Sample of platinum on jewelry and areas of application of the metal

Platinum, a metal with a steely white luster, is rightly called the “queen of metals”, since it is considered the most expensive and high-quality raw material for making jewelry. To assess the authenticity of any metal, including platinum, the metric system is used. What types of platinum are there?

Platinum Bank Bar

Platinum price

Platinum is one of the four precious metals whose value is recognized throughout the world.

Since platinum group metals are found in nature much less frequently than gold or silver, the price of platinum is quite high. They influence the cost of the metal and its quality characteristics.

The high density of the material makes platinum products extremely durable, and its amazing ductility allows for extremely thin rolling, which is impossible to reproduce with other precious metals

The price of platinum is increased by the delicate and painstaking processing required by this material.

Interesting Facts

The history of the use of platinum material begins in ancient Egypt. Even then, people used metal to make jewelry.

During the time that has passed since that period, many interesting facts about the element have been revealed. Here are some of them:

1. The alloy is 30 times rarer than gold, so it is used for various purposes.
2. To extract 1 ounce (31 g) of the noble alloy, you need to process 10 tons of useful ore.
3. At the moment, the cost between this element and gold differs by about $270. But there are times in history when it was more than $1,000.
4. The density of the alloy is higher than gold, and therefore the same product will have different weights.
5. Processing must be more delicate than other noble metals.
6. Unlike gold and silver, the metal was not used to make money. Coins were minted from it only for private collections.
7. Today, the demand for the mineral is much higher than the supply.

Platinum is an expensive metal, and therefore not everyone can afford jewelry made from it. Information about the alloy and its markings will help you choose a quality product.

What standard should real platinum have?

Like any precious metal alloy, platinum must be tested. Unlike gold, platinum is designated by two markings at once:

• breakdown, which determines the weight content of metal in the alloy;
• a mark showing the multiple content of precious material in the alloy.

In the United States and Western countries, the carat method of testing platinum is used, according to which 24 conventional units correspond to a thousandth sample.

In Russia, a different labeling system is used. What standard real platinum should have is determined by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 643, which stipulates that the content of impurities in a platinum alloy should not exceed 15% and establishes four types of standard for this type of precious metal:

• 999 standard, determines the pure % platinum content in the alloy, corresponding to 99.50% - 99.99%. Found in bank bullion, special equipment, and high-strength products;
• 950 standard, allows the inclusion of impurities at a level of up to 5%. Good quality platinum, characterized by uniform shine and durability. Used in the jewelry industry;
• 900 standard, the alloy composition includes 90% platinum and 10% impurities of palladium, tungsten, copper or rhodium;
• 850 standard, the alloy is distinguished by the maximum possible 15% addition of impurities, giving the products a whitish surface shade similar to silver.

Platinum 950 is the most common. Used in jewelry to create jewelry. Since it hardly wears out and serves as a durable setting for inserts of precious stones, platinum rings, pendants and earrings with platinum inserts are distinguished by their respectable appearance and durability.

Platinum testing in the Russian Federation and other countries

The circulation of precious metals has long been under the control of governments around the world. They are rarely used in their pure form; they are mainly alloys of platinum, gold, silver and others. Therefore, humanity has a need to create a branding system for products made from precious metals, which will show the ratio of the precious substance and other impurities. With the help of testing, the circulation of precious metals was taken under control first by the countries of Western Europe, and then by Russia. This is how markers appeared, indicating what grade platinum is.

The quality of platinum became known to the world with the advent of the metric testing system. Its indicators display the ratio of grams of precious metal per kilogram of alloy. Platinum samples according to this system include markers 850, 900, 950 and 999.

The metric system for assessing the purity of platinum in the Russian Federation was introduced in 1999 by state decree.

How to determine platinum

Platinum jewelry produced by state-owned enterprises can be hallmarked

For platinum alloys, a mark in the form of a spatula is used, accompanied by a hallmark. The mark is placed on the inner surface of the product.

When purchasing platinum products, pay attention to:

• alloy color. High-quality platinum alloy gives the product a uniform shine;
• weight. Platinum products are characterized by heavy weight. When comparing white gold and platinum rings, this is easy to feel;
• surface resistance to damage. The homogeneity of the platinum alloy provides products with resistance to scratches, loss of appearance, and abrasion;
• price. The price of 1 gram of platinum cannot be less than or equal to the cost of gold.

Platinum assay systems

Similar to gold hallmarks, three types of hallmarks are also used for platinum: metric, spool and carat. The spool test was used for jewelry only in Russia, and was replaced by metric after 1927. In Western Europe and the USA, it is customary to use the carat platinum hallmark. All types of hallmarks can be easily converted from one to another - more about this in the article on hallmarks of gold alloys. The table below shows the correspondence between samples of different types for platinum:

How to care for platinum rings?

Platinum rings are easy to care for due to their natural strength and durability. It is enough to periodically rinse such products under running water and wipe with a soft cloth. But platinum rings should be stored separately from other jewelry, especially gold or silver.

Platinum rings with precious stones require careful care. Such jewelry must be cleaned regularly. This can be done both in the salon and independently. If the gemstone is not afraid of alcohol, the ring can be wiped with a cloth soaked in an alcohol solution, removing dust and dirt.

Jewelry salon Platinor is the only company in Russia that sells high-quality jewelry made of platinum and palladium. You can buy original and exclusive products from us at manufacturer prices. All models are created from platinum mined in a Russian deposit, which guarantees their excellent properties and high performance.

Application options

At a time when platinum was greatly undervalued, it cost half as much as silver, for its external resemblance to which it got its name (from Spanish the word “plata” translates as “little silver.” Some jewelers took advantage of this and learned to fuse the metal with gold, they made skillful counterfeits.

Otherwise, platinum had limited use - it was mainly used in only two areas : in the creation of chemical equipment and devices, and also as a catalyst. However, now there are many more options for its use.

Science and technology

Most of the mined platinum goes to the development of science and technology. It can be used in the production of high-strength steels as an alloying additive. In addition, the following items are made from it:

• vessels and stirrers used in the production of parts for optical instruments;
• crucibles, spoons and other laboratory utensils that are resistant to temperature and chemical reagents;
• magnets;
• mirrors for laser technology;
• electrical contacts;
• galvanic coatings;
• retorts for the distillation of acids;
• electrodes for producing various reagents, primarily hydrogen peroxide;
• insoluble anodes;
• heating elements;
• electronic devices;
• coatings for microwave equipment parts.

When metal compounds are reduced, a fine powder is obtained, which is an active catalyst. Its alloy with rhodium can perform the same functions. A catalyst increases the efficiency of a reaction to produce substances such as:

• nitric acid, which can then be used in fertilizers;
• silicones, which have a wide range of applications - from the production of cosmetic products to aircraft engine parts;
• gasoline and petrochemical raw materials, on the basis of which plastics, rubber, and polyester fibers are produced.

Platinum is also used as an automobile catalyst installed between the engine and muffler. It captures more than 90% of nitrogen and carbon oxides, hydrocarbons and other harmful components in exhaust gases and converts them into less hazardous substances.

Also in the automotive industry, platinum spark plugs, characterized by extended service life, and various sensors are used. The latter ensure the correct proportions of mixing fuel and air and are used in climate control systems.

Fields of medicine

Platinum is a popular material in dentistry. Most often, bushings are made from it for the gold pin that connects the artificial porcelain tooth to the base of the prosthesis. Another dental use of platinum is as an additive to gold alloys and as a foil used in the manufacture of porcelain teeth and crowns.

This is possible due to the fact that the linear expansion values ​​of platinum and porcelain are insignificant and close to each other. In addition, the noble metal does not react with oxygen in the air.

Platinum is also used in other areas of medicine. Its nanoparticles can painlessly penetrate body cells. This property underlies the use of metal in the form of complexes in medications that prevent aging by destroying free radicals. But the use of platinum complexes for cancer therapy is even more relevant.

Special cytostatics help slow down the processes of growth, development and division of cells in malignant tumors that threaten the life of the body. One of the first such drugs was a chloride- and ammonia-containing platinum complex, which has the trade name cisplatin. It causes chemical damage to DNA bases and thereby disrupts its functions. The molecule loses its ability to double and act as a template during RNA synthesis. This delays the cell cycle and causes cell death. As a result, the patient's tumor decreases.

A more advanced analogue of cisplatin is carboplatin. It has greater efficiency and at the same time less toxicity. It causes cell death by suppressing the biosynthesis of nucleic acids through the binding of adjacent guanine pairs in DNA. The coordination compound of platinum, oxaliplatin, has a similar effect.

In addition to cancer therapy, platinum is used to treat angina. Electrodes that support cardiac activity are made from an alloy of this metal with iridium.

Monetary function

Although the precious metal was discovered in Russia much later than in other countries, it was here in 1828 that the world's first coins were produced from it. Their denominations were 3, 6 and 12 rubles. This was facilitated by the discovery of huge reserves of ppatina in the Urals, from which it was possible to extract more metal in a year than in 100 years in South America.

However, despite the fact that the resources were still enormous, in 1846 the minting of platinum coins ceased and everything was sold to an English company. So England, where this metal had never been mined, became a monopolist in the industry.

Once again, platinum coins appeared in Russia when it was part of the USSR. Only 11 of them were issued with a denomination of 150 rubles, and they were commemorative anniversary ones. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Bank of Russia produced investment coins in denominations of 25, 50 and 150 rubles.

Jewelry products

The traditional use of platinum is in the jewelry industry, where about 50 tons of the precious metal are consumed per year. Until the beginning of the 21st century, this was especially true for Japan, and currently half of global sales come from China. In Russia, the demand for jewelry made from this material is at the level of 0.1% of the market - white gold is more in demand.

Depending on the hallmark of platinum on jewelry, the price for them also varies. If in their manufacture an almost solid piece of metal was used without adding impurities (purity from 99.950 to 99.999%), the “24 carat” mark is placed on the jewelry. In the metric system, the use of which is preferable in Russia, this is 999 standard. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the corresponding metal will be assigned the number 0. However, such pure platinum is very difficult to work with. Jewelers rarely use it, but it has found wide application in the production of industrial equipment and the banking sector.

If you add 5% iridium or other alloying impurity to pure platinum, you get 950 fineness of the metal, corresponding to 23 carats and number 1 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is the best material for the production of elegant jewelry, souvenirs and even some tableware items. Real Swiss watches can also be made from it.

Less commonly, 900 standard platinum is used for jewelry, when 10% of impurities have already been added to the pure precious metal. It corresponds to 22 carats and the number 2.

Even more rarely, you can find 850 hallmark platinum on a piece of jewelry, which contains only 85% of the noble metal, and 15% is iridium, copper, tungsten or cobalt. The fact is that such an alloy looks very much like silver and often has a white tint. It has 20 carats and is designated by the number 3.

Among the samples of platinum that are found in jewelry, there are also 800 and 585 samples. But they can be found extremely rarely, since they are practically not in demand.

Features and properties of platinum

Platinum is an expensive material with a beautiful white-gray color. It has a characteristic silvery sheen. Interestingly, among all the precious metals, platinum is the most durable due to its density.

We recommend reading: Directory of precious metal content in radio components

The main features of the element are as follows:

1. Excellent anti-corrosion properties.
2. Resistance to mechanical damage.
3. Resistant to chemical damage.
4. High melting point threshold (this property is important for metal smelting).

Most often, the material is mined in the form of nuggets or ore. It is subsequently processed and used for various purposes, including in an alloy called “white gold.”

Wide selection of models

The Platinor jewelry salon offers a wonderful assortment of different models of platinum rings. To choose the option that suits you, explore the catalog of our website. Our assortment in Moscow is regularly replenished and updated with new models created taking into account the wishes of our customers.

You can purchase platinum rings:

1. For engagement. Traditionally, for a marriage proposal, a man presents his beloved with a ring set with a diamond. Platinum is ideal for inlay with a transparent gemstone, emphasizing and highlighting its natural beauty.
2. For Wedding. We offer a wide range of platinum wedding rings. Both classic, wide and smooth versions and those inlaid with small diamonds are in fashion. Designer models with an unusual shape are becoming popular. Here you can choose pairs of stylish platinum wedding rings.
3. For beauty. A platinum ring emphasizes the beauty of women's hands, making them sophisticated and graceful. Products with precious stones become especially attractive. Models of platinum rings are beautiful, where a diamond is adjacent to another precious stone, for example, a ruby.

Many people also make engravings to order; wishes, names of loved ones, memorable dates and various sayings are popular. If you find it difficult to choose the right option, contact the Platinor salon specialists for help. Our experts will tell you which is the best platinum ring to buy

in Moscow and will help you place your order for delivery. They will also tell you about the rules for caring for platinum products.