Pure Image
Throughout the world, with few exceptions, platinum jewellery is made in a purity of at least 85 per cent platinum, and in Europe and the U.S.A., 95 per cent is the norm. Contrast this with gold jewellery, sometimes as diluted as 8 carat. The buyer of platinum jewellery will be aware of another special aspect of the metal - its relative scarcity. Only a little more than 205 tonnes of platinum were mined in 2005,compared to around 2,500 tonnes of gold and 27,000 tonnes of silver. Because much of the world's supplies are consumed in a variety of essential industries, the quantity available for jewellery is not infinite. Many jewellers reflect this characteristic of rarity by limiting the production of their platinum jewellery to just a few examples of each design.

Technically, no other precious metal compares to platinum for strength and resistance to tarnish. This is why silver was discarded as the material for setting diamonds. Once the technique of melting platinum in the workshop was established, jewellers could use platinum's structural strength and untarnishable whiteness to show off diamonds at their best. Today, the highest class diamond jewellery will usually be mounted in delicate platinum settings to secure and preserve the natural brilliance of the stones.

Platinum is not just for women. It is also ideal for men's jewellery. Its cool, subdued look complements the male psyche; discreet, elegant, imposing and strong.

Platinum need not be expensive to be special. As a young person's jewellery in a lighter style it still carries the mystique of the rare and the valuable, the hard won metal which takes 10 tonnes of rock to be broken to produce a single ounce.