Other Popular Precious Metals
What is White Gold Jewelry
White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually nickel or palladium. Like yellow gold, the purity of white gold is given in carats. White gold's properties vary depending on the metals and proportions used. As a result, white gold alloys can be used for different purposes; while a nickel alloy is hard and strong, and therefore good for rings and pins, gold-palladium alloys are soft, pliable and good for white gold gemstone settings. The highest quality white gold is usually at least 17 carat, and made up of gold and palladium, sometimes with trace levels of platinum for weight and durability, although this often requires specialized goldsmiths. While some higher-quality white gold alloys retain their shine and lustre, most will be coated with a very thin layer of rhodium. This gives the naturally more-dull white gold a shine comparable to platinum or silver; however the rhodium may wear off over time.Sterling Silver Jewelry
Silver is a soft metal in its pure form, too soft to be used for jewelry and other items, so it's mixed with other metals to make it more durable. A popular silver mixture, called an alloy, is known as sterling silver. The US Federal Trade Commission, the FTC, stipulates that jewelry sold in the US cannot be marked or described as silver, solid silver, sterling silver, sterling, or using the abbreviation Ster.unless it contains at least 92.5 percent pure silver. The minimum silver content can also be stated as 925 parts per thousand of pure silver, so you might see the figures 925 or 92.5 used to mark silver content. Copper is the most common metal used to round out the 7.5 percent alloy balance in sterling silver. It adds hardness to pure silver, but brings with it a tendency to tarnish--a darkening that occurs when sterling silver reacts with gases in the air or with other substances that it comes in contact with.Palladium Jewelry vs. Platinum Jewelry
Palladium is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal that is now widely used in jewelry because of various reasons. The use of palladium for fine jewelry is exciting considerable interest in the trade, with demand poised to grow. As recently as September 2001, palladium was more expensive than platinum and rarely used in jewelry also due to the technical obstacle of casting. However the casting problem has been resolved and its use in jewelry has increased because of a large spike in the price of platinum and a drop in the price of palladium. Typically, palladium jewelry products are marketed as 95 percent pure and look similar to platinum. Unlike many white gold alloys, palladium does not require plating to achieve an icy white color. Which means its white sheen will never wear off, eliminating the bother and expense of re-plating faded white gold products to maintain customer satisfaction. Two factors in particular have energized the trade’s perception of palladium’s potential. First, palladium is about half the density of platinum (12 g/cm3 vs. 21 g/cm3), so more jewelry can be made from palladium per dollar invested in the metal. Moreover, U.S. stamping laws place no restrictions on marketing palladium jewelry products in the U.S. In many European countries, such as the U.K., palladium is not recognized as a jewelry metal and cannot be hallmarked.
