How many women, trying on another finger on their finger, know that the dull flicker of platinum that attracts them is news from space? What path did the precious metal take before winning the hearts of lovers of beauty and luxury? Let's talk about the history and properties of amazing platinum, which has become an inspiration for such legendary jewelers as Cartier, Tiffany and Faberge.
Noble or precious metals
It is known that metals are different. Most often we hear about black, colored and noble. The latter include only eight elements - gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium. They are not oxidized, resistant to environmental influences, have plasticity and easily form alloys. But not all of them are safe for humans.
For the manufacture of jewelry, only gold, silver, palladium and platinum are used, which of the four is the most expensive. But these metals are rarely used in pure form. Their concentration in the favorite product can be found by looking at the sample. We will understand what is platinum with the stigma of 950 °. This means that 1 kg of jewelry alloy accounts for 950 grams of precious metal, the rest is alloying components. Platinum is the most durable jewelry metal.
However, even without alloying alloys, even it will not have high wear resistance.
Platinum or white gold?
Quite often you can hear that platinum is white gold. This is not true. Their composition and properties are different. We answer the question of what is platinum and white gold. To do this, look at the periodic table. At number 078 there is an element Pt. Now it’s clear what platinum is - pure metal. And white gold is a gimmick when yellow is leveled by adding silver, nickel or other impurities. Its highest standard is 750.
However, thanks to the popularity of white gold, platinum products have found their fans and are back in fashion. And although they are much more expensive, the strength of this metal makes it indispensable for wedding rings, as well as jewelry with stones, the durability of which depends on the reliability of the frame. By the way, another advantage of platinum is that it does not cause allergies, as is often the case with white gold due to additional components.
All of the above, of course, affects the cost, but the main pricing factor is the way of production.
Earth History and Precious Metals
A few years ago, German scientists, having discovered Pt (078) as a part of meteorites , thought about what platinum is and how it appeared on Earth. According to researchers from the University of Mainz, there were no natural conditions for the formation of metals on our planet. If their homeland is Earth, then they should be in the molten core, and not in the upper part of the crust.
Physicist Gerhardt Schmidt believes that metals were brought to us about 4 billion years ago when meteorites made of iron attacked the Earth. The most ancient heavenly messenger, rich in platinum, which fell to Earth about 2 million years ago, is recorded. According to scientists, the formation of metals on the planet in the existing quantity required an average of 160 cosmic bodies with a diameter of about 20 km.
We can conclude that the resource is quite limited. It is because of this that every year the price is only growing.
Deposits and mining of platinum
Deposits of platinum ore are determined by associated rocks. It is found both in pure form and in compounds, for example, with nickel or gold. Ore formations are both primary and alluvial. The latter are especially difficult to mine. In Russia, at the time of the discovery of metal, placer labor was considered hellish, although the first machine installations were quickly invented.
Although today the technology of geological exploration has been simplified, however, platinum remains expensive to manufacture. To get one ounce (this is about 31 grams), it is necessary to process more than 10 tons of raw ore.
The main country in which large platinum deposits are discovered is South Africa. About 151 tons of metal are mined here annually. In second place is Russia, which produces approximately 26 tons of platinum. This is followed by Zimbabwe, USA and Canada, producing from 9 to 5 tons per year. Platinum is also found in the lands of Japan, Australia and Colombia. By and large, it exists in almost every country, but it does not make sense to mine it on an industrial scale.
It is interesting that the Urals are the cradle of the two largest platinum nuggets in the world. Their weight is 5918.4 and 7860.5 g. Now we have roughly figured out what platinum is. Photos of products from this metal can be found in the article.
Ancient civilizations and the use of platinum
The first gold products with traces of platinum, modern scientists find in Egyptian burials, dated about 1200 BC. e. Documentary tablets with Egyptian hieroglyphs, already completely made of this precious metal, appear about 700 years BC. e. In the South American Inca civilization, ceremonial artifacts were made from both yellow and white metals.
Unlucky find - neither gold nor silver
Acquaintance of Europeans with refractory metal occurred in 1590 in South America. What is platinum at the time? Just "rotten gold." The Spanish conquistadors were so disappointed with the find that they nicknamed it "silver." Having discovered grayish plates in gold placers, they considered that platinum is an impurity that spoils the luster of mining and is absolutely unsuitable due to the complexity of processing and dullness. So they called her - Plata, which means "silver", with a diminutively dismissive ending ina. When platinum fell into the hands of the conquerors of new lands, they simply threw it into the sea.
Conquest of Europe
In 1700, a silver element was discovered off the coast of Europe. He became the object of study of alchemists who wanted to figure out what platinum is. They did experiments, trying to determine its properties and turn it into gold. In 1751, the Swedish scientist Theophil Scheffer (Theophil Scheffer) defined platinum as a great metal. And in 1780, the king of France Louis XVI declared it as intended only for crowned persons.
His jeweler Mark Etienne Janety created several unsurpassed luxury items from platinum, including a beautiful sugar bowl with a complex ornament. In 1788, Francisco Alonso created, by order of the Spanish King Carlos III, a candlestick 30 cm high, intended as a gift to the Pope. This was made possible thanks to the discoveries in the forging of platinum by Pierre Francois Chabollet and Joseph Louis Proust. So the French established a new age of luxury in Spain. Its peak is the Platinum Room in Arganese, whose doors are open to all comers today.
But the most indisputable fact of conquering Europe with gray metal is its use in the creation of measurement system standards. In 1799, Marc Etienne Janetti, who left Paris after the French Revolution, was invited to create a platinum meter and kilogram. To date, they are stored in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Platinum wealth of Russia
The discovery of expensive ore in Russia, in the Urals, occurred much later - at the beginning of the XIX century. By that time, platinum had already conquered Europe and was considered the “royal” metal. Its deposits were in lands belonging to the family of the Demidovs, which, thanks to their wealth, were already considered the secret masters of the Empire. The “discoverers” of the deposit were the serfs Efim Kopylov and Emelyan Rostigayev.
The placers of large metal grains were only slightly covered by the plant layer. After a short time, already thousands of Demidov serfs worked on the “supports”, processing almost 40 tons of platinum rocks almost manually. It is said that the largest of the extracted nuggets weighed about 9 kg, but there is no reliable evidence for this.
Platinum in the hands of jewelers
So, by the end of the 19th century, platinum is a metal for the elite, climbed to Olympus because of its rarity and resistance to mechanical stress. It attracts lovers of glitter and chic also due to its cleanliness of use - today it is the 950th test.
The main promoter of platinum in the jewelry world is considered Louis-Francois Cartier, founder of the notorious company Cartier. He considered it an indispensable material with unlimited possibilities, thanks to its flexibility and reliability. The famous image of the panther, created under the inspiration of love for Jeanne Toussin, is made of platinum with sapphires and diamonds.
However, he is not the only one who appreciated the virtues of silver material. His main competitor at that time was Carl Faberge, who also used platinum in copyrighted products. By the way, many floral arrangements and animal motifs were borrowed by Louis Cartier from Faberge.
Interest in platinum increased, reaching a peak at the beginning of the 20th century, and did not subside until World War II. A lot of this success contributed to the royal people and the "stars" of Hollywood.
"Platinum" disease from platinum blondes
In America in the 1930s, cinema became a remedy for ordinary people from the anxieties and frustrations caused by the Great Depression. Hundreds of tapes about the unaware cares of the rich and their companions appeared on the screens. An icon of that time was Gene Harlow, who shines in the movie Frank Capra "Platinum Blonde." Bright beauty, luxurious and funny, beckoned with an easy attitude to the life of both men and women. Gene Harlow, like other Hollywood actresses, forms a new style of chic. Diamonds set in platinum become its constant accessory. And the finishing touch to the image is fashionable hair color. Which one? Of course, platinum.
More than a hundred years have passed, and we are witnessing a return of love for this precious metal. The world needs beauty, sophistication and strength. Now we know everything about what platinum is. Pictures in the article clearly demonstrate the luxury and attractive appearance of this precious metal.