Platinum Guru

Making Platinum Jewelry

2009-04-27T08:11:00-04:00

Bench jewelers who have the skill to fabricate jewellery will have no trouble applying that skill to working with platinum. Platinum is a pleasure to behold, but can be very unforgiving, if one does not take the time to learn...

Platinum Finishing

2009-04-20T13:06:00-04:00

The finishing of platinum jewellery requires some preparation. It takes several additional steps to finish platinum compared with gold or silver. When platinum is used in conjunction with gold or other metals, the platinum must be polished first, as otherwise...

Manufacturing Methods - Stonesetting

2009-04-13T10:59:00-04:00

Platinum is considered a 'dead metal', which means it holds the shape, or position it is placed in, without springiness. This is of great advantage for prong setting. Once pushed in place, the prongs will securely hold stones in place....

Manufacturing Methods - Die Striking

2009-04-06T11:49:00-04:00

Die striking is used to make anything from findings to light weight earrings and more. Platinum iridium alloys are very suitable for this. Platinum’s density means a much thinner sheet of metal can be used and still be as strong...

Manufacturing Methods - Casting

2009-03-30T15:45:00-04:00

Casting can be done with several alloy combinations, of which platinum/cobalt (Pt/Co) and platinum/iridium (Pt/Ir) are the most common. In the Pt/Co alloy, the cobalt acts as a grain refiner and gives this alloy the ability to fill very fine...

Manufacturing Methods - Fabrication

2009-03-23T12:37:00-04:00

Many wedding bands are fabricated by machining platinum from tubing. The recommended alloy for this manufacturing method in the US is platinum/ruthenium (Pt/Ru), a hard and flexible alloy. Ruthenium is another platinum group metal. Made into platinum tubing, this alloy...

Alloying Platinum

2009-03-16T09:31:00-04:00

Before platinum can be used in jewelry making, it has to be alloyed to create the metal most suitable for a specific application. Platinum can be alloyed with a multitude of metals to create a harder, more usable alloy. Platinum...

Platinum Seminars

2009-03-15T21:24:43-04:00

The 2009 Bench Jewelers Conference is offering the following seminars on Platinum. For a complete list of seminars and registration details go to: www.BenchConference.com This may be the most Important Event you attend in 2009. Working with Platinum Jurgen Maerz...

Platinum is NOT Difficult

2009-03-09T10:23:00-04:00

Technical education is the key successfully manufacturing platinum jewellery. Platinum is often regarded as a difficult metal to work with, however once you understand the capabilities as well as the limitations of this metal you will find working with it...

Devesting

2009-02-16T13:48:00-05:00

Removing the castings from the investment can be a challenge. The investment, which is baked at very high temperatures, turns into a glass-like substance that can be difficult to separate from the cast pieces. Most manufacturers use hydrofluoric acid, which...