Platinum Rings
In the jewelry scene, platinum is still only a newcomer despite its presence even since the Middle Ages. The first recorded account concerning platinum was with Antonio de Ulloa, as the Spaniard explorer prospector was contemplating on some unworkable metal he called Platina del Pinto. But due to his capture by the british privateers, his discovery was withheld until a British chemist successfully isolated the metal.
In color, platinum is a white metal that resembles much like silver. Platinum, like most precious metals of gold and silver, is also tarnish and rust resistant. Platinum is several times more hypoallergenic than gold and silver and several times stronger that they make high quality medical instruments. And the resemblances end there as platinum as one of the natural occurring precious metal, is exceedingly rare, 35% rarer than gold. That’s why it may seem as surprise that platinum rings are several times more expensive that gold.
Like gold, platinum rings are gauged by their carat line, the amount of the actual platinum in the alloy. The high end jewelry grade for platinum is 950 Plat (sometimes it would go Pt950 or 950Pt), meaning it contains 95% pure platinum. Barring price worries, you can get platinum jewelries of a higher caliber without worrying of a tradeoff, unlike gold and silver which, on the higher carat line, are too soft to make secure jewelry pieces.
In fact, one of the most alluring featuring of platinum is the security it gives by being very durable. This makes platinum a highly favorable material for solitaire rings, since these ring concepts usually hold the stones in a prong setting consequently should be strong enough to resist damage. And being a silver white metal, the platinum metal in rings can give off their own brilliance and heighten the effect of diamonds. With diamonds no other metal can be a perfect pair than platinum.
White Gold Versus Platinum Rings
One of the popular sensations for quality jewelry is white gold. White gold is much like silver in terms of sheen and color, such that both metals exude awesome properties when paired with diamonds, as their inherent color compliments perfectly the sparkle and natural color of diamonds.
However, platinum has several times the tensile strength of white gold, which the latter (as a soft metal) has very poorly. Platinum is an excellent material to make prong settings, since its strength can compensate the miniscule size that is essential for prongs. White gold is always limited to bezels setting, and if they go for prongs, usually these are made of other metals.
Tension Rings
The strength of platinum had made a possibility one of the latest and most unique designs of rings. The unique comes from a tension ring’s mounting, that it applies modern day physics as an extraordinary facet. Tension rings consists of a round an incomplete band, with both ends of the band rest a gem secured very tightly wholly by the tensile strength of the metal. At first glance it seems the gem is resting immaculately at the ends of the ring, but it isn’t. The platinum is exerting a pressure of usually 75 – 100 lbs, more than enough force to crush a finger. No, it won’t crush your finger, but suffice to say it will hold the gem in place – very securely.
Platinum is the best metal for tension platinum gem stone rings; that is because only a few other metals can give off sufficient tensile strength. And only diamonds are the best gemstones for tension rings. That is because only diamonds can withstand to such massive pressure, only the highest quality, none cracked diamonds.
If you say 18K gold is the most expensive ring you can buy, think again. That’s because platinum diamond ring outpaces gold in terms of prices several times over. Speaking of value.