Platinum Jewelry for Mere Mortals

Let's face it. In the hierarchy of jewelry metals, we can all agree there’s silver, there's gold but there's really no topping platinum in terms of quality, right?

According to the Platinum Guild, it’s the most pure of all the precious metals - 95% pure, compared to 18K (75%) and 14K (58.5%) gold. And its 30 times more rare than gold. Fancy that.


Whenever I cover a celebrity engagement ring or a red carpet event, it's safe to assume most of the styles are set in platinum, including Ivanka Trump’s and Carrie Underwood’s diamond rock and Julianne Moore’s jaw-dropping Bulgari emerald earrings.

But despite the luxury allure, it’s wrong to assume that platinum jewelry is out of reach for the average consumer, like us. The good news is: platinum designers have become quite creative with their manufacturing processes, making lighter weight, airy styles that cut down on metal and end cost. This goes for fashion pieces and – yes – the coveted engagement ring styles you see in Us Magazine every week.

For example:
This vintage right hand ring from JCPenney is platinum over sterling silver – a creative way to bring costs down without sacrificing style. And with a price of only $79.99 it’s a surefire way to get platinum in your jewelry box without breaking the bank.

Speaking of vintage, this pure platinum engagement ring at approx. $1,000 - $2,000 costs well below the usual platinum price point with unique sapphire side stones and hand-engraved details. Check out www.preciousplatinum.com for more on this piece and many other styles where you can choose your starting price point and they, well, point you in the right direction.

So in other words, the next time you're considering a jewelry purchase, don’t automatically figure platinum is out of the picture. In this economy, everyone is getting creative - luxury is still well within reach.

And for those of you who still love to look at luxury well beyond your reach (yours truly most definitely included) - to that end, I give you this historic platinum and diamond ring on the auction block at Christie's next month that could clock in at around 1.5 to 2 million!

No harm in just looking, right?