Please Note: All of our Platinum jewellery is hand made and will take bewteen 1 - 2 weeks to make. We will contact you as soon as the item is ready to ship. OUR PLATINUM The Platinum we use in our Body Jewellery Platinum is the most elite of all the precious metals and we use only 950 parts per 1000 quality known as 950/1000 platinum. It is independently assayed (quality tested) and laser hallmarked by the London and Sheffield Assay Office, England. Each item is hallmarked not on the shaft but on the back of the main bead or setting to eliminate any chance of dirt traps. We only use wire or shaft thickness of 1.6mm (USA gauge 14) which helps to eliminate the risk of "ripping". If other thicknesses are required we will be pleased to supply them if specially ordered. The wire used is "hard drawn" and is not cast, so eliminating the chance of porosity. All our body jewels are made up individually, by hand, at our workshop in London, UK where we have specialised in platinum jewellery for 15 years.   Our Ball Closure Rings The platinum in the Ball Closure Ring is especially hard to give it an excellent gripping spring action to hold the ball in place. The wire used for our BCR's is 1.6mm thick (USA gauge 14) and the internal dimension across the inside of the BCR is 12mm (0.472" ). All the BCR's are hallmarked on the ball and in the case of gem set balls the hallmark is on the back or the ball setting so as not to show. If you want different sizes please contact us and we will be pleased to give you a quote and estimated delivery time.   Internally Threaded and Externally Threaded Beads Most body jewellery is normally externally threaded, ie. the thread is found on the bar and the bead end screws onto that. For increased hygiene we can also supply internally threaded jewellery where the thread is not on the bar but on a stud attached to the bead end. The threaded stud then screws into the bar rather than onto it.     externally threaded   internally threaded   Quality Control Our body jewelry has been tested by the Sheffield Analytical Services in Sheffield, England. They have been tested by using both the Allution and ICP-OES tests. The platinum body jewelry has passed and complies with all the new EU nickel tests and are certified to have been tested to BS EN 1810, BS EN 1811 including BS EN 12472 standards. They conform and far exceed the requirements in the European Nickel Directive 94/27/EEC and the UK legislation "The Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Nickel)(Safety) Regulations 2000". The Platinum alloy contains no Nickel.     Hallmarking In the UK all Platinum has to be hallmarked before it can be described as Platinum. We use only 950 parts per 1000 quality in line with most western European countries. When the item is tested there is no negative tolerance allowed in the quality. It was first hallmarked in 1975, when it was given the hallmark of an orb within a pentagon. The law was changed in 1999 to bring it into line with Europe and the rest of the main Western Countries where there are a number of different qualities allowed. As there is only a very small area on each jewel available to be used for hallmarking, only our Makers Mark "R&R" (or sponsors mark for those companies who do not make their own), the quality mark "950" and the hallmark for London and Sheffield showing which "Hall" or Assay office tested and marked it are used. There are other optional marks (the orb and date mark) which can be applied. The hallmark is the original trade protection system that was originally introduced in 1300 to ensure the absolute quality of precious metal. Every piece is individually tested and marked by an independent Assay Office         PLATINUM FACTS What is Platinum Using today's modern techniques it takes 5 months to extract one troy ounce (31.1gms) of platinum from ten tonnes of ore; for gold it is only 4-5 weeks. It was not until the mid-eighteenth century that scientists and alchemists began to solve the problem of producing this metal in its pure form. Platinum formed such a strong natural alloy with its sister group metals, that solutions of each metal had to be eliminated before pure platinum could be obtained. The other metals are rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, palladium and iridium. No other metal has the same properties of Platinum. • It has an extremely high melting point. • It is very hard and durable. • Its purity is almost entirely unaffected by corrosive substances. It is a natural catalyst. • It does not oxidise, discolour or tarnish. • In short platinum is virtually indestructible.     Why Platinum is so special All gems and jewels have three attributes in common, they are beautiful, durable and rare. Platinum has all these and more: • It is compatible with all skin type • It produces no allergic reactions • It is inert • It does not discolour or tarnish • It is extremely resistant to wear • It is ideal for use with precious stones, providing a secure and firm setting because of its high resistance to heat and other influences • It is naturally white • It is extremely dense, gives a very satisfying heavy feel • It is the most noble of all the precious metals • It is rare • It is not affected by body oils and sweat unlike 14ct gold • It does not discolour or go black in the piercing • Chlorine or other chemicals associated with swimming will not affect it   Platinum jewellery is non-allergenic and compatible with all skin types. It is the only material suitable for the electrodes in heart pacemakers. Platinum is an inert element which is extremely robust and stable and exceptionally resistant to corrosion. It is one of the few metals unaffected by atmospheric exposure, even in a sulphur polluted industrial environment. It retains its polish and lustre up to its melting point. Platinum is ten times harder to work that gold meaning that it is ten times more wear-resistant. A piece of platinum jewellery with fine patterns or fine filigree work will not wear out fast. Wedding rings made in the1930's with engraved designs still have their designs clearly showing today whereas in gold these designs would have worn off long ago. Because of its high tensile strength in very thin sections, platinum is perfect for the setting of diamonds and fine stones. Its strength holds them securely with the minimum setting covering the stone and its whiteness allows more light to reflect in and out and show the true colour of the stones.     What is the difference between Platinum and White gold? Platinum is an element in its own right and is a pure metal. It is alloyed with other metals to improve its working qualities, for example to make it harder, more malleable and to enable multiple soldering. It is naturally white and does not need plating with another metal for "show". White gold is a manmade, made-up metal, as gold is naturally yellow. 18ct. gold is an alloy of 75% gold and 25% other metals. The white metals used for the 25% can be nickel, silver, manganese or palladium. As a result of these alloys, white gold it is not always suitable for body jewellery. Very often the raw colour is a greyish gun metal with a slight yellow tinge. To make it totally white it is then plated with another metal (usually rhodium) to give it a white look. This plating will wear off in time.     How Platinum compares with other metals   Platinum 95% Gold 95% Silver 92.5% Iron Carat 950 18ct.(yellow) Sterling   Chemical Symbol Pt Au Ag Fe Density 20.6 15.5 10.5 7.7 Melting point 1750 900 890 1450     Its vital statistics (figures for pure Platinum) Chemical Symbol   Pt Density (grammes/cc)   21.45 Melting point (°C)   1769 Vickers Hardness no.*   41 Electrical resistivity (microhm.cm at 0°C)   9.8 Thermal Conductivity (watts/metre/°C)   73 Tensile strength* (kg/mm²)   14

* = annealed condition As refined platinum it first appears as grey, dusty granules. These are melted into ingots of various sizes. In the UK and Europe the main quality or carat of platinum is 950 parts per 1000 it is alloyed to give greater flexibility in working conditions. By alloying it with different metals, different qualities are given to the alloy. To make an easily worked copper is used and when an item is going to be made by casting then cobalt is often used. It must be remembered that only 5% is added to the alloy and so it has no effect on the general qualities of Platinum. The other metals themselves are not reactive.

About Platinum's sister metals

Palladium Rhodium Iridium Ruthenium Osmium Chemical Symbol Pd Rh Ir Ru Os Density 12.02 12.41 22.65 12.45 22.61 Melting point(deg.C) 1554 1960 2443 2310 3050 Vickers Hardness 41 101 220 240 350 Electrical resisivity 9.93 4.33 4.71 6.8 8.12 Thermal conductivity 76 150 148 105 87 Tensile strength 17 71 112 165 -

Most metals are used in industry in alloys and catalysts. Rhodium is used in jewellery for plating, often to cover up bad coloured white gold. Platinum is used in a very powerful anti-cancer drug.

OUR GEM STONES

We only use genuine natural gem stones cut from crystals that have been formed completely by nature without human interference. This is totally in keeping with our philosophy of only using the best quality materials. To maintain quality and ensure standards of colour, cut and clarity we have a resident Fellow of the Gemmological Association of the UK on the staff. Each stone is individually selected for it own unique characteristics and hand-set into the jewel. Stones used in the majority of our pieces are Diamond, Blue Sapphire and Ruby. Other stones can be supplied on special orders. These stones are most suitable for body jewellery as they are classified as "precious" stones and are all very hard wearing.

Stone cuts and sizes

Stones are traditionally weighed in carats. As stone weights are often very small this is reflected in the size of a carat. One metric carat = 1/5th gram. A carat is then subdivided into 100 parts, which are often called "points". Different types of gemstones will have different weights as they are made of different materials and have different densities. This is illustrated in the fact that a round "brilliant cut" diamond weighing .15 ct. will have to be approximately .22 ct. in a sapphire or ruby to appear the same size. For a rough guide, a round brilliant cut diamond 2mm wide will weigh approx. .03ct, 3mm wide approximately .10ct and 3.5mm wide approximately .15ct. A historical note. The carat weight originates from historic classical times. It comes from the Mediterranean plant, the Carob which is found all around that area. It has seeds that are remarkably standard in size and weight and so were used as standard weights around the Mediterranean sea area. This is the origin of both carat weight and the use of proportions of quality in precious metals.

Blue, Pink and Yellow Sapphires

Sapphire is able to be found in a wide variety of colours. They are all colours except red which is a Ruby. The two stones, Ruby and Sapphire are members of the same crystal family. Sapphire is most often thought of as blue, but other family colours are also found. It is perhaps the toughest and most durable gemstone available. It has a hardness of 9 on the MOHS scale, harder than any other gemstone except diamond which has a hardness of 10.

Diamonds

Diamond is the hardest natural substance known to man and has the brightest lustre of all gemstones. There are four main factors to consider: carat, colour, clarity and cut. We use good quality stones with colour H/I and the clarity (or internal markings and inclusions) is VS. The size is as required andmost of our stones are round Brilliant cut with 58 facets. For other colours and cuts we will be pleased to quote. Black diamonds are natural diamonds thast are ink black. They have the same physical characteristics of diamond, being the hardest natural substance in existence (10 on the MOHS scale). This gives a bright adamantine lustre which reflects light from the highly polished facets. Its name comes from the Greek and Latin "Adamas" which means unconquerable. It is traditionally the symbol of love and trust. Magic powers attributed to it are "If worn in battle it would dispel vain fears and make the wearer courageous as well as magnanimous and virtuous". It was also supposed to have the ability to baffle magic arts. It does have some physical properties that could make people think this. Along with its supreme hardness some stones will fluoresce after exposure to strong sun or ultra-violet light.

Conflict diamonds

All the diamoonds we use in our jewellery have been sourced from legitamate suppliers in line with the Kimberley process afgreed by the world's governments at the World Diamond Congress. As from January 1st 2003 we will state on all invoices for diamond jewellery:

"The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. The seller hereby guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the seller of these diamonds."

Ruby

It is the second hardest natural gemstone only after diamond. The stones we use are mined from the earth and completely natural. Each stone is an individual and cut and polished individually. It is the rich red variety of the corundum family of gem stones that makes it related to sapphire.

Green Demantoid Garnet

Green demantoid garnet is one of the rarest and most highly prized of all the garnet crystal family. It has a lovely transparent brightness with as much "fire" as diamonds. This effect is masked only by its strong green colour. Its natural bright green colour is caused by a trace of the element chromium. It is found in the Ural Mountains of Russia and also in the Congo.