Why is platinum popular?

why is platinum popular in the jewelry industry? what
characteristics make it more desirable to work with than white gold?
what characteristics make is more desirable to wear than white gold?

curious about opinions.
thanks
joanna

joanna gollberg jewelry, inc

Strength, durability and wearability. Platinum is more difficult to
work with, but will hold and last much better.

John
John Atwell Rasmussen
Rasmussen Gems and Jewelry
Web: www.rasmussengems.com
Blog: http://rasmussengems.ganoksin.com/blogs/

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I thought it was preferred for stone setting for the higher end
stuff because the grain does not wear down like gold, but instead
redistributes on the stone. Less need for retipping compared to white
gold and holds the stone better.

Joanna- Oh, where to start? We old farts have always called white
gold “the poor mans platinum”. It lasts much longer than gold. A
platinum crown will outlast a gold one by many, many years. A
platinum ring will last several lifetimes, where a gold ring may
need to be re-pronged and re-shanked after a decade. Because it’s so
tough, you can make really delicate looking things that are more
stable than in gold. It’s lovely to bright cut, it’s a beautiful
color and it has a nice weight to it. I can weld it so that I can
make a seamless shank or tubing. Platinum is sooo easy to set stones
in.

The only downside that I can see is that it’s more work to polish.
Also, right now, it’s a bargain compared to gold. It’s only about 100
bucks an ounce more right now. Have fun and make lots of jewelry.

Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com

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Caution: the following is not meant to inflame, impugn, or otherwise
cause to distress to those with other viewpoints. Merely my personal
opinion in response to a reader’s query.

why is platinum popular in the jewelry industry? 

Your question, Joanna, taken at face value, is pretty easy to
answer: the profit margins on platinum are very attractive. What I
think you meant your question to be, however, is why does the public
like Pt? The answer to that is two fold: 1, sales pressure and 2,
cognitive elitism. Like D, Flawless diamonds there is no reason for
owning the material other than to “know” you own it. There is some
benefit, however, to linguistic skills as one has to figure out all
sorts of creative ways of working the type, quality, and cost of such
materials into conversation with friends and family.

Aside from profit motive some Pt alloys have wonderful working
properties for setters and engravers - it’s almost like working in
clay - so it is favored on those counts. It is often represented to
the consumer, however, as a more durable, lasting material than gold,
as it tends not to wear away over time as gold does due to its
increased density. Unfortunately, and why a lot of consumers fall out
of love with their expensive settings, is that the slightest bump,
thump, or scrape displaces the material resulting in a quick loss of
polish and a definite “leaden”, dented look to the item. Not to
worry, however, more income potential for the jeweler. We charge for
re-polishing Pt items where we’ll do gold items for free (when
brought in on a single item basis and left for a couple of hours).

Furthermore, due to the extreme softness, prongs, unless very heavy,
are easily moved, bent, or otherwise deformed in daily wear. More
after market repair income.

On the other hand, there are harder Pt alloys which stand up better
to impacts and hold the polish much better. These, however, lose
their attractiveness, somewhat, in terms of working properties. I am
not altogether convinced that these are as “wear away” free as their
softer cousins. While they take a polish easier and hold it longer,
in time they still end up looking like lead on the customer’s finger.

We alert customers to these facts when asked about Pt and supply it
when requested. We also offer counseling to those sorely disappointed
with their purchase after a month or two and we have had more of
those than customers ecstatic with the material.

In the end, the cost/benefit ratio for Pt over gold in terms of
durability and beauty is way too steep. Nothing works, feels, or
looks like real gold.

Les Brown

what characteristics make it more desirable to work with than white
gold? 

Joanna, I’ll let others weigh in on why platinum is popular - I’d
say the usual reasons. Why is peanut butter popular?

For working, though platinum does not oxidize, not ever. Since 10%
iridium platinum is the only alloy worth working, I’m speaking of
that. The fact that it doesn’t oxidize means that you can heat and
melt it any time and any way. For ring sizing, you can just fuse the
seam and file it out, and it will look like nothing ever happened.
I’ll just melt metal in a spot, just like waxwork, and then file and
shape it. No solder, no worrying about perfect fit, no oxides, no
smudge, no firescale. People do use solder when it’s needed - adding
a setting or other places. And some weld less than I do, and solder
more. But it’s still the same - no oxides, ever. I work it pretty
much like wax - build it up, carve it down.

A downside that you’ll learn quickly is that this all happens at
6,500F or something (not gonna go look it up exactly ;<}, which is
white hot, considerably hotter than molten steel, and very hazardous
to your eyes and well being. It’s not for the faint of heart, but
all or the heat related problems other metals have just vanish,
working in platinum. Then it also files and polishes differently,
but not so much. You can move from silver to gold pretty easy - same
thing, many of the problems silver has just disappear in gold.
Moving to platinum is not so hard, but not so easy, because it’s
quite different in many ways.

Platinum is wonderful to forge, it moves like 18K gold or sterling
silver. Nickel white gold alloys are not useful for this type of
work. Platinum is the most precious of jewelry materials so it has a
snob appeal, you can’t look up and wish you had anything else once
you own platinum.

Platinum alloys have more platinum by percent than gold alloys in
the 90/10 platinum Iridium alloy that I use so it has more of the
what a person is buying.

Platinum has it’s own feel, it is the heaviest jewelry material. I
wear a sterling silver bracelet and a platinum bracelet made of the
same length of 6 gage round wire. I forged both bracelets the same
way and they look very similar. One has $15 worth of material in it
the other $1,000 worth of material and they are almost
indistinguishable. I love them both they both have different meanings
to them, different times in my life that I made them. I love that
they are so similar in appearance. Which one would I give up first?
the silver one, absolutely.

Sam Patania

www.silverhuntress.com

Hi, Joanna -

Here is what I’ve seen so far (in no particular order, and not a
comprehensive list):

  1. Some people love the ‘heavy metal’ feel. The jewelry feels
    substantial, even in a delicate design.

  2. Durability & wear/abrasion resistance.

  3. A non-yellowing white metal that doesn’t produce a rash in
    sensitive people.

  4. Some people love wearing something more expensive than ‘you’ can
    afford (customer’s point of view). More expensive metal, better
    profit (jeweler’s point of view).

  5. The silvery-grey color is just luscious (customer’s point of
    view). The color is neutral, so the stones aren’t influenced by the
    metal (jeweler’s point of view).

  6. Repeatable color in a given alloy. Even 18k white gold has color
    variation between batches or manufacturers.

  7. The jeweler gets lots of satisfaction from successfully working a
    demanding, high-heat metal.

best regards,
Kelley Dragon

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I am reading this thread with great deal of interest. Instead of
responding to individual point, I would rather provide a historical
framework.

Why do we use white metal at all? Diamonds became popular in
conjunction with the development of candle making. It is only in
grand ballrooms, illuminated by thousands of flickering candle
lights,
diamonds displayed their power to reflect and refract light to it’s
full potential. Since candlelight spectrum consist primarily of red
light, jewelers quickly realize that setting made of white metal is
far more beneficial to the diamond appearance. Silver was used almost
exclusively. It also have established an etiquette that only white
metal jewellery to be worn as a part of an evening attire. (It was
challenged by Bulgary in 20th century, but mostly still in effect. It
is this custom that is the root of “cognitive elitism” that was
mentioned.)

Platinum became widely used in the beginning of 20th century. Some
even say that Art Deco period would not be possible if not platinum,
because it allows creation of almost invisible settings. For example:
To set square stones in the plate, like a cluster where center stone
is surrounded with square stones, is not possible unless platinum, or
silver-platinum alloy is used. Also, platinum is far exceed any
material as hot forging medium because it retains it’s integrity at
orange heat required for forging. Technique of Pave comes to mind as
well as great beneficiary of properties of platinum.

In modern times, since most of jewellery is cast, platinum castings
are stronger and hold stones better. For hand-fabricated jewellery it
does not offer that much unless design specifically calls for
platinum
properties. Hand-fabricated setting in silver will outlast cast
platinum setting. A visit to an antique store specializing in antique
jewellery will confirm that point.

Platinum is extremely important in setting emeralds. Bezel of pure
platinum is the only acceptable choice for important emeralds in
white metal designs.

In conclusion: Since properties of platinum made it almost a default
in important jewellery, it makes general public feel better of
themselves wearing platinum jewellery, because it creates a
subconscious link between them and the “Rich and Famous”.

Leonid Surpin

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Unfortunately, and why a lot of consumers fall out of love with
their expensive settings, is that the slightest bump, thump, or
scrape displaces the material resulting in a quick loss of polish
and a definite "leaden", dented look to the item. 

One of the unfortunate aspects to platinum as it’s usually marketed
and manufactured today, is that most of today’s platinum fine jewelry
is cast. That means a relatively large crystal structure, and a
totally annealed butter soft state. That’s why the stuff dents and
dings and bends (prongs) so easily. The repuation of platinum,
however, is somewhat older. And it’s repuation as being very durable
did indeed refer, at one time, to overall durability too, beyond just
it’s resistance to wearing away from abrasion. When more of the
platinum jewelry out there was fabricated from rolled sheet, rolled
and drawn wire, etc, the resulting metal was, and still is,
considerably more durable. That metal, even if no longer fully work
hardened due to having been heating in the soldering and assembly of
the piece, is still quite a bit better in working properties that
just cast pieces.

One of the suggested implications of that is that people who really
want the best performing platinum jewelry will still have a reason to
seek out those jewelers capable of actually making the piece from
platinum, rather than just carving it in wax and having it cast.

The same benefits apply as well, to commercially made pieces that
are die struck rather than being cast. I’ve seen some of these that
are almost as hard and resistant to bending or denting as most white
golds, even just in the 90/10 iridium alloys.

People wishing to get better performance in their products while
still casting the items might wish to investigate the heat treatable
platinum alloys, such as the ones the late Steven Kretchmer devised.
Harder to work with for sure, but properly handled, they produce very
hard and durable work… Steven’s alloys are the SK platinum alloys
from Hoover and Strong. Several other metals suppliers have developed
other variations on Heat treatable platinum alloys.

Peter Rowe

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Les

Unfortunately, and why a lot of consumers fall out of love with
their expensive settings, is that the slightest bump, thump, or
scrape displaces the material resulting in a quick loss of polish
and a definite "leaden", dented look to the item. We alert
customers to these facts when asked about Pt and supply it when
requested. We also offer counseling to those sorely disappointed
with their purchase after a month or two and we have had more of
those than customers ecstatic with the material. In the end, the
cost/benefit ratio for Pt over gold in terms of durability and
beauty is way too steep. Nothing works, feels, or looks like real
gold.

You articulated my experience and my thoughts. I like 14, 18 or 22kt.
gold. As redundant as it is, I will repeat again, David Fell"s winter
white alloy gives me a 14kt. white gold that is easy to work with and
it is white enough for my customers and I have had no problems
several hundred white gold rings later.

Richard Hart G.G.
Jewelers Gallery
Denver Co.

Leslie,

I have to respond to this.

In the end, the cost/benefit ratio for Pt over gold in terms of
durability and beauty is way too steep. Nothing works, feels, or
looks like real gold. 

White gold is not real gold. It’s a gold bi-product. Gold comes out
of the ground gold in color. This is true gold. In order to make it
white, it has nickel and other metals added, changing the color from
gold to white. Making it very difficult as a goldsmith to work with.
Amazingly brittle and not pliable. Just try annealing, stretching,
removing or setting a stone, You might think differently.

When Platinum comes out of the ground it is a pure metal. Stretches
easily, prongs bend and re-bend without snapping and yes a stone can
easily be set and unset etc…

In checking the market price of gold vs. platinum recently, the
margin has come very close where as in the past the margin has been
much greater. Not much difference in price basically. For the money,
a platinum far outweighs the value of a white gold any day and will
hold it’s value which will far outlast a white gold product.

As a goldsmith for over 20 years, I would rather work on a platinum
ring vs. white gold. Yes, it is more malleable, dents, bends etc.
but white gold is brittle. The prongs snap off and have to be
replaced if the stone has to come out. With a platinum head the
prongs easily bend and go back into place without snapping, hence
saving the customer money. You spoke of such high fees with polishing
platinum. What about the price of re-rhodium plating your customers
white gold ring. When the rhodium wears off and customers ask why
does my white gold ring have a yellow glow to it, what will you tell
them? Chances are they did not even know that it was a rhodium plated
white gold ring. So many people I have met over the years actually
believe white gold is a true metal until I explain what it really is.

Platinum is the real metal. It will last for a very long time with
minimal repair cost vs.repairing white gold.

Laurie

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Laurie,

It sounds to me as though you are using a very poor quality white
gold alloy. A good palladium alloy for 18ct that contains NO Nickel,
(which is a poor alloy for any gold, and could cause skin
irritation…) it will give a beautifully workable product that IMHO
even better than an 18ct yellow to work with. You have all the
benefits of gold’s workability with a white look. An alloy with a
higher palladium content is not yellow at all and sometimes does not
even need to be rhodium plated…(9 or 14ct are even whiter because
there is more scope to add silver and palladium…) and yes… gold
is yellow, but no-one works in it in it’s pure form…be it yellow or
white…Granted, to get to 22ct, it would be yellowish!!, so 18ct is
about the maximum gold content for a good white…

A badly alloyed platinum (because the plat is not worked in it’s
pure form either) is far more difficult to work that gold. yes, it is
more durable, but again IMHO, a good white gold still looks better
6-months down the line… I agree… the public generally need to be
more educated about what they are buying, but for as long as the
"industry" can make money on their ignorance, about what
they are buying will be kept to a minimum, and the local jeweller
will continue the battle to try to explain the basics to the few that
become interested.

Platinum is a “real” metal… but then so is white gold, just like
yellow, green, rose and purple… each is suited to its own
particular requirement… As there are different alloys used for
platinum casting and handwork. you wouldn’t handmake a plat ring
made with a casting alloy (it’s just not nice to work with…). The
same goes for the gold… try not to compare a quality alloy with
that used for casting and mass producing… Workable gold and
platinum (and silver for that matter…)are all alloyed, and they are
all “real”

In checking the market price of gold vs. platinum recently, the
margin has come very close where as in the past the margin has
been much greater. Not much difference in price basically. 

Several people have said things like the quote - I know that they
know that it’s not precisely true, though. If platinum and gold are
both $1000/oz, then platinum costs roughly twice as much. Why?
First, because there is no 14kt. platinum. @$1000, 18kt gold is
$750, and 14kt is $585. Platinum is still $1000. And throw in the
fact that 10% iridium generally costs more than spot. Then comes
density - we use 13.4 sg for 14kt, and 22 sg for platinum, for
estimating. That means an ounce of platinum is only 60% the physical
size of an ounce of gold. Just to be clear…

Laurie,

[First, thanks to Leonid Surpin and Peter Rowe for their very
informative posts on the history and technical properties of
platinum.
Also appreciation to Richard Hart for his comments]

White gold is not real gold. It's a gold bi-product. Gold comes
out of the ground gold in color. This is true gold 

White gold is a gold alloy, or “karat” gold ie 10k, 14k, 18k, etc. A
14k white and a 14k yellow gold alloy have an equal amount of gold
(14
parts) while the other ten parts are whatever is necessary for color
and working properties. But I get your point and agree - I much
prefer yellow gold to all others. It’s an emotional thing more than a
technical one.

In checking the market price of gold vs. platinum recently, the
margin has come very close... Not much difference in price
basically. 

You are correct that Pt has come down some of late and gold up but
an ounce of 10%Ir or 5%Co Pt is still 1.8 times more costly than an
equal amount of 14k gold and 1.47 times more costly than 18k gold
based on casting grain prices I took off of Stuller’s website today.
So it may not always be a dealbreaker but the cost of materials is
still up in Pt alloys not to mention the added time in finishing and
not even thinking about outfitting the shop in a way to keep the Pt
from becoming contaminated.

As for rhodium plating, we don’t do it. A couple of years ago we
switched to X-1 white in both 14k and 18k alloys and are very happy
with it. Stock forges and fabricates well, age hardenable, casts
beautifully, is nearly as white as fine silver and therefore needs no
plating. X-1 is available through Stuller. Richard Hart mentions
another one from David Fell Co.

Platinum is the real metal. It will last for a very long time with
minimal repair cost vs.repairing white gold. 

Any piece of jewelry, given the proper care and wear will last a
very long time as any piece of jewelry given abusive treatment is
going to suffer for it structurally and in appearance. As to
comparative costs of maintenance I don’t have the numbers only a
hunch, and that is that in the end the greater cost of working on the
Pt item will be at least equal to or greater than the more frequent,
but less pricey, gold service.

It sounds like you really have an appreciation of Pt’s color and
working properties and I encourage you in your art and skills.
Likewise, as I noted in my first post on this thread, I have a very
strong predeliction to gold - yellow preferred, but the new white
alloys as well. I just like 'em.

And I have this antipathy towards Pt for reasons previously
mentioned in the earlier post. Despite Peter’s comments taking some
of
the wind out of my working properties criticisms I still do not like
platinum gray.

Les Brown
L F Brown Goldwork, Inc

why is platinum popular in the jewelry industry? 

Platinum is the most noble of the noble metals. It is totally
non-reactive (at least for jewelry purposes). It will not tarnish. It
will not cause allergic reactions. It is valuable. It is very
resistant to wear, hence the difficulty in polishing it. It is very
white in color, and does not impart color to stones that are set in
it. It makes sense to the general public to use the most noble of
metals to commemorate their most important occasions and to use the
most valuable jewelry metal to set the most valuable stones. Plus, it
feels good. There is also the so-called “snob appeal”, but an
argument could be (and has been) made that “snobbery” applies to the
entire jewelry industry. As a disclaimer, I am slightly biased
towards platinum, enough to name my business “Precision Platinum”. I
might be a bit of a platinum snob, but I drive a 1982 Dodge minivan.

what characteristics make it more desirable to work with than
white gold? 

From a custom shop retailer’s perspective, it is somewhat more
profitable. Not from a profit margin standpoint, as my profit margin
on platinum is actually a little less, but from a net dollar return.
I net more dollars selling a piece made from platinum than selling
the same piece made from gold, even though the margin for gold is
better, just as the margin for silver is better than gold. I can also
charge more for labor in platinum, just as I can charge more for
labor in gold than in silver. The current changes in the metals
market may change the margins some, but that’s how it’s been for me
for quite some time.

Another reason is that it is a pure joy to work with, at least for
me. It doesn’t firescale, it’s easily welded, you can form it, forge
it, draw, roll and push it around very easily, and it will hold
stones very securely if used properly within it’s properties. It
works better with a laser welder than any other metal I have worked
with. It is also an outstanding metal when used with contrasting
colors. I especially enjoy doing 22K inlay in platinum and then
engraving it. The two contrasting colors really show well, as opposed
to white gold and yellow gold. In a highly polished piece, 14K yellow
and white gold are almost indistinguishable, unless the white gold is
rhodium plated.

Stone setting in platinum is also a joy, especially when compared to
white gold. White gold is brittle and hard as nails, comparatively
speaking. Prongs made of white gold are far more prone to cracking
and breaking than platinum, even when done properly. This is more
true of traditional white gold than palladium white gold, which has
it’s own idiosyncrasies, but sets pretty nicely.

White gold is generally not as white as platinum. There are new
alloys that are much whiter than the old ones, but they still have a
brownish color when compared to platinum. I like using the new 18K
white gold alloys especially for gent’s bands. I really do like the
warm color, and very rarely plate it. A lot of white gold is rhodium
plated to make it look more like platinum, but rhodium can wear off
quite quickly. I have had far more complaints from my customers about
their white gold “turning” than platinum’s patina, but it was usually
because I didn’t properly explain about rhodium plating. White gold
is more resistant to denting and bending than cast platinum, but not
that much more than work-hardened forged platinum.

what characteristics make is more desirable to wear than white
gold? 

Its white color, its resistance to wear, its more permanent nature
and ability to safely hold valuable stones, its hypoallergenic
properties, its value, its heft and probably most importantly, its
luxurious and exclusive reputation. Even banks, credit card companies
and airlines reserve their best services for their “Platinum
Members”, reflecting it’s regal stature.

There is no “perfect” metal. Each metal has positive and negative
properties, and platinum is no different. The key when selling or
designing any metal jewelry is to help the client understand each
metal’s properties and help them to make an educated decision. Their
choice of metal is somewhat dependent on the design they want, and
conversely their design might well be influenced by the metals they
choose. Long slender pieces of platinum are very easily bent, so it
does not lend itself to tall skinny prongs without some sort of
under-gallery. Rhodium plated white gold earrings don’t usually have
the wear problems that a ring might, very thin (24 - 28 gauge) pieces
hold their shape much better, and they will weigh (and therefore
cost) substantially less than platinum, generally making white gold a
superior metal for earrings. Platinum is sticky and not very springy,
even when work-hardened, so clasps and other pieces requiring a hard
and springy nature or needing to move freely under pressure (like
Omega style earring backs) usually work much better if made from
white gold. White gold posts and friction backs are far superior to
platinum in virtually every respect, except for those with allergies.
Hinges on the other hand will last much longer if made from platinum,
due to it’s superior wear resistance, but require slightly heavier
gauge components to avoid deformation and much more care in fitting
and finishing if they are to be frictionless.

I have virtually no complaints from customers about how their
jewelry wears as they know before it is even created how their chosen
metal will look, both new and with time, what care it will require
and what they can expect from it over the long term. If someone is
getting complaints from customers about the metal their jewelry is
made of, regardless of the metal, they probably did a poor job of
explaining it’s properties, both positive and negative, up front. At
least that’s my experience.

Dave

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I have to thank Leonid and Peter for bringing up the difference
between cast and fabricated platinum. Tim and I still mostly do it
“Old School”. We prefer to fabricate when we can with 10% iridium
platinum. It can be so satisfying. Really. It’s also so much easier
now that we have the new platinum solders.

Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com

Its fashion mostly. Yes, there are underlying characteristics that
affect the performance of any metal in question, but I’d venture that
the day the public sours on platinum is the day manufacturing
jewelers drop plat like a hot potato.

So what dictates fashion?

Beats me, it just changes, 'sall I know. If you’re a believer in
trickle down, it might come from effective marketing. If you’re more
a libertarian, it might come from the cumulative effect of many
individuals exercising their free choice.

There are sound reasons a craftsman may prefer one metal or another
for certain applications. In the end though, its the clients’
prerogative since they are paying and we are serving. Most people
want the best they can afford, I stand ready to accommodate.

David Fell"s winter white alloy gives me a 14kt. white gold that is
easy to work with and it is white enough for my customers. 

I couldn’t agree more with Richard. I buy the casting grain and
sometimes cast with it. But I mostly pour it up and fabricate.
Including forged rings like those on my website. Rings can be taper
forged from 5mm down to about 1 at the tip. Not as simple as yellow
gold butnot too dificult.

Andy Cooperman

I’ll combine replies here, because I’m lazy this morning.

but for as long as the "industry" can make money on their
ignorance, about what they are buying will be kept to a
minimum 

Gee whiz, this makes it sound like a vast conspiracy to defraud the
public. Is this to suggest that once a consumer is told, ‘you have to
polish it now and then’, they are going to dump platinum because
they’ve been misled?

And about re-polishing plat (and re-rhodiuming white gold)…big
deal. If it takes a jeweler more than a very few minutes to do
either, maybe their methods leave something to be desired. He/she
sells a two thousand dollar mounting and they’re not willing to
service it with few dollars in free labor? Yeah, that’s the route to
repeat sales.

When Platinum comes out of the ground it is a pure metal.
Stretches easily, prongs bend and re-bend without snapping and yes
a stone can easily be set and unset 

Pure plat is wholly unsuited for jewelry. It mush, its oatmeal.
(Leonid’s advisement for pure plat bezel on $$$emeralds
notwithstanding, in this case you WANT oatmeal) You risk buying your
customer a new stone if you make the prongs in pure plat.

When the rhodium wears off and customers ask why does my white gold
ring have a yellow glow to it, what will you tell them? 

Honestly, in 30 years I’ve never had a customer get disgruntled
because the rhodium needs a spruce up. I think way too much is made
of this. People expect things to exhibit wear after time. Refinish it
and you’re the hero.

Hand-fabricated setting in silver will outlast cast platinum
setting 

I’m sorry, I can’t let this go unchallenged. If this was the case
wouldn’t you expect to see high end diamonds routinely set in silver,
in new production? But you don’t because the manufacturer assumes
some product liability by the choices he/she makes in metal
selection. Your decision, your consequences. The choice of silver in
antiques merely reflects the fashion and technology of the day. Its a
new day. Maybe the surviving silver pieces in antique stores survived
because they weren’t worn much, because they weren’t all that
attractive to the owners once platinum (or white gold) became more
popular.

If I’ve been perceived as overly cantankerous, its the subject, not
the persons.