What is platinum?
Platinum is an extremely rare precious metal found only in a few places in the world. It has a very high melting point of around 2000 degrees Celsius and is difficult to work but also very durable. 10 grams of pure platinum requires rich 3 tons of ore and purification takes up to six months!
What is the history of platinum?
2,000 years ago it was already being used for jewelry by the Incas in Pre-Columbian times in Latin America. When much later the Spanish came and they started mining for gold and silver, it was set aside as an unwanted byproduct. It was then thought to be immature silver and derogatorily called the precious metal "platino" meaning small silver. At that time, Europeans were also unable to melt platinum because of its high melting point.
In the 18th, the precious metal attracted the attention of metallurgists, but it was not until the late 19th century that they actually succeeded in working the metal for use in jewelry. For jewelry making, a highly skilled French goldsmith who worked for King Louis XVI once turned to platinum. He called the metal "The only metal fit for kings."
That platinum is royal, this goldsmith was certainly right about that. It is the most noble metal is on the earth because totally unreactive with any substance. For the wearer of platinum jewelry, that means any allergic reactions are out of the question.
What are the differences from white gold?
The price of platinum has traditionally been higher than that of gold. Due to scarcity and, of course, a more favorable price, white gold was developed as a substitute. Platinum is naturally "white" and can therefore be used in its pure form, while white gold is an alloy of gold with other non-precious metals (nowadays mainly palladium) to make the gold white. This, and the fact that the specific gravity of gold is lower than that of platinum, meant that white gold was once cheaper. Over the years, goldsmiths have done their utmost to give white gold the cool color of platinum. Nowadays, a layer of rhodium is often applied to white gold jewelry to give it a white sheen, something we at Charlotte Vogel Jewelry deliberately do not do (read here why not).
Why choose this beautiful metal?
Besides being beautifully white, the precious metal is also very strong. It hardly wears out and is hypoallergenic. The platinum we use at Charlotte Vogel Jewelry is 90% pure with a 10% addition of pure gold. You wear a very pure, exclusive and durable jewel.
