Origin
For centuries, platinum has been the metal of choice in mounting the most precious gemstones. Platinum's bright white appearance makes it an ideal material for use in diamond jewelry, and its extraordinary hardness and durability give it ideal characteristics for enhancing the safety and security of any mounting. Indeed, it is not uncommon for gemstones in yellow gold mounting designs to be set in platinum heads.

Platinum can be found in a number of countries, including, Canada, Colombia, Russia and South Africa. South Africa processes the largest quantity of platinum. In comparison to gold, platinum is quite rare. Ten tons of ore must be mined to produce one ounce of platinum. Moreover, the annual production of platinum worldwide is approximately
160 tons, compared to approximately 1,500 tons of gold. This rarity, in addition to platinum's weight, color, hypoallergenic traits and malleability, has made it even more valuable than gold.

Melting Point
Platinum's melting point is 3224 degrees Fahrenheit or 1773 degrees Celsius.

Alloy
Platinum alloys used in jewelry manufacturing are actually comprised of up to six metals, including platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. All platinum jewelry has a mark of PLATINUM, PLAT or PT preceded by the percentage of platinum in the alloy. For example, 950PLAT or 950PT are 950 parts per thousand of platinum. Any jewelry item containing 950 parts platinum or better can be marked Platinum or PLAT. AIJ Network will only sell 950 platinum.