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jtbxy jtbxy's Blogs >> 1314 Platinum Myths

Just the other day I received a comment from a reader wondering about ¡°some of the popular notions circulating about platinum¡±; she asked some good questions and I decided my response should be a general post.





¡°1. Myth: Platinum is the whitest precious metal. Truth: Most antique platinum ring are not white due to a patina ¡ª an apparent euphemism for "oxidize" ¡ª which stems, in part, from the fact that platinum is very easy to scratch. The whitest metal with the highest overall optical reflectivity is SILVER ¡ª something that anyone who has held a silver herringbone chain next to platinum or white gold may have noticed. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver.¡±






While this is strictly true ¨C most discussions regarding the merits, or not, of platinum are held in the context of very fine jewelry to secure and enhance the beauty of diamonds and other precious gems. While the availability of finer silver jewelry is on the rise, often times combined with gold, colored gems and even diamonds, silver is not strong enough or durable enough to be practical as a consideration when deciding what metal is best to set a large diamond or other precious gem in.








¡°2. Myth: Platinum doesn't wear; it just shifts or plows aside. Truth: If platinum "never wears" as is the oft-repeated marketing claim, there should be no antique platinum rings that require a new shank. There is a thriving industry that specializes in refurbishing worn antique jewelry ¡ª most of it pre-WWII and most of it platinum.¡±






Platinum, like any metal, does eventually wear. That said ¨C platinum is by far the most durable and lasting of all the jewelry metals. As you pointed out there is an thriving industry refurbishing pre WWII platinum jewelry, which at this point is 50 ¨C 60 + years old and much of which has seen a lot of regular wear over time. This kind of useful life is rare in gold jewelry with the exception of pieces that have only seen light wear over the years.






¡°3. Myth: Platinum is hypoallergenic. The term "hypoallergenic" is an over-generalized misnomer. According to a January 2006 edition of JCRS, a leading jewelry underwriter, platinum stamping is not regulated by the FTC in the US, and some manufacturers have begun to use lower grade platinum that is visually identical but more brittle (and ostensibly more likely to create rashes due to contact dermatitis). This might explain the reports of platinum owners becoming "sensitized" to the metal over time. See: http://www.finishing.com/337/77.shtml for anecdotal reports of allergic reactions to Platinum. See: http://jcrs.com/newsletters/2006/2006_01.htm in which it is stated: "The FTC Guides do not mention the new platinum alloys. ¡­ All of this raises the old issue of DISCLOSURE. Consumers equate platinum with highest quality. Even if a manufacturer does mark platinum and alloy content, most consumers will not recognize the significance of particular alloys or of the ppt markings." The JCRS goes on to recommend: "• the jewelry should bear a purity mark giving platinum and alloy content; and • the consumer should be told the affect of the alloys used ¡ª in particular, that diluted platinum does not hold set stones as well and is more susceptible to damage"¡±






With the introduction of low quality, manolo blahnik lower content platinum alloys it is true that one can no longer assume that platinum jewelry will be hypoallergenic. I fully agree that this is an issue in need of full disclosure to the consumer at the time of sale. Unfortunately these lower grade platinum jimmy choo alloys exist for one reason only and that is price. tiffany The companies selling this sort of product are interested only in convincing the customer that they are providing ¡°better deal¡± than they, in truth, actually are. These jewelers live to deceive and operate in the grey areas of the law. While one can expect the tiffany jewellery product itself to be properly stamped with the purity content of the alloy ¨C it is regretfully unrealistic to expect full disclose of this nature at the time of sale. To do so would be to admit that the ¡°deal¡± being offered it not what it would seem. It is another example of the need on the part of the consumer to educate themselves and to choose a jeweler based on their knowledge, ethics and integrity.