Palladium

Polished palladium ring

Chemical symbol: Pd

Atomic number: 46

Palladium was discovered in the nineteenth century, and has very similar properties to platinum. It has been classified as one of the platinum group metals, which also includes rhodium, iridium and ruthenium. From this group, only palladium and platinum are rare enough to be traded on the world commodities market – and this is why you may see our prices change from week to week.

The more traditional or superstitious amongst you may be interested to know that the word 'palladium' means a guardian or a charm to protect or preserve, so palladium rings are thought to be good luck for a lasting lifetime of marital happiness. The metal was named from the tale of the goddess Athena, who was renamed Pallas after she slew a giant who tried to capture Mount Olympus and then had a sculpture built in her honour to protect the city from attack.

Palladium properties and usage

Palladium, like platinum, is used in many industries including car manufacturing, electronics and dentistry. Today, more than half of these metals are used for catalytic converters in cars. Interestingly, a disruption to the supply of palladium in the late 20th century lead to car manufacturers panic buying the metal to stockpile, which drove up the price enormously. The price subsequently dropped, meaning the car companies lost a vast amount of money.

The palladium hallmark

Palladium has had its own hallmark for several years, and this has been compulsory since January 2010 – thus proving that palladium truly has its place amongst the other precious metals. Like the other metal alloys we sell, palladium will be hallmarked by one of the UK Assay offices, and this hallmark will state the proportion of palladium in the alloy. Wedding Rings Direct use Palladium 950 as standard, and the rest of the alloy may vary - see Liza's blog for more information on allergies and metal alloys.

Palladium wedding rings

Palladium is the choice for you if you want a wedding ring made from a precious metal with beautiful colour and relatively hard-wearing properties, but don't want to spend as much as you would on platinum. It is a relatively rare metal, now cherished for its lustrous silvery-white finish and because it has similar properties to platinum. Palladium is resistant to corrosion and will not tarnish in air. Palladium should not show wear and tear easily, and comes after only tungsten carbide and platinum for durability - but don't forget that no metal is completely scratch-proof.

Click the link to browse our range of palladium wedding rings

How to clean palladium wedding rings

Palladium will show some scratches over time but the metal is displaced - not lost - so the metal will not wear down. Take great care with your palladium wedding band and consider removing it when doing chores or when there's risk of it coming into contact with hard substances or harsh chemicals. As the ring ages, the small marks come together to form a patina that most people find pleasant. If you want to restore a ring to its original high polish or matt finish, we can repolish/refinish it for you.

Palladium rings can be cleaned using a shop-bought jewellery cleaner or by soaking it in a warm and mild solution of soap and water. Gently rub the ring with a soft cloth to dry.

More information

For more information about the contents of the metal alloys we use, have a look at Liza's blog entry on our metal alloys.

Not sure where to start with choosing wedding rings? Have a look at our Buyer's Guide for Wedding Rings.

We offer a number of services to help you get your choice of wedding rings right first time. Have a look at our Frequently Asked Questions, and why not order a free ring gauge to get your started with finding out your ring size.

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