Caring for Your Platinum Jewlery

As with many other things knowledge is golden – in this case platinum. Most owners of platinum jewelry know that it is a very strong, durable metal. They also have heard that it scratchs easy and that it fades as it ages.
The Truth about Platinum

It is the strongest of all precious metals used for jewelry production. Because of its strength it can be used at 95% purity – at that purity gold, for instance is way too soft to withstand the daily wear and tear that rings sustain. Therefore, we usually use gold at 60% purity – 14K gold – or 75% purity – 18K gold – for rings.
Purity also produces a softness in all metals. The purer the softer. Same goes for platinum.
Softness means that the metal sustains scratches easier. The confusion comes when people mistakenly believe that gold doesn’t scratch. That couldn’t be further from the truth. 95% pure gold scratches much easier than platinum. All precious metals that are pure scratch. It’s just that we do not use them with as high purity as platinum because they are too weak.
The scratches give platinum a grayish tone after some period of time.
The scratches can be polished out with special rouges and buffers. Most Retailers do not carry this special equipment, not do they have qualified experts that know how to work with platinum.
Once polished, platinum returns to its famous high patina shine. Because of the denseness of its molecules it shines brighter than any other precious metal.

Care of Your Platinum Jewelry and Rings

Platinum is very easy to care for. As with any piece of jewelry, avoid wearing it when doing housework or gardening
Diamond rings require extra special vigilance. Diamonds, although the hardest known substance known to man, are still a crystal. What does that mean? It means that it can chip and crack if you hit it into a sharp or hard object.

Once a year, your platinum ring can receive a good polish, removing all the scratches.

Cleaning should be done on a weekly basis – place your ring into a bottle of jewelry cleaner for 15-20 minutes and rinse off with hot water. (Never over a sink)

Platinum is regarded as the finest metal for jewelry. It is naturally white, 90-95% pure, and 35 times more rare than gold. The high luster of platinum is distinctive. It is the strongest precious metal used in jewelry, and is almost twice as heavy as 14k gold.

Caring for your Platinum Jewelry will ensure a lifetime of pleasure when wearing it.

What are the does and don’t that you must know!

Can you polish platinum jewelry over and over again?

What problems will arise when you size platinum rings?

What not to do when repairing your platinum jewelry?

Many people believe that platinum turns a grayish color when it ages. This is incorrect. Platinum, due to its purity, scratches easier then metals with much greater % of alloys, like 14K gold. The tin scratches make the jewelry look as if it is turning gray. The key to keeping your platinum jewelry looking like new is..

Remove your platinum jewelry when doing housework, cooking, bathing, or other high energy activities.
Avoid placing your platinum jewelry where other pieces of jewelry can come into contact with it and can scratch it
Can you polish platinum jewelry over and over again?

The answer is, YES. Platinum has such atomic strength between its molecules that no matter how often you polish it will not loose any metal.

The problem is that most local jewelers do not have the right rouges and polishing wheels to do the proper job.

What problems will arise when you size platinum rings?

Sizing platinum rings is a big problem. The great amount of heat necessary to work with platinum is not practical for local jewelers to work with. What most local jewelers do instead is use 14K white solder, which turns into a black line on the bottom of a ring.

The best way to size a platinum ring is by using modern laser technology, which only a handful of companies offer directly to consumers.

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