Platinum has been around for several centuries. However, due to its rarity in nature and high melting point of 3221.6 degrees Fahrenheit, its use in jewelry was almost impossible until the 19^th century.

Interesting Trivia: The ancient Egyptians knew how to melt platinum – they used it in combination with gold for jewelry. However, when the Spanish re-discovered platinum in South America in the 17^th century, they discarded it since they were not able to not melt it using their techniques available at that time. King Louis XVI, on the other hand, declared platinum as the one metal fit for use by royalty!

Only around the turn of the 20^th century did scientists find a way to achieve the high temperatures necessary to make platinum malleable. Once that happened,

With technological advancements, scientists were finally able to achieve high temperatures necessary to melt platinum in the 20^th century. Since then, this beautiful white metal took off and people around the world started seeking jewelry made from platinum.

Perhaps the most attractive feature of platinum is its ability to retain its shine and luster for life. It does not get affected by the atmosphere and it is extremely strong. While silver and gold tend to dull over time, platinum manages to keep its original sheen for years. Furthermore, platinum far exceeds gold in weight.

In terms of metal purity, platinum jewelry is graded slightly differently than gold jewelry. Unlike gold, which has multiple purity levels ranging from 24 karat to 10 karat, platinum does not have such classification. Most jewelry items made from platinum contains between 85 percent and 97 percent of platinum.

Metals that are alloyed with platinum for making of jewelry include Palladium, Iridium, Copper and Ruthenium. In terms of marking and identification, most platinum jewelry come marked with the certain universally accepted symbols – PLATINUM, PLAT or Pt. Often, it is succeeded by numbers – 999, 950, 900, or 850 – indicating the purity of the platinum used in the jewelry.

Through its history, platinum has been used for many different jewelry and non-jewelry applications. Even today, it has many industrial and military uses. However, platinum is mainly used for making jewelry items such as wedding bands and engagement rings. Platinum love bands, studded with real diamonds are highly in fashion these days.

Hard Fact: As a rare metal, platinum is very tough. And therefore, many people prefer it over gold. Compared to approximately 2000 tons of gold mined every year, only around 150 tons of platinum is mined. This makes platinum rarer and more expensive compared to gold.

Ever since humans learnt how to forge metals, they have been using different metals to make jewelry items. At different times iron, copper, brass, silver, gold and more recently, platinum have been in vogue for creating jewelry.

Interesting Trivia: The purest form of gold that has been achieved till date is 999.999, refined in 1957 by the Perth Mint. This is higher than the normally accepted purity standard of 24K gold, which is actually 999.  

The three metals that are mainly used in precious jewelry today are silver, gold and platinum. As we go from Silver to Gold and from Gold to Platinum, their value increases due to their rarity.

Among these, silver, which has been around for more than 5000 years, is the most abundant, and also perhaps, the most widely used. In its purest form, this white metal is marked to be at 999 purity. However, the best jewelry in silver is usually considered to be in Sterling Silver, or 92.5 purity. This effectively means that there is 92.5 percent of silver in the jewelry, while the remaining 7.5 percent is other alloy added to increase the durability and hardness of silver.

Similar to silver, different metals such as copper or palladium are commonly added to gold to create rose or white gold. Copper tends to give gold a slightly reddish tinge. Silver and palladium are also used for making white gold jewelry. Silver is mainly in the form of Sterling Silver or 92.5 when casted into jewelry. However, gold is used in more than one purity percentage for making of jewelry as it is far more precious than silver.

Here are some of the most commonly used purity levels:

91. 22 K or 916 gold – This is a combination of 91.7% gold and 8.3% other alloys. It is mainly used for making jewelry without any diamonds or stones.
92. 18 K or 750 gold – When the mixture contains 75% gold and 25% other metals, the alloy is called 18 K gold. It is the most commonly used purity for making gold jewelry
93. 14 K or 585 gold – A comparatively harder form of gold, ideal for studding of diamonds and precious stones. It has 58.5% gold and 41.5% other alloy metals.
94. 12 K or 500 gold – A 50% – 50% ratio of gold and other metals. The natural yellow hue of gold is highly subdued in this combinations.
95. 10 K or 417 gold – Generally considered the lowest purity of gold. It has only 41.7% gold, with 58.3% of alloy metals making up the rest. It is generally used for non-jewelry applications such as artificial teeth.

The best way to assess the purity of gold is to look for the “hallmark” on the gold bar or a jewelry item made with gold. For every karat purity level listed above, the gold would be marked accordingly.

Although solid gold jewelry and gold plated jewelry look almost identical in terms of their appearance, there is a significant difference both in their price and value. The gold plating usually utilizes a liquid form of gold to create a thin layer of gold on a piece of jewelry made of any other metal to give the jewelry item the look of gold. Once again, it is 18 K gold plating that is most commonly used.