Since then, the other five metals of the Platinum Group have been
identified. These are Rhodium, Ruthenium, Palladium, Iridium and Osmium.
Each one is used in some form of the jewellery industry, notably Rhodium as a bright,
hard, tarnish-free electroplate; Ruthenium, Iridium and Palladium, as alloying elements
with one another and Osmium, the least abundant, in some pen-nibs.
Perhaps the first conscious use of platinum as a decorative material
stemmed from the work of a Parisian artist/metalworker, Marc Etienne Janety. Today, the
only known work of Janety in platinum can be seen in the metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York City.
The glass-lined platinum sugar bowl is dated 1786 and is an extraordinary example of
the quality of design that can be executed in platinum and its still fine detail is
testimony to the durability of the metal.
During the first 40 years of this century, platinum was the preferred
metal for wedding and engagement rings and was almost always used to enhance the beauty of
diamonds and other gemstones. The neutral colour enhances the natural clarity and sparkle
of gemstones, where other metals can detract from the stones’ beauty.
Then just prior to World War II, platinum was declared a strategic material and its use
in most non-military applications, including jewellery, was prohibited. During this time,
white gold was developed as a replacement. Once embargoed, Platinum is now regaining its
old popularity.
