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Platinum Jewelry
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Platinum Earrings
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Surprise her with a gift of beautiful pearl stud earrings, starting at $250
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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.
Platinum is more precious than gold. In the 18th century, platinum's rarity made
King Louis XV of France declare it the only metal fit for a king. Platinum does
not oxidize in air at any temperature, but can be corroded by cyanides,
halogens, sulfur, and caustic alkalis. This metal is insoluble in hydrochloric
and nitric acid, but does dissolve in the mixture known as aqua regia. Platinum
was used ancient Egypt over 3000 years ago. The remarkable metal smiths of that
time were extremely skilled in the art of working with platinum. A 2500 year old
coffin of an Egyptian High Priestess was discovered, decorated with platinum
hieroglyphs. Their polish and luster were still perfect, giving dramatic proof
of platinum's incomparable strength and durability. Another ancient people who
created adornments from platinum were the Incas. But the invading Spanish
Conquistadors saw little use for this metal, and deemed it "silver of lesser
value", platina. They even went so far as to throw great amounts of the metal
into the sea, thinking that it might become a cheap imitation for silver.
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