Free delivery in the UK
Call an expert on 0292 144 4971
0% Interest Free Credit
Facts About Rings

A History of Romance: Part 2

After the Egyptians, the Incas, from kings and popes, platinum entered more recent history as one of the most desired metals on earth. It quickly became sought after and platinum wedding rings are now the ideal expression of marriage. Rare, enduring, elegant and cool, the white metal found fame in the latter half of the century as it was embraced by jewellers and designers.

Jewellers and platinum

  • 1884 - Jeweller to the Russian Tsars, Peter Carl Fabergé, created the famed Fabergé Eggs for Alexander III to give to his wife and the eggs became an annual Easter tradition. The eggs became legendary for the jewels adorned with platinum and precious gems.
  • Late 1800s - thanks to Fabergé, Europe became obsessed with platinum - it decorated the royal palaces across the continent.
  • Early 1900s - Cartier is one of the most famous names in jewellery and he became the first person to create platinum jewellery, laying the foundations for the platinum wedding rings of the future. His garland-style pieces were designed to enhance diamonds, making platinum wedding rings the next natural step for designers. He was hailed by King Edward VII as the ‘jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers.'

Platinum wedding rings

But it wasn’t until 1924 that platinum wedding rings became popular. This is thanks to a German geologist, Hans Merensky, who discovered the world’s largest platinum deposit near Johannesburg in South Africa. Platinum wedding rings became a feature and the modern platinum industry was born.

The world goes platinum

It wasn’t just platinum wedding rings that took off - the word ‘platinum’ was quickly associated with wealth. From platinum albums to platinum credit cards, ‘going platinum’ is equivocal to success; and Hollywood launched the platinum blondes, who epitomized glamour and desirability.