How many women, trying on another piece of jewelry on their finger, know that the dull shimmer of platinum that attracts them is news from outer space? What path has the precious metal traveled before winning the hearts of lovers of beauty and luxury? Let's talk about the history and properties of the amazing platinum, which has become a source of 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 do not oxidize, are resistant to environmental influences, have plasticity and easily form alloys. But not all of them are safe for humans.
Only gold, silver, palladium and platinum are used to make jewelry, which is the most expensive of the four. But these metals are rarely used in their pure form. Their concentration in your favorite product can be found by looking at the sample. Let's figure out what 950° platinum is. This means that for 1 kg of jewelry alloy there are 950 grams of precious metal, the rest is alloying components. Platinum is the most durable jewelry metal. However, without alloys, even it will not be highly wear resistant.
Platinum or white gold?
It is quite common to hear that platinum is white gold. This is not true. Their composition and properties are different. Let's answer the question about what platinum and white gold are. To do this, let's look at the periodic table. At number 078 there is an element Pt. Now it is clear what platinum is - a metal in its purest form. And white gold is a jewelry trick, when the yellow color 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 setting. 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 method of extraction.
History of the Earth and Precious Metals
Several years ago, German scientists, having discovered Pt (078) in meteorites, thought about what platinum is and how it appeared on Earth. According toresearchers from the University of Mainz, on our planet there were no natural conditions for the formation of metals. If their homeland is Earth, then they must 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 the Earth was attacked by meteorites consisting of iron. The most ancient heavenly messenger, rich in platinum, has been recorded, which fell to Earth about 2 million years ago. According to scientists, it took an average of 160 space bodies with a diameter of about 20 km to form metals on the planet in the existing amount.
It can be concluded that the resource is quite limited. It is because of this that the price only grows every year.
Deposits and mining of platinum
Platinum ore deposits 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 harvest. In Russia, at the time of the discovery of metal, work on placers was considered hellish, although the first machine installations were invented quite quickly.
Although today the technique of geological mining has become simpler, nevertheless, platinum remains expensive to produce. To get one ounce (that's about 31 grams), you need to process more than 10 tons of raw ore.
The main country in which large deposits of platinum are found is South Africa. About 151 tons of metal are mined here annually. In second placeworth Russia, producing approximately 26 tons of platinum. This is followed by Zimbabwe, the US and Canada, producing 9 to 5 tons per year. Platinum is also found in the lands of Japan, Australia and Colombia. By and large, it is in almost every country, but it does not make sense to extract it on an industrial scale.
Interestingly, the Urals is 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 made from this metal can be found in the article.
Ancient civilizations and the use of platinum
The first gold items with traces of platinum are found by modern scientists in Egyptian burials dated to around 1200 BC. e. Documentary tablets with Egyptian hieroglyphs, already made entirely of this precious metal, appear around 700 BC. e. In the South American Inca civilization, ceremonial artifacts were made from both yellow and white metals.
Unlucky find - neither gold nor silver
The acquaintance of Europeans with refractory metal happened in 1590 in South America. What is platinum at that time? Just rotten gold. The Spanish conquistadors were so disappointed with the find that they called it "silver". Having found grayish plates in gold placers, they considered that platinum is an impurity that spoils the brilliance of the prey and is absolutely unsuitable due to the complexity of processing and dullness. So they called her - Plata, which means "silver", with a diminutivedisdainful 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 subject of study by 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 identified platinum as a magnificent metal. And in 1780, the King of France, Louis XVI, declared it as intended only for crowned persons.
His jeweler Mark Etienne Janety has created several unsurpassed luxury items from platinum, including a beautiful sugar bowl with intricate ornamentation. In 1788, Francisco Alonso created a candlestick 30 cm high, commissioned by the Spanish King Carlos III, intended as a gift to the Pope. This was made possible by the discoveries in platinum forging by Pierre Francois Chabol and Joseph Louis Proust. Thus the French established a new age of luxury in Spain. Its pinnacle is the Platinum Room in Arganese, whose doors are open to all comers even today.
But the most indisputable fact of the conquest of Europe by gray metal is its use in the creation of measurement system standards. In 1799, Marc Étienne Janetti, who had left Paris after the French Revolution, was invited to create the platinum meter and kilogram. To this day, they are stored inInternational Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Russia's platinum we alth
The discovery of expensive ore in Russia, in the Urals, happened much later - at the beginning of the 19th century. By that time, platinum had already conquered Europe and was considered the "royal" metal. Its deposits ended up in the lands belonging to the Demidov family, who, thanks to their we alth, were already considered the secret masters of the Empire. The "discoverers" of the deposit were serfs Efim Kopylov and Emelyan Rostigaev.
Placers of large grains of metal were only slightly covered with a vegetation layer. After a short time, already thousands of Demidov's serfs worked on the "underground", processing almost by hand about 40 tons of platinum rocks. It is said that the largest of the mined nuggets weighed about 9 kg, but there is no reliable evidence of this.
Platinum in the hands of jewelers
So, by the end of the 19th century, platinum was a metal for the elite, climbing Mount Olympus because of its rarity and resistance to mechanical stress. It appeals to lovers of glitz and chic also because of its clean use - it is 950 proof to date.
The main promoter of platinum in the jewelry world is Louis-Francois Cartier, the founder of the notorious Cartier company. He considered it an indispensable material with limitless possibilities, thanks to its flexibility and reliability. Inspired by love for Jeanne Toussaint, the iconic panther look is crafted in platinum with sapphires and diamonds.
However, he is not the only one who appreciated the merits of the silver material. His main competitor at that time was Carl Faberge, who also used platinum in designer pieces. 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 the Second World War. A lot of this success has contributed to the royals and "stars" of Hollywood.
"Platinum" disease from platinum blondes
In America in the 1930s, cinema was the remedy for the anxieties and disappointments caused by the Great Depression. Hundreds of films about the careless rich and their companions appeared on the screens. The icon of the time was Jean Harlow, shining in Frank Capra's Platinum Blonde. A bright beauty, luxurious and funny, attracted both men and women with an easy attitude to life. Jean Harlow, like other Hollywood actresses, forms a new style of chic. Diamonds set in platinum become his constant accessory. And the final touch to the image is a fashionable hair color. Which? Platinum, of course.
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. The pictures in the article clearly demonstrate the luxury and attractive appearance of this precious metal.
