Things To Know Before Gift Shopping For Platinum Jewelry

Compare these - silver, gold, and platinum. Which amongst them do you think has the heftiest price tag? It's platinum, alright. But do you know why? The Value of Platinum Over Gold As early as the 7th century B.C., the Egyptians had already been using platinum to adorn the caskets of their Royalty. However, gold was the more popular metal for jewelry even during ancient times because Platinum was so hard to find. Platinum is found only in trace quantities on Earth. It is rarer than gold and for this reason alone, platinum would cost more than gold. Also, platinum is known in the jewelry industry to be a lot stronger and purer compared to gold. When it comes to purity, most platinum used in jewelry around the world is 85% except in the USA and the UK, which make use of 95% pure platinum. Platinum is denser thus heavier than gold by about 68%. This makes platinum a lot more durable. Also, it is more resistant to tarnishing compared to gold. Platinum's strength gives a very secure setting for precious stones and diamonds. In fact, other precious metals such as ruthenium, cobalt, iridium, palladium, and copper are alloyed with it to make these metals stronger and durable. Gold may be more malleable than platinum, but it needs to be alloyed with other metals as well to improve on its strength and for it to stay in shape. The downside of the strength of platinum is that it requires a very high temperature to mold it: an astounding 1769