Platinum is an important precious metal with both industrial and decorative uses. It has an interesting history that combines advances in industrial production as well as jewellery manufacture.
One of the strongest precious metals used to make jewellery, platinum allowed for finer, more intricate designs to be produced that would hold precious stones securely. It was immediately popular when it was introduced, but when world war broke out, it was confined to industrial production only. White gold was introduced as a substitute, and has been used ever since to imitate the cool grey hue of platinum.
Palladium is a hard wearing, hypoallergenic metal that is rarer than gold. It retains its bright, white appearance without being rhodium plated. Because of these properties it is slowly becoming more popular for jewellery.