2013 Update-Palladium Talking Points And Fact Guide

Looking at Palladium for the future.

Properties: (In pure form)

• Atomic Symbol: Pd
• Atomic Number: 46
• Element Category: Transition metal
• Density: 12.02 g/cm³
• Melting Point: 2830 °F (1554 °C)
• Boiling Point: 5365 °F (2963 °C)
• Moh's Hardness: 4.75

With palladium firmly placed in the family of fine jewelry precious metals, let us review what the last few years have taught us.

The first and foremost lesson is that palladium is the best metal to use instead of white gold. White gold carries significant disadvantages. White gold has few if any lasting advantages over palladium. The most common metal used to whiten gold is also the most common metallic allergen. If we use palladium to whiten gold, it is expensive and a bit beside the point. We are adding a lot of another precious metal needlessly. Over the years, markets have varied. Overall 950 palladium has priced well below 14kt.

Sales staff and buyers still do not fully appreciate the following facts.

1.       Palladium is a platinum family metal that is very white and light.

2.       Palladium is far more pure than 14kt, 95% pure instead of merely 58.5%.

3.       Palladium is always naturally white and does not require plating for color.

4.       Palladium jewelry is not going to have allergy issues.

5.       Palladium is eminently workable and lends itself to great fabrication & styling.

Of course a metal this pure has some important limitations. Palladium is difficult for the refiner to produce is a easily cast able form.  Palladium tends to hold on to gas, which can become porosity in the jewelry. What that means in a practical sense is that producers of grain need to degas the metal as much as possible, and the palladium should be cast in a casting machine that has full atmosphere control. Modern induction centrifugal casting machines often have this feature. Casting palladium is much more reliable when a vacuum is established and the casting chamber flooded with a neutral gas like argon or nitrogen.

In the event of porosity, palladium responds very well to soldering or laser welding. It will size easily, more easily than many kinds of gold. 

Want more information or have a question? Visit our blog

 

What Does Hypoallergenic even mean? An important repost

In answer to some incorrect information-Despite what promoters of certain other metals may claim-Outcast 950 Palladium is appropriate to be called hypo allergenic. Some of you may wonder why I'm deleting posts about suspected palladium skin reactions. Hypoallergenic does not mean humanity in all it's billions have a guaranteed immunity to palladium allergic reactions. It does mean as shown below a decreased risk. In the case of palladium it is a dramatically decreased risk as compared to nickel based white gold or nickel based alloys in skin contact. Anyone with a confirmed positive reaction to palladium can certainly contact me and we will post the details if you wish. I'd like to quantify what kind of risk there actually is.

hypoallergenic definition - medical

hy·po·al·ler·gen·ic (hīˌpō-ălˌər-jĕnˈĭk)
adjective
Having a decreased tendency to provoke an allergic reaction.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

When we discuss terms, context is king. If you ask a chemist which metals are noble he will not include any metal that acts as a catalyst. If you ask a jeweler or a precious metals expert, they might include platinum, and palladium as "noble" because they will not tarnish in air. As we see above hypo allergenic means "decreased tendency" to create a reaction. To date white gold has reliably been implicated in nickel allergic reactions. Despite long searches on the internet, we have no evidence for any 950 Palladium causing any allergic reactions at all. In theory its possible. In fact it's yet to be proven. Every 950 Palladium is far and away less likely to cause any allergic reaction than any nickel white gold.

Palladium and platinum are both worn globally by countless numbers of people, and neither is any allergic threat of concern

Outcast Casting Grain

This is "Outcast" the best palladium for casting.

Outcast 950 Palladium is Hypoallergenic.

In answer to some incorrect information-Despite what promoters of certain other metals may claim-Outcast 950 Palladium is appropriate to be called hypo allergenic.

hypoallergenic definition - medical

hy·po·al·ler·gen·ic (hīˌpō-ălˌər-jĕnˈĭk)
adjective
Having a decreased tendency to provoke an allergic reaction.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

When we discuss terms, context is king. If you ask a chemist which metals are noble he will not include any metal that acts as a catalyst. If you ask a jeweler or a precious metals expert, they might include platinum, and palladium as "noble" because they will not tarnish in air. As we see above hypo allergenic means "decreased tendency" to create a reaction. To date white gold has reliably been implicated in nickel allergic reactions. Despite long searches on the internet, we have no evidence for any 950 Palladium causing any allergic reactions at all. In theory its possible. In fact it's yet to be proven. Every 950 Palladium is far and away less likely to cause any allergic reaction than any nickel white gold.

Palladium and platinum are both worn globally by countless numbers of people, and neither is any allergic threat of concern

Palladium Hallmark Regulations

We have truly historic news for Palladium jewelry.The Assay Offices of Great Britain have issued their regulations for hallmarking Palladium. Voluntary now, and obligatory as of 2010- the approved marks are 999, 950, and surprisingly 500! That is something I'll be looking into and posting soonest. Our sincere thanks to The Assay Offices for this history making step. Keeping the Great in Great Britain.
Link to the document
http://www.assayofficescotland.com/Palladium_Guidance_Notes.pdf

Summer Relief For Bench Jewelers!

Ever want to see the heart of a laser with the torch it replaced? Well the above picture is exactly that. We know how difficult being a bench jeweler for a retail store can be. Whether you work in house or from a central shop, we want to help. From now until labor day, any bench jeweler can try a sample of our plumb solder at no cost. Just contact us via email and Daniel will contact you to arrange a free sample of any cadmium free plumb solder, in Gold, Palladium, or Platinum. We have the lowest flow plumb gold in the business. We invented the famous patented plumb platinum solders. We had the very first 950 palladium solders. This offer ends labor day!

Short on cash or working gold? Send your useless scrap or filings for fast money, gold, or any product we offer at the best possible price.

What does palladium remind you of?

 

The Palladium Alliance has fallen

To my great regret the economy of the commodities crash has ended PAI. Very low prices for palladium , under $200per ounce in 2008 and 2009 were too much to overcome. I'd like to thank all who worked so hard. Now it will be up to us, those whom have brought the metal into fruition to continue. We have a great metal, and the public is buying into items of extra value. Hey, platinum family, naturally white and far less costly than 14k white gold.

Kraftwerks News

We have some news about Kraftwerks-Its going online April 11th! Rather than make everyone fly in in these difficult times we update and adapt. We have a new gadget on the blog that shows the countdown to Kraftwerks New Media -The Release!

An Opportunity Lingers

Right now, you can get 950Pd for about $13 per dwt or about $8.36 per gram. 14k nickel white gold goes for nearly DOUBLE that amount of money at $25 per dwt or about $16 per gram. Of course 950 palladium is a bit lighter so theres even more benefit to the switch. Dazzle your customers with beautiful jewelry at price point guaranteed to appeal these days!

Get it while the price is good

As I sit down this morning, Palladium is $237 per ounce. This means I can sell all the 950Palladium jewelry metals for $13.86 per dwt or about $278. That in itself is good news. But when you compare this to 14kt white gold?! 14kt for casting is $24.86 a dwt, or $497.20 an ounce. In fact 10kt is far more costly than palladium. 10kt is $17.61 a dwt or about $352 per ounce.

PAI web redesign and new blog

Hi
PAI has done it again. The new discussion board looks good, and is easy to use.
Plus I like the new forum