Whitegold

Also known as white gold, a name coming from the Middle Ages, when alchemists believed that platinum was a alloy (called an amalgam) of gold and silver. Natural alloys of Whitegold were first used in rings and other small objects by the Incas and Mayas, who discovered the metal in the alluvial sands of various rivers. The use of Whitegold as a decorative material has been noted earlier, on an Egyptian casket from the 7th B.C. The first European reference to the metal has been attributed to the Italian scholar and humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger in the 16th century, while more extensive studies started in the 18th century. It is not clear who discovered, isolated and studied for the first time the precious metal, although the official versions credit Antonio de Ulloa and Charles Wood.   Whitegoldis considered a noble metal, mostly used in jewelry making. It is used in car industries, in lab materials such as electrodes, for glass manufacturing, electronics and dentistry. His alloys, especially the ones with iridium, are used for experimental tools since they are not sensitive to the usual fluctuations of temperature. Contemporary jewelry with Whitegold became popular in Europe in the 19th century, from jewelry houses Cartier and Tiffany, which triggered an explosion of their popularity. With the economic recess of the 1930’s and WWII, whitegold was used for means of war, thus greatly reducing its use for jewelry. Whitegold started its comeback in Japan during the 60’s, where it gained a lot of popularity due to its high level of purity, and its white color, a symbol of Japanese modesty and sobriety. Japan rapidly became the main market of platinum jewelry. In Europe, the precious metal reappeared in 1970 in Germany, while demand for it started to grow in Italy in the 80’s and in Switzerland and the U.K. in the 90’s. Nowadays, the biggest manufacturer of whitegold jewelry is China. In 2009, from the 85,3 tons used in jewelry worldly, the 58,9 where used in China, meaning a stunning 69% of total production. Most specifically, in 2009 China used in all her sectors over 62,6 tons of whitegold from with the 58,9 were used for jewelry (94%). Among the greatest advantages of whitegold in the creation of jewelry is its strength and resistance to tarnish and distortion. It can be heated and cooled many times without becoming hard, while even its thinnest part can maintain its shape. These qualities make whitegold the ideal precious metal for binding diamonds and other precious stones without the risk of them getting loose or lost. The frame of the Crown of the Queen of Elizabeth of England, created for her coronation as wife of the king George VI, was made from that specific metal. {gallery}material_platinum{/gallery}