 | Jerry Burnell has been a driving force in the jewelry industry of Kansas for the past 30 years. Jerry is a native of Wichita and a graduate of Wichita State University. He jokingly says that he had a degree in business, almost a masters in business, almost a degree in chemistry, with heavy studies in physics, math, and biology and he just quit college, that he figured that with 239 credit hours he should be able to make a living somewhere. Actually he was already deep into the motions of starting the most respected jewelry design team in this part of the country. Jerry is highly regarded and considered an expert in many fields, three of which are Precious gemstones, jewelry manufacture, and jewelry design. Jerry is presently president of The Kansas Jewelers Association and holds a position on the advisory board of Jewelers of America. You may contact Jerry at Burnell’s Jewelers, (316) 634-2822, or find Burnell’s Jewelers on the web at www.burnells.com |
Gold, Silver, Diamonds & Jewelry
2002-10-01 12:36:00
Why is platinum so hot?
Jerry Burnell
Question: Platinum credit cards, platinum records, platinum jewelry... everything is platinum. What is platinum and why is it so highly prized and expensive?Answer: Platinum is an element just like oxygen or carbon but because it is a metal it is more like gold and silver. There are some very big differences between platinum and other metals. Platinum is almost inert, meaning it doesn't chemically unite with anything. You can take a shiny platinum wire and heat it white hot and when it cools it is still shiny white. It doesn't oxidize even at these high temperatures. In fact it was one of the first metals found. Because it is so inert, it was found in pure nugget form in the Ural Mountains of Russia.Platinum has had a spotted past. Early on it was not as highly regarded as silver and. Platinum melted at such a high temperature and was so difficult to work and fashion into useful objects, that it was considered an outcast. At one point in history platinum was illegal to even own or possess, because you could mix platinum with either silver or gold and not be able to tell that you had sub-based the "precious" metals by examining it's weight.Platinum is a funny metal. Due to the fact that the bonds between the platinum atoms will stretch and not break, platinum is fairly easy to bend. Platinum has very little memory so when you bend it; it just stays there, and does not spring back to it's former position. When you "scratch" platinum the atoms just move over instead of tearing out of the surface, so it does not wear away easily.So why is it so expensive? To start with a good platinum mine refines approximately 20 tons of ore to get one ounce of platinum. In a good gold mine you only have to extract approximately ten tons of ore. Today pure platinum costs around $600 per ounce as to gold at around $300 per ounce. Platinum it is very hard to refine because it won't unite in chemical reactions to extract it from the ore easily. Also it is 60% heavier than gold, meaning that the same object made from platinum will be 60% heaver than one in gold. In 14 Karat gold you use fourteen twenty-fourths gold (58.33%) and 41.67% of relative inexpensive alloy of copper, silver and zinc. But Platinum jewelry has 90% Platinum and 10% iridium. Iridium is tougher and much more expensive than platinum. Coupled with the fact that it is hard to work with, a platinum piece of jewelry can cost three times as much as a 14K white gold piece of jewelry.So why is platinum so highly revered? It is the precious metal that is used in its purest form. It doesn't wear away. It is not attacked by, virtually, any chemical, so it is hypoallergenic. It's weight feels heavy, and valuable. It is bright white and beautiful when polished, and it is rare and expensive. Yes, Platinum is a treasure to own.
