Palladium is not completely new in the jewelry industry; indeed back in 1939 it is known to have been used in jewelry manufacture. Palladium is part of the Platinum Group Metals (or PGM’s) and is mined and extracted from the same mineral deposits as platinum and sometimes even gold. Being part of the PGM’s, palladium bears a remarkable resemblance to platinum, both physically and chemically. Like platinum, palladium has a lustrous silver-white colour and it is ideal for use in jewelry. As palladium jewelry is manufactured from 95 – 100% pure palladium, the mens palladium wedding rings are hypoallergenic. This means that it is the ideal metal for people with sensitive or irritable skin.
There are some significant differences between platinum and palladium however, advantages that are causing jewelry manufacturers around the world to incorporate palladium into their men’s palladium wedding bands design. Palladium is a very hard metal; in fact, it is 12% harder than platinum. It is also 40% lighter than platinum, a statistic that translates into a significant saving when it comes to purchasing palladium jewelry. Jewelry is priced not only according to the labour that is involved in manufacturing an item of jewelry (particularly in the case of hand-made jewelry) but also according to the weight of metal used. Therefore, when compared to an identically designed platinum ring, a palladium ring will weigh significantly less and will thus cost less. Additionally, the price of palladium is a fraction of the price of platinum. Currently (August 2009), the palladium price is a quarter of the price of platinum and a third of the price of gold. Not only is palladium cheaper per ounce than gold, it also has a variety of other advantages over gold.
Gold, in its natural form, is a metallic yellow colour. Thus, to create white gold, gold must be alloyed with a number of white metals such as palladium, nickel and silver. However, with 18k white gold being 75% gold and 25% alloy (palladium, nickel and silver), it is impossible to turn gold a pure white colour. Thus, all white gold is electro-plated with Rhodium (another Platinum Group Metal) resulting in the bright metallic white colour we know so well. Over time however, this rhodium-plating wears off, leading customers to believe their gold has “tarnished”. Because palladium is a naturally white metal, there is no need to rhodium-plate it and palladium jewelry will keep it’s colour over time. Palladium is thus a cost-effective, yet valuable metal ideally suited to engagement rings and men’s palladium wedding ring and what better time to invest in a ring than now, when the prices are low and palladium rings are still unique.
Palladium versus White Gold: Why is palladium more desirable? Unfortunately, white gold jewelry is manufactured using alloys containing nickel and up to 10% of the population experiences an allergic reaction to contact with nickel. Palladium is hypoallergenic so there are not the allergy concerns that plague white gold. Also, palladium is harder than white gold making it more durable and less likely to mar. Durability is an issue particularly when it comes to mountings. If a gem stone is set using mountings made with a softer metal, the likelihood that one of the prongs could fail and the stone could fall out is higher. Often jewelers will use a harder metal in a ring setting to combat this but with palladium the entire jewelry piece can be made with the same metal.
At this time refiners are working to provide 950 palladium to jewelry manufacturers and designers and many stores are set to educate consumers on palladium. All are expecting palladium to find a market as messages about its lower price and platinum-like characteristics are presented to consumers. The demand for palladium jewelry will dictate how quickly it is integrated into designer’s product lines and jewelry stores catalogs. Palladium will likely be used in the same jewelry categories as platinum, especially engagement rings and wedding jewelry.
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