It was 2010 when I got a call from my casting company in New Mexico.
“I want you to start using this new metal!”
When Dominic (my caster) says something to me like that, I listen.
It turns out Dominic, a top metallurgist, was hired to run all the technical specs on a new platinum sterling alloy that Allura Precious Metals | ABI International had patented. If Dominic thought it was important to try a new metal, he knew what he was talking about.
And he was right. I love this metal! It’s beautiful. It’s sterling, which is defined as 92.5% silver. The balance of this alloy is 5% platinum, 1% copper and 1.5% rare earths.
There are so many things to love about this metal.
Platinum-enhanced Sterling is:
- harder and more durable than regular sterling
- more tarnish resistant
- brighter and a bit more “chrome-y” than regular sterling
- 97.5% recycled precious metal
- easy for jewelers to work with
- affordable alternative to gold
- Medium LEAF Band with Platinum-enhanced Sterling & DiamondsI
t’s such an obvious combination, so why hasn’t it been done before? It’s not easy to marry silver and platinum. They don’t like to mix. It took a mad scientist, Marc Robinson, to make the first attempts in 2003 and it was further developed by ABI – the only company in the world producing it. It’s the epitome of alternative metal.
The best reason for working with platinum-enhanced sterling is it’s sustainability factor. Because fully 97.5% of the metal is recycled, it’s even more recycled than 18k gold. I feel great about reducing the environmental impact of sourcing and creating my jewelry in any way I can.
After so many years now of creating my designs in this metal, I’ve had a chance to gather a lot of feedback from my customers. The votes are in, and it’s all good news.
It takes oxidation beautifully, which allows me to have a lot more fun with contrasting gold colors.
I’ve been delighted to see how well my intricate botanical designs in rings have held up, even with daily wear.
And the affordable price makes my work so accessible, it’s easy to have fun with the mix/match of stacking rings.
While I still wouldn’t put a large, expensive stone in a ring, there are still so many ways to be creative with platinum-enhanced sterling. Like I said to my caster years ago, I’m IN!
