall Jewelry Platinum and it scratches ) 90% Platinum 900 parts per thousand Pt900 and 100 parts other metals 900Pt 900Plat This is the softest and least expensive form - AVOID this type of platinum unless it is 10% Iridium.
History of Platinum In Ancient Egypt around 700 BC, having mastered the techniques of processing Platinum, High Priestess Schepenupet’s document casket is embellished with platinum hieroglyphics. In 100 BC Pre-Columbian Indian cultures succeed in South America by blending platinum with gold, creating nose rings and various other jewelry items. In 1590 the Spanish Conquistadors discover a white metal in the rivers of Equador. Believing it to be unripe silver, they name it Platina, meaning little silver, and throw it back to "ripen". Then in Italy around 1758 Giovanni Casanova and the Marquise d’Urfe carry out mysterious experiments attempting to turn platinum into gold. In 1790 a goldsmith creates platinum jewelry in France for King Louis XVI who later declares it "the only metal fit for Kings". Around 1824 in Russia substantial deposits of platinum are discovered in the Ural Mountains. When vast diamond deposits are discovered in the small town of Kimberly in South Africa around 1875, a new jewelry style was born; the diamonds of Kimberly with modern platinum. In 1912 in Pforzheim, Germany an effort to provide a substitute for the increasingly rare platinum, white gold is invented. In the Merensky Reef in South Africa, Dr. Hans Merensky discovers the largest deposits of platinum ever found. The deposits were later named the Merensky-Reef in 1924. Around 1937 in England The Duke of Windsor commissions Cartier to make platinum wedding rings for him and Wallis Simpson. But by 1939 in America WWII causes the restriction of platinum for any use other than the war effort. In 1983 in The Isle of Man the first modern Platinum coin of legal tender is made. By 1992 PGI-USA is formed to reacquaint the Amercan public with precious platinum jewelry. In Maryland 1997, the government mints the first platinum coin called the Platinum Eagle. Since 1992 Platinum Jewelry sales are up 1000%. Platinum accounts for 40% of the U.S. bridal market which is expected to increase to 60-75% over the next five years. PlatinumJewelry.biz Home The Purity of Platinum Platinum’s purity is very important for two reasons. First, for your skin; platinum is hypoallergenic and resists tarnish making it easier for people with sensitive skin to wear Platinum Jewelry. Secondly, platinum’s purity is one of the most durable and strongest metals in the world. Some people might say that platinum and white gold are the same, but white gold doesn’t have the same purity, strength, durability, rarity, or the natural white luminescence of platinum. Also platinum weighs 60% more than 14K gold. Remember Platinum costs almost 2x as much as Gold and 100x as much as Silver per ounce. Platinum, like all other precious metals, scratches over time. However, due to its great density and durability, it is harder to scratch compared to gold or silver. If you do manage a scratch on your ring, don’t fret, it can be polished out. An added bonus is that platinum doesn’t lose any metal from a scratch like other metals, it merely moves it aside. A common misconception is that platinum is a difficult metal to work with. The truth is that it takes a different process to work with platinum, it isn’t necessarily harder, but more meticulous. Forexample to polish a platinum ring properly it takes 2 to 3 times as longer than a simple gold ring. To fabricate (handmade not cast) Platinum Jewelry such as the rings above it takes much longer to bend metal, carve it, solder it and polish it - so it costs more for the consumer to get a custom designed handmade Platinum Creation versus a gold or silver design. Not to mention the metal costs almost 2x as much as gold per ounce. Another reason it is harder to work with is the melting point of 90% pure platinum is 3250 degrees Fahrenheit versus 14kt gold which melts at 1582 degrees. PlatinumJewelry.biz Home Platinum is a quite rare metal and that aspect greatly affects the price, but close tabs are kept on supply and demand. International miners will continue to mine platinum for many years to come. So, if you are determined to get platinum, there is enough to go around. Opals International
Jewelers, Inc. dba PlatinumJewelry.biz ©Copyright
1994-2006 Opals International Jewelers, Inc. |
Why is Platinum so Popular?
