-History of Platinum Jewelry

Today, platinum is considered the king of metals. Although the cost of gold is substantially higher in 2021, platinum’s density, malleability, sturdiness and naturally white, lustrous beauty still makes it what many consider the superior metal for jewelry. To understand the true value of the metal one must go back a long time ago, in our galaxy far, far away. Platinum was created in the same supernova explosions that gave birth to our world. The precious metal formed by nuclear fusion and dispersed into clouds which form part of Earth's atmosphere today. Platinum in it’s original raw form is actually a slew of aggregate “platinum materials” that include platinum, iridium, palladium, ruthenium, osmium and rhodium. For this reason, platinum was very difficult to work with until the 1800’s when the scientific community finally figured out how to separate each metal using various acid solutions and temperatures. Once separated, it took another 39 years to figure out how to melt it. In 1839, Charles Goodyear created vulcanized rubber, which made it possible to create the high temperature torches needed to efficiently melt platinum to make jewelry. Before that, jewelers rolled and forged the dense metal into pieces, then joined those pieces using gold solder, making it both challenging and time consuming to work with as well as creating an inconsistency of color in the jewelry. In the mid 1800’s pure platinum was still difficult to work with because it cracked easily, it had no “spring” to it. It was the dental industry that figured out different ways of alloying precious metals. With much trial and error, they figured out that adding 5 to 10% of iridium to platinum made a perfectly malleable, strong, workable metal and it wasn’t long before the jewelry industry jumped on board. Before platinum, silver was the predominant metal used for setting diamonds from the Georgian period (1714 to 1837) and throughout the Victorian periods (1837 to 1901), especially when it came to the large, high end pieces worn by the nobility and wealthy classes. It was easy to work with, was brilliant when polished and gave a uniform, white color backdrop for setting diamonds. The diamond encrusted pieces would often be silver on the top and gold in the back. The only drawback of silver is that it tarnished and turned into an ashy dark grey color over time. A Naturalist movement in art swept Europe in the 1800’s, specifically the Edwardian period (1901 to 1915). Flowers, garlands, leaves, bows and tassels were seen in a lot of jewelry. Large brooches with flower or bow motifs became very popular. It was Cartier who, in 1890, focused heavily on platinum for making the organic, floral, naturalistic designs which were popular at the time. Cartier loved the fact that platinum, now that it was alloyed with iridium, was sturdy (33% more dense than gold) and malleable. His craftsmen could efficiently push the prongs over the diamonds without any recoil, could milgrain the edges easily and precisely and, best of all, the metal was bright and white and didn’t tarnish. Cartier found that he could make his designs very delicate and lacey while still maintaining structural integrity. At first, Cartier continued backing the pieces with yellow gold, eventually switching over to all platinum around 1900. The popularity of Cartier’s platinum jewelry among the wealthy and elite classes made platinum the ideal white metal for high end pieces, especially those with diamonds. Platinum’s permanently white, bright, sturdy and dense properties also made it the ideal metal for engagement rings. During the height of the Art Deco period, the platinum engagement ring became a symbol of enduring love among the wealthier population who could afford a platinum and diamond engagement ring. Soon, all the top jewelry houses were using platinum for their most luxurious creations and platinum became the go-to metal for these types of pieces. The discovery of mines in South Africa and Canada made platinum more readily available. When World War I began in 1914, platinum was banned for use in any capacity other than the manufacture of military necessities. The dense metal was used for rifle and engine parts, explosives and many other uses needed for the war. It was during World War I that a patent was approved for white gold and the white metal became a substitute for platinum and became hugely popular. During World War II, again, platinum was banned and white gold shared the spotlight with Palladium until around 1950, when Palladium pretty much faded into oblivion for use in jewelry. The clear winners in the battle of the white metals were platinum being number one for the high end jewelry and white gold as a tier 2 metal, a dynamic that has continued until this day. Today, platinum is still coveted as a metal used for exclusive, high end jewelry. While white gold is extremely popular, it needs to be rhodium plated to be perfectly white, and periodically replated to stay that way. The platinum engagement ring is still a classic and elegant choice. There’s something about the weight and silky feel of a well designed and polished platinum engagement ring that just feels right on the finger. For one of the largest selections of platinum engagement rings and estate jewelry on the market today, you can visit JC Blackburn Inc. at www.jcbgems.com or just give them a call at (305) 238-1827 to setup an appointment for a personal visit to your store.