Ten Questions About Platinum

1. Is platinum really the rarest precious metal? Yes it is. The world can only mine 150 tons of platinum each year, of which 60 tons are used for jewelry. The total annual output of gold has reached 3,300 tons. It has been estimated that if all the previously mined platinum is put together, its volume is only 1. Is platinum really the rarest precious metal? Yes it is. The world can only mine 150 tons of platinum each year, of which 60 tons are used for jewelry. The total annual output of gold has reached 3,300 tons. It has been estimated that if all the previously mined platinum is put together, its volume is only equivalent to a 5-meter cube, and platinum reserves are not large. It is usually in short supply. 2. Is it really difficult to obtain platinum from its raw materials? Yes it is. To obtain one ounce of platinum weighing 31.1 grams, it would take up to 5-6 months to process 10 tons of ore to be cast into a'one ounce of platinum ingot' from the raw material. The same amount of gold can be extracted from 3 tons of ore in 3-5 weeks. 3. Are platinum mines really found all over the world? no. In fact, only a few regions on the planet produce platinum. Of the total annual supply of the world, South Africa accounts for 68%, Russia accounts for 25%, North America accounts for 5%, and the remaining 2% comes from other countries-mainly It's Zimbabwe. 4. Does platinum really have special physical properties? it is true. First of all, platinum has a specific gravity of 21.45g/cm3 (which is much larger than that of gold and silver, which have a specific gravity of 19.3g/cm3 and 10.5g/cm3, respectively), and has a very high melting point, reaching 1773°C. The melting points of gold and silver are 1063°C and 960°C, respectively. Secondly, it has excellent acid and alkali resistance (except for it can be dissolved with aqua regia at 70℃, there is no other acid or alkali solution that can dissolve it.) and high temperature resistance (it cannot be deformed by heating). It is precisely because platinum has these characteristics that when the decimal-based metric system was adopted in 1795, the platinum system was used to make the standard for meters and kilograms. These two samples are still in the collection of Breteuil near Paris Sèvres. It was found that although platinum has these immutable properties, this metal also has incredible ductility, that is, a thin wire drawn from 1g of platinum can extend up to 2 kilometers in length. 5. Is platinum a pollutant and can cause allergies? This is not true. In fact, on the contrary, platinum is completely anti-allergic, and it is a powerful ally in people's fight against environmental pollution and harmful diseases. The catalytic properties of platinum can be used to reduce air pollution caused by exhaust gas from motor vehicles. In fact, the filter in the muffler of a car contains platinum. In addition, platinum alloys are also used in the manufacture of pacemakers and the treatment of some mysterious types of cancers such as ovarian and testicular tumors. 6. Is it true that platinum has many important industrial uses? Yes it is. Statistics show that one of the five commonly used products contains platinum or is manufactured by using platinum. In addition to medicine and treatment of environmental pollution, this metal is also used in electronics and clean energy, petrochemicals, glass and aviation, not to mention aerospace and other fields. The lenses and optical fibers mainly made of platinum have good quality, so platinum is also used in television equipment and computer monitoring screens, liquid crystal displays and other products that cannot be listed, including fertilizers. 7. Is it true that platinum can be called a real and unique metal family? it is true. There are five other elements called platinum group metals: iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium. In many countries, such as Italy, palladium is regarded as a precious metal comparable to platinum, gold or silver. 8. Are European countries really the largest consumers of platinum? This is not true. Japan is the largest consumer of platinum. Its consumption accounts for 41.5% of the world's total demand, followed by North America with 23%, Europe's demand with about 17%, at an average level, and the rest of the Western world at 14.5. %. Finally, China’s annual consumption on the market accounts for 4%. 9. Is the name of Platinum really due to the error of the (Spain) conqueror? Yes it is. Platinum was discovered accidentally in the New World, between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. The Spaniards mistakenly regarded it as poor quality silver and derogatively called it'platinum', but in the same area, as early as 100 BC, Indians liked to show off their jewelry made of gold and platinum. We The earliest platinum jewelry ever obtained was a small jewelry box belonging to the ancient Egyptian priestess shepenupet. 10. Is it really safe for a gem to be mounted on platinum? Yes it is. Thanks to its (platinum) strength, platinum can provide a'grip strength' that lasts forever. The most famous diamonds in the past, from the famous Indian Big Diamond collected by the King of England to the Star of Africa, are all set in platinum. Some insurance companies reduce insurance premiums for jewelry inlaid with platinum. Previous: Platinum and K gold polishing process Next: How to know platinum jewelry