#1 Palladium Ring Buyer Las Vegas & Henderson
History
Unlike metals like gold and silver’s respective histories, palladium’s is relatively brief, regardless of which, it is among the most sought after metals across the globe.
In August 1802, during the examination of South American platinum ores dissolved in a yellow-orange fuming liquid mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid called aqua regia, it was then when the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston discovered palladium in its residue.
Wollaston anonymously marketed and sold his work instead of publishing his discovery as scientists normally would. A doubtful Richard Chenevix, a fellow chemist, bought and tested the samples in which he later hastily judged as an alloy of mercury and platinum. As a result, it was only in 1805 when Wollaston revealed to the general populace that he was the one who discovered palladium.
The etymology of palladium can be found in Wollaston’s lab book, explaining that the metal was derived from 2 Pallas, an asteroid that was also derived from the epithet of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
Considered as a scarce resource during the Second World War, platinum was replaced by palladium in the production of jewelry ribbons. And that’s why before 2004, jewelers used palladium in creating white gold. Before 1939, jewelers already used palladium in an alloy known as white gold. Since palladium is already naturally white in color, a rhodium coating is not required.
China consumed 37 tons of palladium in 2005 as they started making palladium jewelry in early 2004 when the price of gold and platinum sky-rocketed. As a substitute to platinum, palladium was used in making white gold and in making gold, silver, and other fine jewelry.
Weighing less than platinum and sharing likeness with gold, palladium can be pressed as thinly as a leaf (about 100 nanometers) and used in making white gold. Typically more expensive than alloys of nickel and gold, palladium with gold alloys, however, are known to be less deadly to humans and hardly ever cause any allergic reactions.
What Palladium Is
Palladium is a rare metal with a silver-white luster, palladium, also shares similar characteristics with other metals in the platinum group metals or PGMs: rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium. Among its cousins, palladium has the lowest melting point, the lightest and the softest.
Location
PGMs ore deposits are fairly scarce, and the largest ones are found in the norite belt of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, and it’s located in the following regions:
- the Transvaal Basin, South Africa;
- the Stillwater Complex in Montana, United States;
- the Sudbury Basin and the Thunder Bay District of Ontario, Canada; and
- the Norilsk Complex in Russia.
Leading Producers of Palladium
44% of the world’s palladium comes from Russia and 40% from South Africa, making them two of the world’s largest producers of palladium, while the other top producers are Canada at 6% and the United States at 5%. Palladium can also be obtained thru recycling mostly coming from scrapped catalytic converters.
Palladium’s Characteristics
While palladium is rare, the ones used in jewelry making have other hallmarks making it one of the most in-demand metals today. The characteristics of palladium areas listed below:
Durability and Versatility
Palladium is one of the easiest metals to work with due to its highly ductile and malleable nature, even more so than platinum. They can be easily formed into various shapes and designs, and are also the best metal to set gemstones in as they hold their shape very well.
Wear-ability
PGM’s such as palladium and platinum are known for their non-toxic nature when worn and are the best choice for people who have allergies with certain metals like nickel (known to cause allergic reactions), which is present in 14-karat gold jewelry. Furthermore, palladium jewelry is more durable than white gold jewelry.
Color
Palladium’s naturally white color lasts a lifetime, unlike white gold, that will discolor over time as its rhodium plating (prolongs the white finish of the jewelry) wears off.
Palladium Hallmarks
The inclusion of palladium hallmarks to the noble metal group is fairly recent. In the past ten years, palladium has seen a growth in demand; thus, prices rose as well. Items made out of precious metals are hallmarked because metals like palladium, are too malleable to be used in its purest form and are easily marred. There was no way of knowing how much pure palladium is in an object as the ratio of palladium to other metals is hard to estimate. A hallmark is given by assay offices as proof that an object has some palladium content.
Palladium purity is represented by a fineness number. Purity is measured by parts per thousand, where the purest of precious metals is marked as 999.999. There are three standards for fineness in palladium hallmarks. These are 500 (50% pure), 950 (95% pure), and for pure palladium it’s plus 999 (99.99% pure). Palladium marked with 500 is more suitable for complex designs because it is harder than the ones marked with 950. Including diamond rings with intricate designs. For items with minimal to no design like wedding rings or wedding bands, the softer ones (950 fineness) is more suitable, it is known as 95 palladium. Applying a rhodium-plate to palladium and platinum is a normal practice as it strengthens them more.
Rings
A ring is a small round band, typically made of metal, which is another type of adornment commonly worn on the fingers, although rings are not exclusively for the fingers only; specific body parts are usually associated with the term (i.e., toe ring, earring, belly ring, and etc.). Rings always fit perfectly around, or on the body part, they are worn on.
Rings are prominently seen on women who are engaged or on married couples; however, rings can also represent wealth, affiliation to certain organizations, or represent authority. In fable fiction, and myth rings usually have spiritual, supernatural, or magical properties. One popular example of this is the “one ring” from J.R.R Tolkien’s novel Lord of the Rings, where the one ring is endowed with a dark power enabling its possessor lordship over Middle-earth.
Palladium Rings
Palladium rings are an excellent choice for jewelry; they are a good choice for engagement rings and wedding rings or wedding bands as they do not tarnish easily. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of a palladium ring:
Advantages
- Similar to platinum’s luster
- Costs almost half the price of platinum
- Hypoallergenic
- Lightweight – feels almost like nothing
- Durable
- Resizeable
- Best metal to hold gemstones
Disadvantages
- Very rare
- Designs are limited
Common Palladium Rings
Engagement Ring
A ring indicating that the wearer is betrothed and to be married, an engagement ring is commonly seen in Western cultures and normally given as a gift to a future spouse as they propose marriage. It is seen as an agreement to a future marriage.
Wedding Ring
Also called as wedding bands in other parts of the world. It is a ring that indicates the wearer’s married status. The ring is commonly worn on the left ring finger, but in other cultures, it is worn on the right ring finger.
Are you selling your palladium ring?
Do you have a pre-loved palladium ring that you’re not using anymore and want out of your hands? We’ll be happy to take them from you and even pay you for it! Here at Nevada Coin Mart, we are the #1 buyer of palladium rings, in Las Vegas, Henderson, and even in the entire Nevada state!
We offer free in-store evaluation for your piece using state-of-the-art Thermo Scientific Niton X-Ray Spectrometer in order to accurately analyze and measure precious metal contents in your piece. This will ensure that you get top-dollar for your items.
We are open 365 times in a year from 9 am to 6 pm, so come visit us at Nevada Coin Mart® 4065 S. Jones Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89103 or call us up at 702-998-4000.
