鉑金 & 黃金 | Platinum & Gold

鉑 (Pt)(Platinum)

鉑在珠寶常用的三種貴金屬（鉑，金，銀）中是最稀有昂貴的。鉑金長時間暴露在空氣中也不氧化不耗損。在珠寶應用上，有些人認為黃金的黃色會影響鑲嵌於上的鑽石色澤表現，因此選用鉑金為鑽石最完美的搭檔，儘管價格高於黃金，鉑金常被用於高端頂珠寶的製作。最常見之鉑金比例為 Pt950，因其硬度最適合用於寶石鑲嵌。在中文常稱鉑金為白金，若以金屬元素來說，所謂的白金其實也包含了鉑、鈀、銠等同家族金屬元素。在英文會使用 White Gold 來稱呼白K金（白色的 18K 或 14K）而不是鉑金，與中文使用「白金」稱呼鉑金的習慣不同，用詞差別可能造成混淆。雖然兩者皆為常用於珠寶製作上貴重金屬，但價格還是有所差別，購買珠寶時要注意其註明之白金為何者。

鉑金製品標示為 Pt1000，Pt950，Pt900，和 Pt850。規定鉑成分低於千分之 850 的製品不能稱為鉑金首飾。

金 (Au)(Gold)

千年以來，黃金一直被使用於硬幣，裝飾和珠寶。和其他金屬不同不同，其金黃色澤使其獨特。抗酸性令黃金幾乎不損耗也不氧化，其穩定特質讓黃金為長久保存的代表。黃金和其他金屬高溫均勻混合之合金（alloy）能改善黃金過軟的問題，調整合金成分和比例則是處理黃金顏色的主要手法。最常使用於珠寶的黃金為除了原本的黃色之外，最受歡迎的還有玫瑰色（銅紅色）及銀白色。K金的「K」是黃金純度表示單位 Karat，最高為 24K。18K 金為珠寶製作的最佳選擇，其黃金含量和硬度符合珠寶保值和鑲嵌需求。14K 金則是最有人氣的選擇，在價格，保值，和保存性之間的美好平衡。由於基底金屬是黃金，所以儘管調和成白色 K金所呈現的銀白色，在視覺比較上依舊會帶有點淡淡的鵝黃色感。如果為了追求更潔白的外觀，其成品會選擇在表層再鍍一層 K白金，來達到與如鉑金般的效果。白 K 金珠寶使用後日久看起來好像黃黃的，以為是氧化了或是劣質品，其實只是其鍍金的保護層日久耗損後露出底下的相較淺黃的實體，只要送回重新整理美容即可恢復潔白光彩。

黃金製品標示為 24K（999），22K（916），18K（750）， 14K（585），來表示其黃金含量。

使用原則

避免黃金製品沾染漂白水。
避免於游泳池配戴黃金飾品。
24K 黃金相對較軟，容易因碰撞摩擦留下刮傷會凹痕。避免和其他金屬有直接碰撞機會。
使用溫水和中性肥皂沾濕軟布做擦拭清潔。
軟質毛刷可幫助清潔較不易擦拭的細節處。
收納前確實擦乾珠寶首飾。
收納處保持乾燥，如長期不用時，個別密封袋中可放置乾燥劑。
珠寶應個別收納於分開的盒子或絨布袋，避免互相碰撞。

Platinum (Pt)

Platinum is the rarest and most valuable of the three precious metals - silver, gold, and platinum. Platinum does not tarnish when exposed to air and over time. Some people think that the yellowish light reflected from gold jewelry would affect the appearance of pure white diamonds set upon, thus platinum is believed to be a perfect, if not expensive, setting material for cut diamonds, as the colors complement each other. Platinum is therefore usually find in high jewelry creations. It is most commonly found in jewelry products made with Pt900 platinum, for its ideal hardness for stone setting.

Platinum is marked as Pt1000, Pt 950, Pt900, and Pt850 to indicate the percentage of platinum alloyed in the material.

Gold (Au)

Gold has been used for coins, decorations, and jewelry for thousands of years. It is attractive for it's yellow colour that differs from other metals. Gold is hard-wearing over time and resistant to acids and tarnishing. Gold alloyed with other metals to improve hardness for many products. The colour of gold also varies, depends upon the amount and type of other metals that be alloyed with gold. The most commonly used in jewelry are yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold. 18K gold is excellent in jewelry making for its high value and ideal hardness for stone setting, while 14K gold be the most popular choice in jewelry as it has a good balance of durability and value. Since the base of white gold alloy is still gold, the alloy would visully present a tant of warm yellow conpared to silver or platinum. White gold products would usually have another layer of plating to achive clear-white visual as platinum products.

Gold is marked as 24K (999), 22K (916), 18K (750), 14K (585) to indicate the percentage of gold alloyed in the material.

General Guildline

Avoid gold pieces to contact with household bleach, which will quickly cause gold to discolor and possibly disintegrate.
Do not wear gold products in swimming pool, where might also contain bleach for cleaning.
24K and 18K gold products are still relatively soft compared to other metal types and thus could be scratched. Avoid gold pieces to crush or rub with other objects.
The most basic method of cleaning is gently wiping the jewelry with soft and clean cloth that can be slightly damp with warm water.
Wash jewelry with only warm water and mild detergent. A soft bristles toothbrush would be helpful for detail cleaning.
The jewelry should be wiped dry completely before stored in a box or cloth bags.
A small packet of demoisturizing silica gel to put with the storing packaging is recommended.
Between wearings, store jewelry in separated boxes or bags to avoid contacting with other object.