Precious metals and stones

MEET PLATINUM

Platinum was discovered in Europe only in the 16th century as a grey-white infusible metal. The ancient Greeks and Romans apparently knew platinum, because the writings of Pliny speak of a white metal that appears together with gold in gold-bearing sands and is heavier than gold. 

It was not until 1750 that platinum was found to have different properties than gold and silver. The name platinum is derived from the Spanish word plata, which means silver. Platinum, in the past called white gold, is an alloy of gold and iron.

Later in 1777, platinum was thoroughly investigated and found to be an element with specific properties that differ greatly from those of gold and silver. It is found very rarely in pure form, mostly in compounds with platinum metals, gold, nickel, and other metals.

Platinum is most widely used in the jewellery industry, as well as in the chemical industry, in medicine, and in new branches of modern industrial production. Platinum metals are also found under the names palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, and iridium. They are similar in colour to platinum but have different physical properties. Platinum is considered to be 10 times rarer than gold.

Palladium is lighter in colour than platinum and has a high metallic lustre. In goldsmithing, it is used in alloys with gold and silver. This creates a soft white gold alloy that is used to set the gemstone in jewellery. 

Rhodium is used in the jewellery industry in the plating of jewellery, so-called rhodium plating. Gold jewellery has a naturally yellowish colour, and to achieve a bright white effect, the jewellery is always rhodium-plated at the end of the production process, which gives it a bright white. Some goldsmiths do not practice this last step because they want to acknowledge the natural colour of the gold. In our goldsmith studio, SALABA, we always rhodium plate jewellery from white gold.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Platinum (Pt) has a density of 21.5 kg/dm3 and a melting point of 1773 °C. Platinum is black and white in colour and has a high gloss. It is malleable, malleable, soft and tough. It is stable in the air. It resists hydroxides and acids and, unlike silver, does not tarnish. Only hot royal jelly dissolves it.

Platinum is a very rare precious metal, only around 200 tonnes are mined annually. Compared to gold or other precious metals, this is only a fraction.

PLATINUM JEWELLERY IN THE SALABA GOLDSMITH STUDIO

All rings that you can find in our e-shop are also made of platinum. A platinum engagement ring is a beautiful carrier of pure love. We also offer platinum wedding rings. We offer a limited selection of platinum earrings, but we are happy to make you a custom piece of platinum jewellery. 

You can read more information about platinum rings here.

Gold in Nature

Pure gold most commonly occurs naturally as grains or flakes, either in quartz veins running through rock or in alluvial deposits created by the erosion and washing away of gold-bearing rocks.

Larger pieces, known as nuggets, are extremely rare. One of the largest gold nuggets ever found was discovered in Australia and weighed 70.9 kg. Other large nuggets have been found in the United States, Russia, South Africa and Brazil. Smaller quantities of gold can also occur alongside pyrite.

It is estimated that approximately 117,000 tonnes of this precious metal have been mined and panned worldwide to date.

Gold has a beautiful yellow colour and a brilliant lustre. Its colour depends on the quantity and type of other metals it contains. Naturally occurring gold is typically yellowish, but alloys used in bespoke jewellery-making can alter its colour while increasing its hardness.

Adding silver, platinum, nickel or zinc produces pale or white gold, while copper gives gold a red or rose hue.

The gold has a beautiful yellow colour and high lustre. The colour of gold depends on the amount and type of impurities it contains. Natural gold is typically yellowish, but when used in custom goldsmithing, its colour changes and its hardness increases.

 If silver, platinum, nickel, or zinc are added, light or white gold is produced. Adding copper creates red or rose gold.

Physical Properties

Gold (Au) has a density of 19.3 kg/dm³ and a melting point of 1,063°C. It has a beautiful yellow colour and a brilliant lustre. Gold is very soft, with a hardness of 2.5, and is the most malleable and ductile metal on Earth. It can be hammered into sheets as thin as 0.0001 mm.

A single gram of pure gold can be drawn into a fine wire up to one kilometre long. It remains stable when exposed to air and can be dissolved by aqua regia, mercury, potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide.

Gold Purity

The purity of gold is determined by the proportion of pure gold in the alloy and is expressed in carats. The purest gold is 24 carats, while 18-carat gold contains 75% pure gold and 14-carat gold contains 58.5%.

The remaining part of the alloy used in gold jewellery most commonly consists of silver. Other metals may include platinum, palladium, copper, zinc, nickel and cadmium.

Pure gold is rarely used except by goldsmiths and for plating in the chemical and engineering industries. Gold is traded on world markets by the troy ounce, which is equivalent to 31.1 g.