History
Palladium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803 and was named after the asteroid Pallas, which was discovered two years earlier.
Palladium is found as a free metal in placer deposits of the Ural Mountains, Australia, Ethiopia, South and North America. However, it is commercially produced from nickel-copper deposits found in South Africa and Ontario.
Of late, an increasing number of white precious metal alloys have been introduced into the jewelry marketplace in answer to industry cries for a true white counterpart to the ever-popular yellow gold. The search has been on for a workable white alloy that stays white, is hypoallergenic and priced more agreeably than platinum.
Palladium was first used for jewelry when platinum was declared a strategic metal and reserved for military use in 1939. Palladium alloys for jewelry typically contain 95% palladium and about 5% ruthenium and have trace amounts of other metals proprietary to their developers. These palladium alloys are white, noble, malleable, lightweight, hypoallergenic, and easy to finish and polish. Furthermore, they do not require rhodium plating and have desirable platinum-like setting and forming characteristics.
The specific gravity of palladium is close to that of 14k white gold and nearly half the weight by volume of platinum. The lightness of palladium alloys and pricing considerations make them prime candidates for use in fashionable, affordable and classically influenced jewelry designs. Palladium will stay white, never requiring the “renewed whitening” via rhodium plating white gold does.