This material in recent years has grown in popularity with professionals and performing artists. 18K gold adds additional darkness to the variety of tone colors, turning the soprano nature of the C Flute into a more contralto timbre. Platinum - This extremely hard material is considered the densest element in terms of metallurgy. Very strong, with an ability to easily achieve tremendous projection throughout the range without being overly bright or extremely dark, it has increased in popularity amongst artists requiring added projection to fill larger concert halls. Its rarity and high cost make it prohibitive for many flutists.
Platinum is a superb sounding metal with a rather darker than silver crystalline appearance.
Because of its resistance to tarnishing, gold plating can be of assistance to the protection of silver flutes. In addition, the smoothness between registers and the dark timbres characteristic of gold, take well when added to the Sterling Silver of Britannia Silver flute. Ease and capacity of projection is also achieved without the financial investment necessary to obtain a solid gold flute. Platinum Plating - Fusing Platinum to Sterling Silver or Britannia Silver offers a crystalline color and projection characteristic of Platinum material, but without the cost and weight of solid Platinum. The warmth and variety of silver remains the most dominant feature, but with additional density and power the Platinum provides.