The WHO is WHO of Precious Metals

The fact that there are any reserves of the described precious metals on our planet at all is seemingly thanks to an incredible coincidence. As a research group from the University of Bristol has published, gold and platinum may have literally rained down on Earth more than 200 million years after its formation, when it was bombarded by countless meteorites. The admiration we humans have for these metals in all their breathtaking forms in jewelry and objects is therefore more than justified and well-founded.

For the classic production of high-quality jewelry in goldsmithing and the jewelry industry, materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are primarily used, which, alone or in combination with gemstones, pearls, and other materials, are crafted into impressive and exciting objects (such as necklaces, rings, bracelets, brooches, etc.).

Since most precious metals in their pure form, e.g., as fine gold or fine silver, are too soft for processing into jewelry, and thus not stable and durable enough, alloys have become established in goldsmithing. This means that other metals are added to the respective fine metal in a melting process, which changes the properties of the base metal. The newly created metal is a homogeneous mixture of all substances and offers improved properties for processing and increased durability of the manufactured unique pieces.

For a better overview, we briefly present the most established metals here:

Gold - Au

Gold is a fascinating, yellow-lustrous, relatively soft, and very malleable metal. It has been known to humanity for millennia. Due to the permanence of its luster, its rarity, its apparent imperishability, and its striking weight, it is used in many cultures primarily for the production of special, ritual objects and jewelry.

Gold is classified as a chemical element with the element symbol Au (after the Latin word for gold "aurum"). Pure gold is extremely soft and extraordinarily ductile. It can be drawn into wires thinner than human hair. This explains the diverse artistic applications of this precious metal, but also the necessity of alloys, which give gold greater hardness by adding other metals and thus make the manufactured jewelry wearable in everyday life.

The limited occurrence of gold on our planet justifies the constant demand, particular popularity, and valuable uniqueness of gold jewelry.

Silver - Ag

Silver captivates with its special luster and its white to light gray color. It is slightly harder than gold and also has excellent properties for processing in art object smithing and jewelry production.

In its pure state as fine silver, however, like gold, it is often too soft to produce stable and durable jewelry. Here, too, the production of alloys is of particular importance.

The chemical symbol for silver is Ag. The abbreviation comes from the Latin word for silver "argentum," which itself is derived from a Sanskrit word for "white" and "shiny."

Silver offers a particularly aesthetic and inexpensive alternative as a base material for enchanting and no less valuable unique pieces.

Platinum - Pt

Platinum is characterized by its light color and an equally special luster. Due to its relatively late discovery in combination with its very high melting point and its particular hardness, platinum was only used in jewelry manufacturing since 1900. The Spanish discoverer of this metal called it Platina Del Pinto, with "platina" meaning "small silver" or "little silver," as he believed it to be an impure silver ore. This later proved to be false. Platinum is classified as an independent metal under the chemical symbol Pt.

Its rare occurrence determines its price and its extraordinary exclusivity.

Palladium - Pd

Thanks to its special color, which is unique in its gray/metallic tone, combined with its luster, palladium has been gaining importance and enjoying increasing popularity for several years. Compared to platinum, it is characterized by a lower density and a lower melting temperature, which facilitates processing.

Palladium is a beautiful and individual alternative for enthusiasts.

Rhodium - Rh

Rhodium is one of the rarest and most valuable metals. It is particularly hard and resistant even to strong acids. It is characterized by an exceptional, mirrored silver luster. In the jewelry industry, it is used for electroplating other light metals. It can be applied in very thin layers in galvanic baths and still offers particularly hard and resistant protection against corrosion and tarnishing. There are also so-called black rhodium baths. They create a unique dark, blue-gray effect on the corresponding base materials.

Alloying Additive Copper - Cu

Compared to the described precious metals, this metal occurs relatively frequently. It is relatively soft and easy to work with, but this "base" metal is very reactive and oxidizes very quickly in the air, which leads to the often unwanted patina, the so-called tarnishing. Therefore, copper is mostly used exclusively as an additive for alloys in classic jewelry manufacturing. Here, the metal has a fundamental importance. Its element symbol Cu comes from the Latin "aes Cyprium," which means "metal from Cyprus."