Palladium
Palladium is a precious metal and has similar properties to its sister metal, platinum. It is naturally white and does not need to be rhodium plated like white gold, and will therefore not chip or fade over time. Palladium is 100% natural, 100% pure (95% pure when it is used in jewelry manufacture) and is 30 times rarer than gold.
Intricate Jewelry Designs in Palladium
This hypoallergenic metal contains no nickel and is 44% lighter than platinum, which makes complex and opulent designs easier to create. It sells for less per ounce than white gold due to its lower density, making it slightly more economical than white gold.
South Africa is the world’s second largest producer of palladium. With soaring platinum prices and a growing demand for fine white jewelry, palladium is growing as a natural and suitable white metal of choice. According to the Department of Minerals and Energy, worldwide demand for palladium jewelry has grown from 21 5000 ounces in 1998 to a high of 1.43 million ounces in 2005, largely driven by an increasing demand in China.
Palladium is a Durable High Luster Metal
Palladium is light gray, malleable, lightweight, hypoallergenic, easy to finish and polish, does not require rhodium plating, does not tarnish, and has desirable, platinum-like setting and forming characteristics.
Popular jewelry manufacturers and designers are increasingly including palladium into their collections. Watch brands such as Cartier, Parmigiani and Chopard have also added palladium models to their range.
Palladium has similar characteristics of platinum, such as high melting temperature, cool gray color, durability and rarity; however, it is much less dense (lower specific gravity).
Palladium is Considered to be a Better Substitute For Platinum Than White Gold
This is a wonderful metal to use when you want that light gray platinum color without rhodium plating. Because it is also lighter than platinum, nearly half the weight, more intricate necklaces and bracelets can be made capable of bearing larger gemstones with no gain in overall weight. For the same reason, Palladium can be an especially good choice in earrings.
With the price of gold reaching recent highs, and platinum as well, the use of palladium for jewelry has seen renewed interest domestically and abroad.
Characteristics of Palladium:
- PURITY: Palladium is a metal that is used to create fine jewelry, and like platinum, it can be used as an alloy of 95%purity. Compare this to White Gold alloys that require a large percentage of alloying metals. 14k gold is only 58.5% pure.
- WHITE: Palladium is a white metal that, like Platinum, enhances the beauty of diamonds and gemstones set within it. Because its white color is natural and not the result of plating or alloying, Palladium's white has great depth and luster.
- PRECIOUS: Palladium is a Platinum Group Metal and is thirty times more rare than Gold. Mined together with Platinum in less than six regions around the globe, Palladium is truly a precious metal and a fitting symbol of love, life and other rare gifts. Palladium provides the luxury, purity and look of Platinum for the price of White Gold.
- STRENGTH: Palladium, like Platinum, is naturally strong and durable when used in a higher purity alloy than other metals such as silver and gold. Resulting in a more hypoallergenic product, Palladium does not suffer from prong failure, which is typical of many White Gold settings.
- DESIGN VERSATILITY: Palladium strikes a harmonious balance: more durable and less susceptible to tarnish than White Gold, but as malleable as Platinum. Palladium can support delicate designs which are difficult to execute in White Gold yet has the malleability to facilitate easy sizing, repair, etc.
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