One of the exclusive hypoallergenic metals, platinum is 30x rarer than gold. Do you know platinum does not oxidize or tarnish? This exceptional quality of platinum is the reason why Louis XVI called it the metal for kings. But, just any jewelry, platinum develops a patina and looks duller over the years. Why does it happen? More importantly, what can you do to care for your platinum ring? Let’s find out.
How to Care For Your Platinum Ring
Derived from the Spanish word ‘platino’ meaning little silver, platinum was first found by Spanish in the 16th century but wasn’t studied until the 18th century. However, history traces the use of platinum in Egypt as early as 1200 B.C. Do you know platinum was first thought of as an inclusion in gold that the earliest discoverers tried to remove it?
Today we will find out the cons of platinum and what you should remember when wearing rings made of this noble metal.
What damages Platinum: Things to Avoid When wearing a Platinum Engagement Ring
Popular as a durable metal, do you know platinum can be scratched even by the glass? If that stuns you, we have many more facts about platinum in store for you!
Our jewelry experts found everything that damages platinum and what you should remember before investing in platinum for your engagement ring.
· Heavy Work
If you’re climbing rocks, cutting trees or working with heavy machinery, it is best to take off your platinum ring. It can pose a risk to the longevity of the ring. If your profession involves heavy handiwork, carry a box to store your precious white metal ring to keep it sparkling forever.
· Bleach and Chemicals
Are you exposed to deodorants, washing chemicals, and hard water? If then, platinum is not a good engagement ring metal for you. It can tarnish quickly even though platinum is 95% pure, making it one of the purest noble metals (gold is less than 91.6% pure and silver 92.5% pure).
· Platinum is Malleable than other metals
When a metal is malleable, it means it is easy to make into sheets and easier to work around with. Perhaps that’s why platinum can dent and shear easily too.
· Anything above the MOHS hardness of 4 can Scratch it
Even steel has a MOHS hardness 6.5, which makes it easy to scratch platinum. Do you get my point? Anything below the MOHS hardness of platinum can leave a permanent scratch on it, so watch out.
How to Store your Platinum Wedding Ring?
It is best to keep your platinum ring away from other jewelry because it can scratch other jewelry as well as get scratched. As the alloys in platinum are lesser than most noble metals, you can keep it out without the metal getting tarnished. However, we suggest you store your platinum ring in the jewelry box you received it when taking the ring off!
How to Clean your Platinum Ring?
The platinum engagement ring is not a run-of-the-mill buy. You take time and love to buy a platinum ring. That’s why I suggest you keep it clean regularly too.
· Soapy Water
If you wear your platinum ring all the time, soak it in a non-fragrant soap solution in warm water for 10 minutes. You can scrub it with a cotton cloth after running it under cold water for a sparkling look.
· Take it for Buffing
Has your platinum wedding ring got a lot of scratches? That’s platinum for you! It can be scratched with almost all metals except gold. If that’s your woe, take it to the jeweler and get it buffed!
· Jewelry Polish Cloth and Solution
As regular platinum loses its luster within a year of exposure, you need a professional method to cleanse it with. We suggest you ask your jeweler for the professional grade jewelry cleaning cloth perfect for cleaning platinum rings. If you’re lucky, your jeweler will have the platinum cleaning solution that you can use every two weeks.
· UltraSonic Cleaners
A professional grade cleaning equipment for platinum, it can be bought and used if you have a treasure-house of jewelry. All you have to do is place the jeweler in the sonic cleaner and set the timer to clean it.
· Professional Cleaning Once in Two Years
Howsoever you decide to clean the platinum ring, it is a must to take back to the jeweler you bought every two years for a thorough cleanse. Most jewelers will do it for free, especially if you were a customer already.
Before you leave
How often do you clean your platinum? Share your ways to take care of platinum with our readers in the comments below!
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