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Engagement Rings
The history of the engagement rings and wedding bands
has been written across culture and time fashioning an
indelible thread in the fabric of western society. When the Romans began to
wear a plain iron wedding band to symbolize marriage, they started a tradition
that has remained virtually intact over the past two millennia. As early as the
2nd Century AD, gold replaced iron and the traditional wedding band was
constructed.
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The Origin of Diamonds
Diamonds, ascend to the Earth's surface in rare molten rock, or magma that
originates at great depths. Carrying diamonds and other samples from Earth's
mantle, this magma rises and erupts in small but violent volcanoes. Just
beneath such volcanoes is a carrot-shaped "pipe" filled with volcanic rock,
mantle fragments, and some embedded diamonds. The rock is called kimberlite
after the city of Kimberley, South Africa, where the pipes were first
discovered in the 1870s. Another rock that provides diamonds is lamproite.
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Precious Metals
Gold
GOLD, the chemical element, is a dense, shiny, deep yellow precious metal. It
has several qualities that have made it valuable throughout history, both as a
medium of exchange and for decorative use as jewelry. It is attractive in color
and brightness; it is so durable it's practically indestructible. Gold is also
rare and usually found in nature in a relatively pure form. Gold is the most
malleable and ductile of metals.
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Platinum
PLATINUM, is a heavy, malleable, ductile, precious, grey-white metal, is
resistant to corrosion and occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with
some native deposits. Platinum is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment;
electrical contacts, dentistry, and automobile emissions control devices.
Platinum's wear and tarnish-resistance characteristics are well suited for
making fine jewelry.
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Palladium
PALLADIUM, is a soft silver-white metal that resembles platinum. It is the
least dense and has the lowest melting point of the platinum group metals. This
metal also does not react with oxygen at normal temperatures (and thus does not
tarnish in air). The largest use of palladium today is in catalytic converters.
Much research is in progress to discover ways to replace the much more
expensive platinum with palladium in this application.
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Rhodium
RHODIUM, is extremely hard and bright, its primary use in jewelry is as a
plating to give white gold extra shine. It also is sometimes used as an
alloying agent for hardening platinum and palladium. Rhodium has both a higher
melting point and lower density than platinum. It is not attacked by acids and
only dissolves in aqua regia. It is one of the most expensive precious metals.
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Titanium
TITANIUM, Named for the Titans, sons of the Greek gods, Titanium, when pure, is
a lustrous, grayish white metal. It has a low density, good strength, is easily
fabricated, and has excellent corrosion resistance. It is mainly used in
jewelry as an accent metal in Men’s jewelry. Its inertness and ability to be
attractively colored also make it a popular metal for use in body piercing.
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