Thanks to sophisticated new alloying methods we are pleased to offer palladium as a new stand-alone metal for all our rings.

This rare transition metal is a close relative of platinum and is naturally white in colour. It does not need to be Rhodium plated and there are no difficulties with sizing or diamond setting, making it an increasingly popular choice. Like Platinum, Palladium is hypo-allergenic and is ideal for setting diamonds or being engraved. As with Platinum our palladium is hall-marked by the UK Official Assay Offices and is 95% pure.

William Hyde Wollaston discovered Palladium in 1803. It is an element in the same 'family' as Rhodium and Platinum and was named by him after the asteroid Pallas, which had been discovered two years earlier. Wollaston found palladium in crude platinum ore from South America. In 2007, Russia was the largest producer of palladium, with a 44% world share, followed by South Africa with 40%. Canada with 6% and the U.S. with 5% are the only other producers of palladium in any volume.

Palladium itself has been used as a precious metal in jewellery since 1939, as an alternative to platinum or white gold. This is due to its naturally white properties, giving it no need for rhodium plating. It is 40% lighter than platinum. Similar to gold, palladium can be beaten into a thin leaf as thin as 100 nm (1/250,000 inch). Like platinum, it will develop a hazy patina over time. Palladium is one of the three most popular metals used to make white gold alloys. Palladium-gold is a more expensive alloy than other 'white gold' alloys, but almost never causes allergic reactions and doesn't need to be plated with Rhodium to keep its lustrous white colour. Palladium is therefore cheaper to buy than white gold but importantly MUCH cheaper to own as is doesn't need to be re-plated every 12 - 18 months. Plating can cost from £30 - £50 in most high street jewellers.

As recently as September 2001, palladium was more expensive than platinum and rarely used in jewellery also due to the technical obstacle of casting. However the casting problem has been resolved and its use in jewellery has increased because of a large spike in the price of platinum and a drop in the price of palladium.

Since year 2009 the UK Assay Offices have been hallmarking Palladium. Previously only Gold, Platinum and Silver had been considered precious enough to be hallmarked. The hallmark includes a profile of 'Pallas' a figure in Greek mythology. It also shows the fineness - 950 - which is the same as Platinum. It will also usually have a date letter and a makers mark.

The combination of beautiful colour which lasts indefinitely, affordable prices which mean it costs less than 50% the price of Platinum and its suitability for making jewellery means that it is rapidly overtaking all of the other jewellery metals as the material of choice for wedding rings.