How to Identify Platinum Jewelry

It may not have the glitter of gold or the sheen of silver, but it has a beauty that is incomparable. Platinum jewelry is something most women lust after. I have always been more of a junk jewelry person compared to wearing jewelry made of precious metals, but even I would want to call a platinum ring my own. The beauty of platinum lies in the fact that while it looks like silver, it has a beautiful shimmer that the latter cannot compete with. It is also of course much more expensive, which makes it all the more yearned after. If you have decided to buy jewelry made of this precious metal, you need to learn how to identify platinum jewelry, and in this article, we will tell you exactly how to do that.

Identifying Platinum Jewelry

Ensuring that the jewelry that you buy is actually platinum and not silver or palladium being passed off as the precious metal is important. It is important to understand the difference between platinum and white gold, silver, and other semi-precious metals like palladium. A foolproof method to know that you are not being taken for a ride is to buy it from a trustworthy store, which sells jewelry that has been stamped and certified. But if you still want to test the jewelry for purity, given below are some tips that should help you when you make the purchase.

• The best way to identify the purity of the jewelry you have is to look for the symbols PT, PLAT, or PLATINON on the jewelry. These are worldwide accepted symbols that signify that the jewelry is made of platinum.
• A good way to recognize platinum is to check their weight. Platinum is almost double the weight of silver jewelry of the same value. So, if you have silver jewelry at hand, which is of the same volume or if you are familiar with the properties of silver jewelry, you should be able to identify platinum.
• Platinum is silver gray in color and has a texture that is very hard. It is also quite resistant to scratches. This can be a good way of identifying and ensuring that the jewelry you are purchasing is actually platinum.
• Platinum has a high melting point and it is also resistant to oxidation at high temperatures. One way of ensuring that the metal that you have in front of you is actually platinum is exposing the jewelry to high temperatures. Place the jewelry in a spoon when you do this. You will see that the spoon will change color but platinum will not. This is a very good test of checking for purity of platinum.
• It is also possible to buy an acid test kit from the market to check the purity of platinum. The test kit contains of a test stone and acid. All you need to do is rub the jewelry against the stone, and then place a drop of acid on the stone with metal residue on it. Platinum being a stable metal does not react to acids very fast. Such test kits can cost you somewhere about USD 20.
• Another test that you can use in order to identify platinum jewelry is to use iodine. Put one drop of iodine on your platinum jewelry. Allow the iodine to dry. On pure platinum, there will be complete clarity, but on white gold or palladium, there will be streaks of brown and black respectively.

As you have seen, the tests that you can conduct to check for the purity of platinum are very easy. It is important though that you always buy jewelry from a trustworthy store that is reputed and one which allows you some form of warranty or guarantee for the jewelry that you are buying. Now that you know how to identify platinum jewelry, you can buy this precious metal for yourself, keeping aside fears of being duped.