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The New Market For Palladium Jewelry
One of the latest trends in fine metal jewelry is palladium jewelry, which is both beautiful and affordable. Palladium jewelry is in the same family as platinum, and also looks similar to white gold, but it has many benefits those metals can’t provide. A palladium ring is hypoallergenic, unlike white gold rings, for example. A palladium ring also has benefits over a platinum one, mainly the cost. Palladium jewelry is all around a great advantage to those who are both style and budget conscious.
Palladium jewelry has only begun being used in large quantities recently, because the material has been difficult to cast and fit. The creation of a 950-Palladium made the material much easier to use, however, so jewelry lovers should start to see more palladium jewelry in the future. Since platinum and white gold rings have become the most popular choices for wedding jewelry, it is expected that palladium wedding rings should become more and more popular in the future. This is because a palladium ring has the same characteristics as platinum and white gold rings, such as purity, luster and light color.
One of the other benefits of palladium jewelry is its lightness in comparison to platinum; in fact, it’s 40 percent lighter. Palladium wedding rings with large stone settings still won’t feel too heavy on the hand for this reason. Palladium jewelry also has a much lighter price than platinum. People often turn to sterling and white gold rings because they are cheaper than platinum but still similar in appearance, and palladium should start to take a larger role in this market. White gold rings, however, are manufactured using
alloys
containing nickel, and up to 10 percent of the population is allergic
to nickel. A palladium ring, on the other hand, is hypoallergenic.
Palladium
wedding rings are also more beneficial than white gold rings, because
they are harder, more durable and less likely to tarnish. Jewelers
like to use a harder metal in a ring setting to combat this, but with
a palladium ring the entire jewelry piece can be made with the same
metal. The consistent look and fell of palladium wedding rings results
in a more beautiful and long lasting product when compared to white
gold.
Refiners are working to provide 950-Palladium jewelry
to manufacturers and designers, and retailers are getting the word
out about the product. Palladium jewelry should find a larger market
once the word gets out about its lower price and platinum characteristics.
The demand for palladium jewelry will decide how quickly it is integrated
into designer’s product lines and catalogs. Palladium wedding rings
and other jewelry will likely be used in the same categories as platinum
and white gold.
The only significant difference with palladium
jewelry is that it’s cheaper than platinum, and more durable and hypoallergenic
that white gold rings. There’s no good reason why palladium shouldn’t
continue to grow in popularity and availability in the future. |
