reference for jewellery in economy
material Platinum is an extremely rare metal with a low concentration in the earth’s crust. It exists in higher abundances on the moon or in meteorites. While gold and platinum are almost equally rare, the amount of Platinum mined through history is a tiny fraction of mined silver and gold. From the three precious metals platinum has the highest density, and is the least reactive metal with it’s high melting point (1768 C) a legendary resistance to wear, tarnish and corrosion.
world Although platinum was officially discovered in the 18th century, references to it have popped up throughout history. The ancient Egyptian casket of Thebes (700BC) was adorned with platinum along gold and silver. The ancient indigenous populations of South America also used platinum in items such as nose rings and ceremonial jewellery. Some speculate that ancient people may have thought platinum was a natural mixture of gold and silver. In the 18th century Antonio de Ulloa (spanish general of the navy, explorer, scientist, author, astronomer) was credited for the discovery of platinum. In Canada, the same material was discovered in 1888 in Sudbury, Ontario alongside copper and nickel deposits. From the end of ww1 to the early 1950’s, Canada was the world’s largest platinum producer.
maker During the WW2 the US declared platinum as a strategic metal and it’s non-military applications (such as jewellery) were disallowed.
owner Today platinum is a scarce material, which leads to critical market activities. Planetary Resources is an american company that wants to mine platinum from asteroids, and bring it back to the earth. By colonising the asteroids, the company imagines to be the single owner and primary seller of the material in the global market.
sources Platinum Review, Bloomberg
