PD usually stands for PALLADIUM. So your ring might be silver with palladium or its silver coated with palladium. It's used as lower cost alternative to platinum or rhodium plating. It's not as tarnish resistant but if does resist discoloring and it's pretty stable under most conditions. And it's scratch resistant.
What Is Palladium? Palladium is a chemical element that is similar to platinum. A rare, silver-white precious metal, palladium has been commonly used for fine jewelry since the 1930s. Palladium has seen an increase in popularity in the past decade. In 2019, Fortune reported that it was now more valuable than gold.
Palladium is part of the platinum group of metals and is an excellent white metal choice for an assortment of jewelry pieces, especially as a sophisticated and durable setting for stunning engagement rings and gorgeous mother's rings.
The prices for a palladium ring can vary depending on the size of the stone you select. In general, the price will be around $2,000. A palladium ring looks good with any setting, from bezel-set to prong. Your choice depends on your personal preference and how you'd like your ring designed.
Palladium has been used as a precious metal in jewelry since 1939 as an alternative to platinum in the alloys called "white gold", where the naturally white color of palladium does not require rhodium plating.
Palladium is a noble precious metal element. PD is its chemical symbol and its atomic number is 46 on the periodic table.
Palladium is chemical element (nickel group element atom) with atomic number 46. It is a nickel group element atom, a platinum group metal atom and a metal allergen. Palladium is an element with atomic symbol Pd, atomic number 46, and atomic weight 106.42. Palladium is a mineral with formula of Pd.
As you may have already figured out, palladium is stronger and more durable than white gold given its internal chemical makeup. "This is really where the metal alloys matter most," shares So. But, that's not to say that white gold isn't a viable option when searching for a ring that will stand the test of time.
Palladium is more durable and harder than gold and is also more expensive per ounce.
Relatively hard: Palladium is considered to be a softer metal, but it is still much harder and more durable than gold, which lends more protection against impact and a greater resistance to denting. Compared to gold's knoop hardness of 200, Palladium has a knoop hardness of 400.
As a result, the mining giant experienced a 28% reduction in palladium output, reducing the global supply to 6.4Moz. A culmination of these factors has resulted in palladium being one of the rarest metals. Palladium is estimated to be about 15 times rarer than platinum, making it significantly more expensive per ounce.
Palladium rings are made with 95% pure palladium, while 14k white gold rings are made with only 58% pure gold. Besides having higher precious metal content, this means palladium jewelry is hypoallergenic. White gold is made of 42% other metals, including a high amount of nickel, which causes allergies in many people.
Check for the palladium stamp
To identify palladium, look at the markings on the piece. You may have to use a magnifying glass to inspect your piece. If there's no marking, it's probably a fake or an older piece. If it's an older piece, additional testing is required.
Legitimate Platinum and Palladium jewellery pieces often have hallmarks engraved in a discrete location. In modern pieces, there should be hallmarks for the maker, fineness, and the assay office responsible for testing. Fineness hallmarks indicate the purity of the metal.
Premier Designs | Jewelry Maker's Marks Wiki | Fandom.
While platinum is still the primary metal of choice for jewellery, palladium is growing in use as well, so a palladium hallmark is becoming a common sight. A hallmark is applied because precious metals, such as palladium, are often soft and would become easily damaged if used in pure form.
Sterling palladium is a 925 sterling silver alloy which contains 3.0% palladium and 92.5% pure silver. It is intrinsically harder than standard sterling silver and is more tarnish resistance. It is slightly more grey and has a little more luster than traditional sterling silver.
With its lovely white metal sheen, the durability both of the ring body and prongs, the purity that delivers hypoallergenic wear, and the fact that it will not tarnish, buying a palladium ring for an engagement ring, a wedding ring, or an anniversary band is the perfect choice.
While all of the metals in this group share certain similarities, palladium has the lowest density and melting point. Another interesting feature about palladium is that it does not tarnish when exposed to air because it won't react with oxygen in normal temperatures.
On the other hand, palladium is a naturally occurring white metal making it purer than white gold. It does not fade and will not need to be re-plated, best of all, it does not loose metal when scratched or being buffed.
Cons: Palladium is actually much more expensive than platinum weight for weight but due to the lower density less is required to produce the same item of jewellery; therefore a palladium wedding band or ring mount traditionally would cost less than its platinum counterpart.
While platinum will hold up better against impacts that might dent your ring, palladium is more resistant to scratches. For example, the prongs holding the center stone of a platinum engagement ring are less likely to break than those of a gold engagement ring.
palladium (Pd), chemical element, the least dense and lowest-melting of the platinum metals of Groups 8–10 (VIIIb), Periods 5 and 6, of the periodic table, used especially as a catalyst (a substance that speeds up chemical reactions without changing their products) and in alloys.