It's no surprise that palladium has been given a resurgence in popularity since its fall from grace after the end of the second world war. Due to the extraordinarily high prices of gold and platinum, jewellers are being forced to find alternatives at a price point that appeals to the consumer.
Palladium joins the ranks of Titanium and Zirconium to become the next designer metal due to its ease of workability, value for money, bright white colour and the craving of the public for something different.
Metal Cutting
With a density lower than platinum, palladium lends itself to designs where weight is an important factor, for example earrings and necklaces. Bolder designs become more affordable and comfortable to wear and the ease of stone setting benefits many pieces.
Casting palladium does not present much of a problem to casters familiar with working platinum. Although the melting temperature (1552°C) is nowhere near that of platinum, it still requires a highly controlled process in order to produce good consistent quality castings and it is advisable to treat it as you would platinum.
Palladium should not be marketed as a competitor to platinum. If it must have an equivalent then perhaps it should be compared to 14K white gold with the added advantage of a brighter white colour and the lack of need to rhodium plate, which, incidentally, is the single biggest complaint from the public about white gold when ugly yellow patches start to appear where it was once bright white. Imagine your joy as a retailer not having to see the disappointed look on your customers face when they appear in your shop clutching an item of jewellery that needs replating.
It does truly seem that this time palladium could be here for some time yet.