Starting your story about precious metals or stones, such as gold, diamonds or pearls, one of the many ancient legends about their origin or about the mysterious properties of these unique natural resources can be cited.
But the most precious metal with traditions was not lucky. Humanity has recently discovered platinum, and this discovery has not yet managed to acquire legends. But we are well acquainted with the history of this metal and can trace the difficult path that platinum has traveled from the moment it was discovered until it was recognized as the most noble metal in the world.
Platinum first came to Europe at the beginning of the 18th century. It was brought from South American New Grenada (the territory of modern Colombia) along with other wealth conquered by the Spanish conquistadors. True, then, "wealth" platinum was not considered. The name "platina" given to him, which can be translated as "silver", also speaks of the neglect of this metal ("plata" is silver in Spanish). Platinum, in general, was taken at first for low-quality silver. Accordingly, this metal was valued at half the price of silver.
Mysteries of platinum began to unfold during processing. The new metal had high hardness and strength, and practically did not give in to forging. In addition, it was impossible to melt it in any of the existing furnaces (the melting point of platinum is 1770 ° C). The first to use platinum were "inventive" scammers and dishonest merchants. They added it along with silver to gold, while the color, and, most importantly, the weight of the obtained "gold", with correctly proportioned, practically did not change. Since the lighter in relation to gold, the weight of silver was offset by a heavier platinum. Namely, “unclean” gold diluted with silver was determined by weight in those days.
The notoriety of "Spanish gold" quickly spread throughout Europe and led to the fact that the coins of the Kingdom began to fall in price, and began to accept them for payment less willingly. In 1735, in order to rectify the situation, the Spanish king signed a decree banning the import of platinum into Spain, and all the metal mined in the colony was to be drowned in a river. God only knows, so much precious metal has swallowed the waters of the Pinto del Pino River, later called Platino del Pino.
Only in the middle of the eighteenth century it was found that platinum is not a mixture of metals, but an independent chemical element. Jewelers learned how to process platinum towards the end of the century, and the first white metal products went on sale.
But platinum won a full place among precious metals only at the very end of the nineteenth century, when Louis Cartier created a collection of jewelry made of platinum, which was a resounding success. Following Cartier, such well-known jewelry houses as Tiffany and Bucellati, as well as Faberge, began to willingly use platinum in their products. Thanks to platinum, the craftsmen of Van Cleef & Arpels invented their famous “invisible” setting of precious stones in jewelry.
Full recognition of platinum in jewelry came with the start of the Art Deco era. One of the hallmarks of this style was the dramatic contrast of black and white. For this, platinum was the best fit. Diamonds fixed in platinum did not have a yellowish tint, as when mounted in gold. For the late period, Art Deco was characterized by bright and rich colors, which is why they began to use an extensive palette of colors in jewelry. Colored gemstones were widely used, and the cold shine of platinum gave them additional juiciness and expressiveness. The most characteristic motifs of jewelry of this period were weightless compositions of flowers, plants, butterflies, and only the amazing characteristics of platinum allowed making jewelry more subtle and elegant. The era of Art Deco lasted until the end of the thirties of the last century. With the outbreak of World War II, platinum was declared strategic material, and its peaceful use was prohibited.
Recently, the fashion for platinum has returned, and the number of jewelry sold in the world from it has been steadily growing. What attracts people to this precious metal that looks like white gold, but much more expensive?
Unlike gold, platinum used in the jewelry industry is cleaner. Usually this is alloy 950 (!) Sample. In gold jewelry, mainly 750 samples (18 carat gold) are used. Due to the fact that platinum has virtually no impurities (less than five percent), its products do not fade over time and, moreover, do not cause allergies.
Platinum is a rare metal; its annual global production is thirty times less than gold. Maybe that's why platinum looks more unique and exclusive in the eyes of jewelry buyers? In addition, working with this material requires great skill and special skills from the jeweler. Not every master will undertake work with "insidious" metal. This creates a halo of platinum around platinum of a certain elitism and originality.
Platinum is ideal for fixing diamonds, its white color and dull sheen emphasize the beauty and play of the edges of the stone, without changing its shade. The strength of this precious metal provides a reliable fixation of the stone in the jewelry. The high density of platinum allows you to wear products made from it daily. However, they will not wear out and wear out. This is one of the reasons that more and more newlyweds when choosing wedding rings choose platinum.
Jewelry made of platinum often becomes a gift for any memorable events and family celebrations, whether it is adulthood, the birth of a child or a golden wedding. Platinum is the epitome of reliability and durability. Guided by these reasons, many men purchase platinum jewelry for themselves. And this, in this case, is not luxurious, and this is exactly what a true gentleman with good taste needs. In the United Arab Emirates, the demand for men's "jewelry" made of platinum is also due to the fact that gold jewelry is not customary for men practicing Islam for religious reasons.
So, we can confidently say that platinum, this precious metal with a difficult fate, awaits, in every sense, a bright future.
Dmitry Kuznetsov
