By: Jeffrey M. Bertman Graduate GemologistPlatinum, the rarest and most valuable of precious metals, has a white luster that makes it a perfect match with the equally desirable diamond. Unlike silver, this chemically inert and corrosion-resistant metal does not tarnish when exposed to the atmosphere. Its color ranges from silvery gray and gray white to opaque white. Platinum is about 60 percent more dense than gold and about twice as dense as silver. Its history as a metal in jewelry making has been limited by early jewelers’ inability to produce the temperature (3,223 degrees Fahrenheit) needed to melt the precious white metal. It was not until the heat-producing technology was sufficiently developed in the 1920s that platinum became a viable choice for the jewelry-buying public. Because of its beauty and value, platinum jewelry has always been given as a distinctive expression of love for engagements, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays.See our outstanding selection of beautiful offerings at 1402 Hancock Street, Quincy Center. Or reach us at 617-773-3636