Gold, silver and platinum have ruled the jewelry market for generations, but do you know that palladium is becoming increasingly popular? It provides a number of advantages that other precious metals simply cannot match, and understanding these benefits will make it easier to decide whether you should select this material when making your next jewelry purchase.

Palladium Characteristics

Palladium resembles white colored steel. Due to technological limitations casting was extremely challenging and it wasn’t a good jewelry candidate until recently. Advances in technology allowing for the creation of a palladium alloy have now produced a variant which is perfect for jewelry casting. A growing number of consumers are learning about this metal and its properties, which include high luster and purity.

When used in jewelry, gold typically has to be mixed with other metals in order to strengthen it, as pure gold is soft and vulnerable to damage. This is why you’ll notice most gold jewelry is sold as 18 and 14 karat as opposed to 24 karat. For jewelry applications palladium is arguably superior to gold because it has a much high purity, and does not have to be mixed with base metals.

While palladium is related to platinum, it is more than 40 times lighter. This is extremely important in the jewelry industry, where weight matters a great deal. Women that wear earrings comprised of heavy metals will be subjected to the stretching of their earlobes, which is undesirable. When a gem stone is embedded in palladium the metal’s lower density will make the piece more comfortable to wear.

Palladium’s Jewelry Market Impact

Palladium is not only lighter than platinum, but it is also less expensive. As a consequence once more people become aware of these advantages palladium will likely capture a larger share of the market. Despite the fact that white gold is also more expensive than palladium, it is manufactured with nickel alloys, and roughly 10 percent of the populace is allergic to it. Palladium has the advantage of being hypoallergenic so when buying it you don’t have to worry about having an allergic reaction.

Palladium’s hardness is also superior to white gold, which means it has greater durability and is less likely to show signs of wear. Durability is an important characteristic for mounting, because when a gem stone is put in place using a mounting which is comprised of softer metals the chances of the prongs breaking increases, which will cause the gem to fall out of place. Most jewelers will make use of tougher metals within the ring to prevent this from happening but when using palladium, the whole piece can be designed with this one metal.

Refiners are starting to collaborate with jewelry manufacturers in the production of palladium jewelry while educating consumers on its many benefits. These benefits are too much to ignore and ultimately it is very likely that palladium is the future of the jewelry business. Therefore, when buying a piece of jewelry for a wedding, engagement or other special event, this is a metal that you should definitely pay attention to.