NOT ONLY GOLD AND SILVER: WHAT OTHER PRECIOUS METALS DO WE HAVE?

What does the term "precious metal" bring to mind? Something expensive and rare, right? A metal ideal for jewelry making, such as gold or silver. However, the term "precious" is not directly related to price or use in jewelry.

So what does the term "precious metal" mean? Nothing more than resistance to chemical agents. That is why precious metals are so durable. They are almost impervious to corrosion (destruction), do not react with water or steam, and are resistant to most acids. Therefore, precious metals include not only gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, but also iridium, osmium, ruthenium, and rhodium. Ultimately, the term "precious metals" has also found its way into law (according to the assay law, "precious metals within the meaning of the Act are: platinum, gold, silver, and metals from the platinum group: iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium").

GOLD
A metal that needs no introduction. On its own, it is too soft to be used in jewelry, so it is combined with other metals such as silver, copper, nickel, zinc, or palladium, which give gold jewelry its color. We have written more about gold here.

PLATINUM
Platinum is a silvery-white metal with a beautiful, intense shine. It is very malleable, making it ideal for jewelry production. Its natural shine does not fade, its color does not change (it remains white), and its cool tone is the perfect setting for diamonds. Platinum is a cheaper metal than gold, but jewelry made from it is more expensive than the same jewelry made from gold. Why is this? As with gold, jewelry is not made from pure platinum, but from an alloy of platinum with other metals. However, in the case of platinum, the alloy used in jewelry contains as much as 95% platinum. In the case of gold, alloys containing 75%, 58.5% or even less gold are used, which significantly affects the price of jewelry. The second reason is the density of the metal. Two identical-looking wedding rings: one made of gold and the other made of platinum will have different weights. A platinum wedding ring will be much heavier than a gold one. Thus, a platinum wedding ring will be more expensive than the same ring made of gold.

PALLADIUM
Palladium is a shiny, silvery, grayish-white metal. In jewelry, it is mainly used in alloys with other precious metals, especially in the production of white gold jewelry. Even the addition of a few percent of palladium causes the alloy to turn white. It is also increasingly used as the main metal in alloys (50% or 85%). The price of palladium is similar to that of platinum, but its density is almost half that of platinum, which further affects its price.

SILVER
Silver is the most commonly used precious metal in jewelry. Pure silver is relatively soft, so it is combined with other metals. The most popular alloy is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Although any other metal could make up the 7.5% admixture, copper is the best additive. It increases the hardness and strength of the metal without affecting its beautiful color. A big advantage of silver is its low price, which means that silver jewelry is also relatively inexpensive. The disadvantage is the relatively high price of silver jewelry in relation to the value of the metal used.

IRIDIUM, OSM, RUTENIUM, AND RHODIUM
Iridium and ruthenium are used in jewelry mainly to harden alloys. Rhodium, on the other hand, is mainly used for rhodium plating. Rhodium plating involves covering gold and silver with a thin layer of rhodium, which gives the jewelry a bright, silvery, white color and a beautiful shine. Rhodium plating also prevents silver from tarnishing and increases its shine.