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Specialist Precious Metals - Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Silver
Precious Metals - Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Silver
Gold
Gold is the classic choice for any jewellery needs. Although softer than platinum, pure gold is mixed with other metals to make it very strong and great for everyday wear. Pure gold does not react with other chemicals and therefore you do not have to worry about it tarnishing. Gold is measured in carats, the higher the carat the higher the percentage of pure gold the item contains. Pure gold is 24 carats and in the UK we use either 18 or 9 carat gold.
White Gold
White gold is similar to yellow gold but it has some very distinct differences in composition that make it truly special. White gold is mixed with white metals during the early stage giving it a white colour. At the end of the process white gold can be covered with a layer of rhodium to make it shine a pure white colour. Rhodium plating will wear and tarnish, and it is recommended that you re-plate your jewellery every year or so.
Platinum
Platinum is a very precious metal that is almost 30 times rarer than gold. It is guaranteed to stay bright and untarnished because it has a 95% purity ranking making it ideal for beautiful long lasting jewellery. Platinum's weight and density also make it very durable and perfect for everyday use. Being the rarest precious metal, platinum is also the most expensive metal used in jewellery making.
Palladium
Palladium is a fantastic alternative to platinum, it does not tarnish or require repeated rhodium plating to retain its white metal finish. In its pure state it is too soft and malleable for jewellery and as a result palladium jewellery is alloyed and mostly 95% pure. Common alloy ingredients are the platinum group metals ruthenium and iridium. It is comparable in weight to 9 and 14ct white gold making it extremely comfortable to wear.
Silver
Out of all of the precious metals silver is the most affordable as well as the most reflective. Like gold, silver jewellery is not made of 100% silver because in its natural state silver is very soft and therefore difficult to make and wear. The most popular as well as the standard for jewellery made of silver is called sterling silver and is composed of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper.
