One of the main advantages of platinum for jewellery fabrication is its strength and resistance to tarnish. It can be repeatedly heated and cooled without hardening and oxidation effects, while even the most slender sections of platinum permanently retain their shape, providing a secure setting for diamonds and giving jewellery designers a freedom of invention not always possible with other materials. Perhaps the best example of platinum's technical virtuosity is the tension ring, in which a gemstone is held in place by the tensile strength of the platinum ring shank alone.
Platinum does make certain demands on the jeweller's skills.
Careful attention to polishing technique is needed to achieve the highly reflective finish which shows a diamond or other precious stone at its best. More than 2,000 years ago the Indian civilisations of South America made rings and ornaments from platinum nuggets found in river beds. The modern platinum jewellery tradition began with the European court jewellers of the 18th century and developed with the great jewellers of the Edwardian and Art Deco periods such as Cartier and Tiffany. A boom in platinum jewellery followed, with the USA accounting for the bulk of demand. With the economic depression of the 1930s and the advent of World War II, when platinum became a controlled material, its use for jewellery declined.