Many wedding bands are fabricated by machining platinum from tubing. The recommended alloy for this manufacturing method in the US is platinum/ruthenium (Pt/Ru), a hard and flexible alloy. Ruthenium is another platinum group metal. Made into platinum tubing, this alloy is usually cut in “Swiss machines” or on a lathe, using diamond-cutting tools, to make wedding bands of many design variations. Tubing can be made several ways, ranging from extruding to pressing from a washer like disc. Most tubing is seamless. The wedding bands are then sliced off the tube and are shaped and cut to create the various designs.
Fabricating platinum jewelry has many benefits. The high melting temperature of the metal will make working with the finest wires possible. Its unparalleled strength makes platinum the ideal metal to securely hold stones in mountings, and the lustre that can be achieved by properly polishing platinum is second to none.
~Jurgen
Learn more about working on Platinum Jewelry
at the Bench Jewelers Conference
April 23 - 25 ~ St. Louis, MO
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