Spanish naval officer and scientist Antonio De Ulloa (pictured) made the first definitive reference to platinum during social observations he made while traveling in South America in the first quarter of the 18th century. In Spain, Charles III provided a library and laboratory to French chemist Pierre-François Chabaneau (1754–1842) to aid in his research of platinum. Chabaneau was one of the first chemists to succeed in producing malleable platinum, or that which has the ability to deform without failure under compressive stress. In other words, he found a way of working with and shaping the metal. His discovery ushered in the "Platinum Age in Spain." Indeed, the name platinum is derived from the Spanish term platino, meaning "little silver."

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Marc-Etienne Janety (1739-1820) -

Chabaneau's rare malleable metal was suddenly being used to make all sorts of decorative art, especially in France. Marc-Etienne Janety (1739–1820), royal jeweler for Louis XVI, is responsible for this beautiful platinum sugar bowl, made in 1786. Janety also created watch-chains, coat buttons, spoons, and snuff boxes.

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Chalice -

This platinum chalice, which was the first platinum object created in Spain in 1788, was originally presented to Pope Pius VI as a gift.

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Snuffbox -

An 18th-century French snuffbox crafted from gold, platinum, and mother-of pearl.

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Glass -

The base of this mid-18th century rock crystal glass is rimmed with gold and platinum, and was also made in France.

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William Hyde Wollaston (1766–1828) -

In 1804, English chemist and physicist William Hyde Wollaston improved upon Chabaneau's process, yielding malleable platinum in commercial quantities for the first time.

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Dentures -

Wollaston's process had some unexpected benefits beyond creating jewelry. Pictured is a complete upper denture with a swaged alloy plate from 1840. The remaining front teeth are of porcelain, held in place by platinum pins. The teeth are of carved ivory.

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Flintlock -

By the mid-19th century, flintlock firearms were being made from platinum, the heat tolerant and corrosion-resistant metal ideal for such a use.

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Cartier and Co. catch on -

It wasn't until the latter half of the 19th century that esteemed jewelers like Cartier in France and Tiffany & Co. in New York began to use platinum extensively in their workshops. Pictured is a pendant watch from Cartier fashioned from diamonds, rubies, pearl, gold, and platinum.

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Queen Alexandra (1844–1925) -

Queen Alexandra loved wearing jewelry. She indulged in the regalia that came with her royal status, and was quite the style icon. Among the pieces she often wore was a Edwardian platinum and diamond festoon necklace.

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Platinum evening dress -

Two high-society ladies photographed in 1928. The woman on the right is wearing a dark gold and platinum evening dress. Her friend is dressed in a black Crepe de China picture gown with dainty underskirt and ribbons.

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Military applications -

During the Second World War, platinum was classified as a strategic metal reserved for military use. It found its way into artillery tubes and primers.

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Explosives -

Platinum was also used as a catalyst in the Ostwald process (chemical process) to convert ammonia into air and into nitrous oxides for the manufacture of nitric acid, which was then used for making explosives.

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Turbofan jet engines -

Platinum-aluminide coatings are a well-established technology to provide protection against corrosion in turbofan jet engines. In fact, today Platinum Group Metals (PGM) play a vital role in everyday living.

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Automobile catalytic converters -

Platinum is one of the metals coated onto catalytic converters. The manufacture of these pollution control devices fitted to cars, trucks, motorcycles, and non-road engines represent the largest use of PGM's in industry.

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Pacemaker -

Platinum does not corrode inside the body, which means it's used increasingly as a biomaterial in the manufacture of pacemakers and defibrillators.

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Platinum wedding ring -

Platinum accounts for over 40% of the United States engagement and wedding ring market. In fact, according to National Jeweler, US platinum jewelry retails sales grew 3% in 2020.

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Platinum blonde -

The first "Platinum Blonde" was classic Hollywood movie star Jean Harlow (1911–1937). Platinum blonde is a shade with few colored pigments, making it a very pale blonde. It's been a popular hair color ever since.

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Christina Aguilera -

Here's Christina Aguilera wearing her own version of the platinum blonde look.

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Platinum album -

In 1976, the Recording Industry Association of America awarded its first-ever Platinum Album to the Eagles for the band's 'Eagles/Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975.' A platinum album is an album whose sales figures have reached a certain amount. This threshold differs from market to market—in the United States, a platinum album is one that has sold at least 1 million copies, or a single that has shifted at least 2 million copies.

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Platinum wedding -

A married couple's 70th wedding anniversary is called their Platinum Anniversary. In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh celebrated 70 years of marriage.

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Crowning glory -

Pictured is the majestic crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother made of platinum and containing the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, along with other sparkling gems. Queen Elizabeth wore the crown in 1937 on the occasion of her coronation as Queen consort. It's now part of the British Crown Jewels.

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Platinum credit card -

American Express, Visa, and Mastercard all introduced platinum credit card products in the early-to-mid 1980s. These cards are only issued to high-net-worth individuals with an excellent credit rating. They have a higher credit limit and a lower interest rate than a regular credit card.

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Cancer therapy -

About 50% of cancer therapy patients currently use platinum-containing drugs. Some of these drugs, such as cisplatin, which has the unique quality of inhibiting the splitting and growth of cancerous cells, are also used to treat tumors and cancer in animals.

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Platinum shoe -

In 1978, a solid platinum shoe went on show at the Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia in London. It took its three Tokyo-based craftsmen 20 days to create and was valued at US$10,000 (nearly $42,000 today when adjusted for inflation).

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Hello Kitty -

Also from Japan, the world's most expensive Hello Kitty doll, priced at 18.9 million yen (US$161,500), was unveiled in Tokyo on December 1, 2006. The exclusive toy is made from platinum and wears a ruby studded ribbon with sapphire, diamond, brown diamond, amethyst, topaz, and quartz.

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World's largest producer of platinum -

South Africa is the largest producer of platinum in the world by a significant margin, with a production of between 148 and 120 metric tons each year from 2010 to 2020.

Sources: (Provident Metals) (The Antique Jewelry Company) (International Platinum Group Metals Association) (National Jeweler) (RIAA) (The Points Guy) (Anglo American) (Statista)

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Platinum and its place in human culture

Uses for one of the world's rarest metals

18/08/21 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Precious metals

Platinum is one of the world's rarest precious metals. While it remains a hallmark of the finest and most exclusive jewelry, platinum also finds its way into a host of everyday objects, including prized industrial applications. It's a symbol of wealth and success, and also enjoys a long association with fashionable high society.

Click through and find out more about this scarce and desirable metal.