Precious

Of all precious metals platinum is certainly the most precious. It's the most rare, the most pure, the most resistant; it's the most important from all points of view; it's the most difficult to work at (but to who is able to work it, it it offers absolutely unique expressive possibilities).The exclusive preciousness of the white metal, isn't only the objective, material one; it is principally determined by immaterial valences, by an extraordinary complex of emotional elements.
Platinum is seductive; if one wants to be entirely won by its fascination, he has to learn its history and discover the meanings that, in the course of time man has given to it. Only in this way it is possible to appreciate a jewel in platinum and recognize its real values of beauty, liking, style.

The short notes that follow are in order to invite and guide towards the discovery of platinum.

Mythical

Platinum is a myth.
It was mythical in the roaring years, when it complied arrogantly the audacious geometries of the "Dèco" art and fascinated "Joplin" and Fitzgerald, Mary Pickford and Cole Porter, Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow, "the platinum blonde". But it had already been mythic for ages, many centuries before the Spanish conquerors had misunderstood its real nature and had baptized it "platina", that is silver of lower quality.

A jewel box that had belonged to the Egyptian priestess Shepenupet, has more than 2500 years decorated with elements of platinum by an artisan of Thebes. This is the charm of this metal that someone has seen its presence on Agamemnon's armour, diligently described by Homer in the Iliad. A hundred years before Christ, the "Indios" from South America loved to ostentate platinum and gold jewels. The myths are inside ourselves, architectures of our mind built because of the desire of rare and precious things. Like platinum.

Rare.

Platinum is rare, very rare; and that's why it is so precious. It has been calculated that, joining together all the platinum of the world the only solid that would be obtained is a cube with a side of 4.6 metres.

Not many parts of th earth have revealed platinum deposits. At present, the richest deposits are in South Africa, where about 85% of the global production comes from. Significant are the reserves in Russia,in Canada, in South America, even if they are very inferior to the ones in Africa.

Every year 85 tons of platinum is produced,in comparison to 1.300 tons of gold. Ten tons of rock has to be extracted and worked if we want to get an ounce of platinum and that's 31,1 gr. and if we want to pass from the raw metal to the ingotfive months of work are necessary. For the same quantity of gold, only 3 or 4 tons are enough and only 5 weeks of work.

An enormous effort. But the result is a metal with really unique qualities.