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More About Platinum History

More About Platinum History

Platinum is a very precious metal – more valuable than gold or silver and because it has similar qualities in terms of appearance, shine and malleability, it is sought after as a metal for fashioning jewelry.  Making jewelry is one of the least important uses; it is extensively used in an array of industrial and consumer applications and your modern TV probably would not work without it!

Platinum was discovered in 1741 by Charles Wood, an English metallurgist exploring the island of Jamaica.  The Spaniard, Antonio de Ulloa also shares the credit for discovering platinum after an 8 year expedition to Peru but he noted himself that the indigenous natives had been mining platinum for a great deal longer.

In 1750, William Brownrigg, who had been sent the samples by Charles Wood from Jamaica, presented his analysis of the newly discovered metal to the British Royal Society.  Brownrigg noted particularly the extremely high melting point and other peculiar qualities which sparked the interest of scientists across Europe which was in the grip of the Renaissance and scientific interest was high amongst the cognoscenti of the day.

Platinum was first described as “white gold” by Henrik Scheffer who extensively researched and experimented with platinum – he noted that platinum was stronger than gold but did not oxidize (or corrode) which was a main plus point for any precious metal.  The relative strength of platinum made it unsuitable for use in making jewelry and this was not overcome until Carl von Sickingen discovered how to combine platinum with gold to make an alloy which was soft and capable of being worked.

The modern catalytic converter which helps reduce fuel consumption in modern cars requires platinum to operate effectively – the principle was discovered way back in 1784, more than a century before the invention of the engine, by Franz Karl Achard who developed the first platinum crucible using arsenic (one of the very few substances with which platinum will chemically react).

In Spain, the Age of Discovery gave way to the Age of Platinum when King Charles III funded a laboratory for the Frenchman, Pierre Chabaneau specifically to research this newly discovered white gold.  Chabaneau discovered how to purify platinum and noted how pure platinum would not blend with other elements and compounds which would increase the value of objects made from it.  Moving from scientific endeavor to outright capitalism, Chabaneau went into business making platinum bullion and utensils and made his fortune.

Platinum rested awhile with no significant development or exploitation of the metal until in 1875, platinum was chosen for its inert qualities as the base for the metric system of measurement – a meter (equal to one yard and 3 inches) is defined as the distance between two lines on an alloy bar of platinum (90%) and iridium (10%) – this formed the very basis for modern scientific measurement including the calculations which put man on the moon.  Only with the advent of atomic and speed of light bases for measurement did platinum take a back seat.

Tags: Platinum, Precious Metals

Platinum’s History Basics

Platinum’s History Basics

Platinum is a rare precious metal that is used in jewelry, wire and important devices and instruments. Platinum is also used for electrical contacts in dentistry. Since Platinum is rarer and more expensive than gold it has an irresistible appeal all its own. It is a perfect match for diamonds and is the preferred precious metal for engagement rings and wedding ring sets.

Platinum was highly regarded by Ancient Egyptians and Pre Columbians. Its name comes from the Spanish platina which means “little silver.” A Swedish researcher in 1751 named Sheffer was successful in melting platinum by adding arsenic to it. He was also the one who recognized platinum as a new element. It would be over twenty five years before scientists would figure out how to melt platinum using oxygen. This allowed platinum to be used for commercial purposes.

It was used for decoration of porcelain and for making ornaments and laboratory ware. Columbia was the only source of platinum until 1820. Deposits were found in the Ural Mountains of Russia and this became the principal source of platinum for the next 100 years. In 1888 platinum was discovered in Canada in the nickel and copper mines in Ontario. Canada became the world’s major source of platinum between the end of WWI and the 1950’s.

In the Transvaal province of South Africa, in 1924, a farmer discovered several nuggets of platinum in a riverbed. A geologist used this information and found two deposits in the area. They became known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex and today these mines provide three quarters of the world’s platinum.

Platinum is regarded as a “new” metal but in actuality it dates back to 700 BC. The ancient Egyptians mastered the techniques of processing platinum. It was combined with gold and played a big part in their culture. In the mid eighteenth century Europeans began to hold platinum in high esteem. The legendary jewelers including Faberge and Tiffany have made most of their classic and timeless designs in platinum.

Marc Etienne Janety, who was a Parisian artist and metalworker made some of the earliest decorative works in platinum. Today the only known work of Janety is a glass lined platinum sugar bowl dated from 1786. It can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The Duchess of Windsor who was an expert and collector of jewelry declared that platinum was the only jewelry choice for evening wear. The world’s most legendary diamonds, including the Jonker I and Hope are secured in platinum. In the early 1900’s platinum was at its peak in popularity and was the preferred metal for all fine jewelry in America. When WWII began the US government declared Platinum a strategic metal. It was prohibited from being used in non-military applications, which included jewelry. At this time white gold was substituted in place of platinum.

Recently platinum has made a comeback and this is partly due to new mines and sophisticated mining processes that have been developed. Platinum will always be the first choice when it comes to making timeless and classic jewelry.

Tags: About Platinum, Platinum, Platinum History, Precious Metals

Jewelry Hallmark Basics Part Two

Jewelry Hallmark Basics Part Two

In Jewelry Hallmark Basics Part One we dealt with why hallmarks are used and in particular, how they are used in classifying gold jewelry and pieces. All that glitters is not gold in this instance with many varying definitions dealing with what can be called “gold” – indeed, only 10/24ths of a metal compound by weight need be comprised of gold for the entire piece to be marketed or termed “gold”.

Hallmarks therefore, provide an invaluable measure as to the purity, and therefore value of a piece as well as providing valuable information as to how the piece has used gold in its construction.

Hallmarks are also widely applied to silver, platinum and palladium, but the conventions differ and we shall deal with each in turn.

Silver

Just as gold need only contain 10/24ths of the precious metal to be called gold, silver objects need 92.5% of the content to be silver in order to be classified as solid silver or “Sterling Silver”.
In this instance, the hallmark will be either “sterling” or “925”, though you may encounter “ster” or “STR” instead.

Jewelry is not the only thing silver is used to make – many coins are made from silver, even today, and the purity is likely to be around 90% but there are no hallmarks as such.

Platinum

To be called platinum, a piece must contain at least 95% of the metal though it is common to find pieces which are less than this and offered for sale.

The hallmark to look for is “platinum”, plat” or “pt” which tells you it is 95% or more pure platinum.
You may find markings such as “900Plat” or “900Pt” – these indicate that the metal is 90% pure platinum but, as it is less than 95% the object itself cannot be called platinum. It is common to find platinum pieces which contain between 85% and 95% of this precious metal and the percentage is indicated by the initial numbers. Even if there is less platinum in the piece, it is still usual to find a marking following this format.

Palladium

Currently there are no hallmarking rules in operation in the United States, however, many jewellers will use the same platinum hallmarks and marking convention as platinum. You will find the marks used are “pall” or “Pd” instead of plat or PT.

Making a Hallmark

Hallmarks have been traditionally punched into the metal using punches bearing different designs and differing sizes dependent upon the jewelry or piece being marked. Using hammer and punch to make an impression in some pieces of delicate jewelry is not such a good idea and a system of laser markings has been developed. Using a high-powered laser, the metal can be marked without the need to apply any force. A further refinement of laser hallmarks is that they may simply not just be 2-dimensional representations but also 3-dimensional, which replicates the traditional hallmark made by a punch much better.

International Hallmarks

Hallmarks are not an American invention; they have been used for over a thousand years! They reached a modern form with the Byzantine Empire, itself formed from the shattered remnants of the Roman Empire, almost 1,200 years ago. Hallmarks have been extensively used by many European countries to classify precious metals notably in Switzerland, France, Italy and the UK, and hallmarking must conform to much more stringent standards than it does here in the US but the conventions can vary widely.

Tags: Jewelry Hallmark, Palladium, Platinum, What is a Hallmark