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PLATINUM JEWELRY

The appeal of platinum jewelry is in its appearance. Its white luster is unique. It is also the strongest precious metal used in jewelry, and is almost twice as heavy as 14-karat gold. This weight is one of platinum's strongest selling points, because it gives "heft" to fine jewelry, which people naturally equate with value. In recent years platinum jewelry has rapidly grown in popularity. It's become the new choice for many diamond engagement rings because its luster brings out the brilliance of diamonds far better than gold. Many fashion consultants agree that platinum jewelry (and white gold) is more compatible with fairer skin tones.

Platinum jewelry, like gold, has a long and distinguished history. Its use began in antiquity and it has undergone a resurgence in popularity over the last 200 years. Platinum jewelry was held in high esteem during early Egyptian times. Native people in South and Central America worked it as early as 100 B.C. Spanish conquistadors discovered platinum artifacts among the gold they were seeking when they came to the new world. They named the curious metal "platina," or "little silver." They also considered it worthless, and discarded it. Platinum jewelry didn't reach Europe until the 18th century, but then it caught on in a big way. King Louis XVI elevated it by terming it "the metal of kings."

For centuries, the only large amounts of platinum outside of South America were found in Russian mines. Nowadays, platinum jewelry is far more valuable than gold. Platinum's initial uses were probably limited by its hardness and its very high melting point. The early forging and casting techniques made it quite a difficult metal to work with. During the latter part of the 19th century, and the first half of the 20th, platinum was the premier metal for all-important jewelry. Platinum jewelry dominated the world of jewelry design during the Edwardian era, and the Art Deco period well into the 1930s. It all came to an abrupt end in World War II, when platinum was declared a strategic metal and its use banned for all non-military purposes.