Platinum
<p>Platinum is the rarest and therefore the most valuable of the precious metals. Chemically inert and resistant to corrosion, platinum does not tarnish.</p> <p>It takes an extremely high temperature to melt platinum, so most platinum jewellery dates from after the 1920’s.</p> <p>Platinum is soft but very dense. It is noticeably heavier than the other precious metals. Gold is harder than platinum because it has a greater proportion of other metals in the alloy whereas platinum is 95% pure. Platinum is a popular setting for gemstones and the fashion for white metals has made it more popular than ever.</p>