Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
October 28, 2010
I am looking for a Palladium ring and wanted to know what metals are alloyed with it because I sometimes have nasty allergic reactions to metal.
November 16, 2010
Palladium is not a newcomer to the jewelry market, it's been around since the Victorian era. But in the last half of the 20th century it has been on the market less due to the increase in popularity of gold jewelry and also because it has been difficult to find a palladium alloy for mass market. Despite that, palladium is usually 95 percent pure with the other 5 percent containing ruthenium and some other trace metals.
October 28, 2010
Palladium is part of the Platinum group of metals. While it is stronger than gold, it is still a soft metal and typically needs other metals alloyed with it in order for it to be strong enough for use in any kind of practical application, whether jewelry or industrial. Normally, the metals alloyed to Palladium are those in the Platinum metal group such as Rhodium, Ruthenium, Iridium and Osmium because together they create a much stronger metal alloy. In regards to jewelry, Palladium pieces are usually 95 percent pure Palladium. The remaining 5 percent almost always consists of other Platinum group metals. Because these metals are all hypo-allergenic, they are typically recommended to those who have dermatological ailments such as eczema, skin rashes and other types of dermatitis as well as allergic reactions such as localized anaphylaxis. Thus, you can expect when looking for a Palladium ring that they will be 95 percent pure Palladium with the remaining 5 percent being related hypoallergenic metals which will not cause allergic reactions.
