Platinum
You have arrived. Platinum is the Rolls Royce of precious metals! With its lustrous beauty, its tempered grace and rarity, this metal is in a class of its own.
A rare and precious metal, platinum is blended with a small amount of iridium to create a more malleable alloy, suitable for precious jewellery. The alloy Pt 950 is 950 parts platinum and 50 parts iridium. Platinum kindles a gemstone’s fire and enhances its intensity, and its colour remains unchanged, even after many years have come and gone.
Gold
Gold is a very noble and beautiful material, and has been used for centuries in its various forms by jewellers and craftsmen from around the world.
It is rare to find jewellery crafted solely from pure gold. The raw material is blended with other metals such as silver, copper, zinc and palladium, to create blends known as “alloys.” These alloys can be yellow or grey or a variety of colours from green to rose. White gold is achieved by adding a rhodium plate to grey gold, giving it a bright and lustrous finish. Over time, the rhodium plate will wear off, so your jewellery can be re-plated to maintain its appearance.
The most frequently used alloy is 18ct or Au 750. This means that for every 1,000 parts by weight, 750 parts are pure gold and 250 parts consist of other metals. “Au,” the abbreviation derives from the element’s Latin name Aurum.
Gold is a wonderful material for crafting jewellery. It is more durable than silver, but not as resilient as platinum or titanium.
Silver
Silver is an inspiring and treasured precious metal, mined around the world, and used by jewellers and designers in the creation of jewellery and silverware.
As with gold, pure silver is usually blended with zinc or copper to produce a more resilient alloy. The most common of these is sterling silver or Ag 925. For every 1000 parts of silver, 925 parts are pure silver, and 175 parts consist of other metals. Ag is an abbreviation that derives from the element’s Latin name Argentum.
Silver has a reflective honesty, and a simplicity which is why jewellery addicts simply cannot resist its charm.
Palladium
This precious metal has been used for making jewellery since 1939. Often enjoyed as an alternative to other white metals, particularly as it has a natural white lustre similar to platinum.
It is lighter, yet harder than platinum, a fabulous juxtaposition for you to consider.
Over time, it will develop an alluring hazy patina. Over the last few years, jewellers all over the world have honed their techniques and are celebrating this new kid on the block by producing jewellery with a metal that conforms to a new set of rules!
Hallmarking
A hallmark is a quality control mark placed on an article made of precious metal. Sometimes called a hall, assay or standard mark, it is usually applied after accurate independent testing by an assay office. Hallmarking is the world's first known instance of consumer protection law, dating back to about 1300 AD. A UK hallmark now contains at least three symbols, the sponsor's mark, a number indicating the purity or fineness in parts per thousand, and an Assay Office mark.