The word platinum derives from the Spanish word ‘platina' meaning ‘little silver'. Acknowledged since the 1900's, platinum's durability and natural brightness has been and still is today highly treasured.
A metallic element prized for its rarity, whiteness, high tensile strength and insusceptibility to corrosion. It first became widely used in jewellery in the late nineteenth century, when methods were found to make it more easily workable. It features heavily in the delicate Edwardian jewellery of the first decades of the twentieth century.
Due to its natural brightness, diamonds set in platinum create a striking appearance and overall it enhances their true beauty.
Platinum enabled decorative techniques to used more regularly such as millegrain, whereby tiny beads of metal are added to create endless sparkle with the gemstones; it also lent itself to many open work designs and scalloped detailed edges creating the illusion of fine hand-made lace.
