Do you have an interest in the unknown? Do you like the history of jewellery? Are you attracted to metals?
The aim of this article is to bring the history of a metal that has always been the great unknown for the great majority of today's society closer to us.
I am delighted when I receive orders for engagement rings in platinum, a metal that is difficult to work with and which few of today's jewellers are trained to use in jewellery making. Even the vocational schools are not interested in teaching it. France may be the country where platinum jewellery, a metal with a long history and tradition, is best worked.
The ancient civilisations of South America, which existed before the Incas, used platinum and gold to create nose rings and other ceremonial jewellery. Platinum was used in alloys with gold, however in some cases pure platinum was used. It is curious that these technologies were hidden from the conquistadors, and when platinum arrived in Europe in the 16th century (1590), no one knew how to use it or how to melt it. The conquistadors called it "platina", short for silver, and it was very annoying when it had to be separated from silver.
The colonisers used to alloy gold with platinum to make it heavier and thus deceive the Spanish government. That is why in 1735 a law was issued ordering the destruction of platinum under the control of the officials. It was estimated that between 3 and 7 tons of platinum were thrown into the sea and rivers at that time.
In 1884 Peter Carl Fabergé, the jeweller to the Russian Tsars, volunteered to create a jewelled egg for Alexander III to give to his wife Maria. Thus began the annual Easter tradition and Fabergé eggs became legendary masterpieces, adorned with precious stones and platinum. As in the beginning, each egg hides a jealously guarded secret and always has a surprise inside, for example a perfectly functioning gold and platinum model train that celebrated the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway. After the Russian revolution of 1917, the Fabergé collection was lost and many Easter eggs were later sold in European countries.
In the early 1900s, Louis Cartier was the first to successfully create platinum jewellery, making the metal's characteristic secret known for the first time. Cartier uses platinum in his creations. The Blasco Autumn-Winter collection, "Black and White" 2012, is based on the jewellery that was created in 1912 from diamonds with onyx, precisely in the time of Louis Cartier. Essence and exclusivity always in our minds and challenges.
In 1967 Elvis and Priscilla said "I do" with platinum wedding rings. Today it is consumed in bridal jewellery, for a very demanding public.
Finally a recommendation for investors, buy platinum today, because its current price is not normal as it is at par or even below the price of pure 24 carat gold. I believe that it will experience great rises in the coming years due to the very small volume of this wonderful metal worldwide.
Diego Blasco