Watch and Jewelry Material of the 21st Century

Palladium is hypoallergenic, a great advantage especially if compared to nickel that is often used as an alloy with gold to make it white. About 10 percent of people are allergic to nickel, so it is presently banned by law to use nickel in jewelry *** in the U.S. and a few countries of Europe. Palladium is naturally of a silver-white shade - there is no need for combining it with any other whitening alloy or plating. The malleability is one more important characteristic of the metal that makes it easy to work with.Jewelry and watch makers have recently made wide use of a material that is quite new in the luxury goods field. The unique qualities of this platinum-group metal will make one wonder why it has stayed in the shade for so long.The name of the 'mysterious' metal is palladium. It was first identified in 1803 and named after Pallas, the companion of Athene, Goddess of Wisdom in Greek mythology. Palladium has partially replaced platinum as a precious metal since 1939, while the latter was reserved strictly for military purposes. Only nowadays palladium has found a much wider use in watch and jewelry ***. Palladium has been highly appreciated first of all for the purity and luster of platinum but with even whiter color. Its bargain-price sets it apart from other precious metals.