# Platinum



## philddreamer (Dec 16, 2010)

I had a seller bring me a wedding band, 18k & Plat. As to the Pt, I had no clue as how much to pay, since I've never come across any in the scraps I've bought.
I offered to pay the Pt as 18k & he accepted.

So, I made a quick search thru the net & found this site that makes Titanum rings & I found it very helpful; so I would like to share it with others fellow noobs.

"Platinum.
For the manufacturing of our titanium and platinum rings, we use the PLAT 950 (95% platinum and 5% ruthenium). 
Pure platinum is very malleable and therefore difficult to process. Because of this, platinum is most often mixed with other alloys in order to create jewelry. The most commonly used alloys for platinum are palladium, rhodium and iridium. In the United States of America, for an item to be described as "platinum," the platinum content must be at least 95% platinum and 5% alloys. 95% or above, the item can be stamped "PLATINUM," "PL" or "PLAT." Anything less than 95% platinum, the alloy also must be stamped; e.g. IRID / PLAT for 10% iridium alloy." 


http://www.titaniumstyle.com/pr-metals.htm


----------



## Anonymous (Dec 16, 2010)

You did good.The hallmark "Plat" means that the part of the ring that is platinum is almost pure platinum.So yeh you did good.


----------



## Harold_V (Dec 17, 2010)

mic said:


> You did good.The hallmark "Plat" means that the part of the ring that is platinum is almost pure platinum.So yeh you did good.


Do buy platinum with caution. While it's valuable, I think you'll come to understand that it's not easy to market----and when you do, it's likely to come at a considerable discount. 

It might be wise for you to consult Lou or 4metals in regards to dealing with the platinum group. 

Harold


----------



## philddreamer (Dec 17, 2010)

Thank you gentlemen!

I will be doing so Harold, thanks once again!

Phil


----------



## Lou (Dec 17, 2010)

Don't bother refining small lots of it--PtRu and PtIr alloys take a LONG time to dissolve, even if made into a course powder. They're also hell to melt for novices. 

In any case, should you want to experiment, try dissolving it in hot aqua regia. You'll quickly find that the dissolution is very slow. If you don't lose patience with it, you should see a black powder of Ru or Ir left behind. For your purposes, keep them for a rainy day. Don't try to refine them (unless you're a chemist and it's your idea of fun  )


----------



## nickvc (Dec 18, 2010)

May I suggest you recover the gold in warm AR and save the Pt,add it to any other PGMs you get like Pt heads and any Pd you recover from white gold and when you have enough ask Lou to sort it for you.


----------



## philddreamer (Dec 18, 2010)

Thank you gentlmen for your expert advise! I will be following it.

Phil


----------

