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From Spanish "platina", diminutive of "plata", silver. The new metal found in large placer deposits during the sixteenth-century Spanish conquest of South America was called "platina del Pinto" after the Rio Pinto, Columbia.
Silvery grey nugget of 1.8x3.5
190.53 gr. nugget - Collection: Museo Regionale Scienze Naturali, Turin, Italy - Photo F. Malfatto
Twinned cubo-octahedral crystals of iron-free rhodian platinum with composition (Pt.8Rh.2). The larger crystal is skeletoidal. Size of crystals are 0.12 and 0.10 mm. Matrix represented by pure anorthite An100. Unspecified platinum-gold placier in Vilyui river basin. P.M. Kartashov collection and photo.
A sharp, lustrous, silver-colored platinum crystal with many cubic faces from an uncommon Russian locality in the Ural Mountains. Gold nuggets go for at least 1.25 spot and platinum nuggets should go for double or more of the price of a gold nugget as they are so much more rare. 1.2 x 1.0 x 0.8 cm
A lustrous, silvery platinum nugget from Goodnews Bay, Bethel Borough, Alaska. Ex Ed Ruggiero Collection, who purchased this piece from David New in Montana in April, 1975. 3.2 grams. 1.1 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm
This is a good reference specimen of CRYSTALLIZED cubic Platinum, very rare for the species. When cubes are found, they are usually malformed. Not these! This is a sharp, well-formed cube of Platinum (to 5 mm on edge) that even has several penetration twins emerging from it. .8 x .7 x .5 cm
An extremely sharp , stereotypically cubic crystal of platinum. Fairly large size, as far as most of these go. It is complete all around. This specimen was formerly in the isometric thumbnails competition case of my mentor, Carlton Davis of Columbus , Ohio. 0.5 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm
It is truly a magical metal.
HISTORY takes us back over 3000 years to ancient Egypt where the remarkable metalsmiths of that time became extremely skilled in the art of working with platinum. A 2500 year old coffin of an Egyptian High Priestess was discovered, decorated with platinum hieroglyphs. Their polish and luster were still perfect, giving dramatic proof of platinum's incomparable strength and durability.
Another ancient people who created adornments from platinum were the Incas. But the invading Spanish Conquistadors saw little use for the this metal, and deemed it "silver of lesser value", platina. They even went so far as to throw great amounts of the metal into the sea, thinking that it might become a cheap imitation for silver.
Finally, during the eighteenth century, platinum's value as a metal supremely suited for jewelry started to take hold. Then in the nineteenth century, platinum became the de-facto standard for setting the finest of the newly discovered gemstone, the diamond. In fact, the most famous of these gems, the Koh-I-Nor, the Jonker, and the Hope diamonds were all set in platinum.
PLATINUM is the hardest of the precious metals, it never tarnishes. Its intense luster remains intact over the years, and it is completely hypoallergenic.
Platinum is extremely dense, and remarkably heavy. Much more so than silver or gold. This property of platinum enhances and ennobles the quality of the jewelry from which it is created.
The ultimate stability of platinum over the years is unmatched. It does not wear, and its extreme level of durability offers a profound guarantee of strength and longevity. When a customer comes into our shop to have their great grandmother's ring cleaned, invariably, the ring is made from platinum.
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