Why Palladium?

Palladium used in jewelry? Yes! First discovered in 1804 by British chemist William Hyde Wollaston, it took nearly two centuries for palladium to be recognized as a stand-alone Platinum Group Metal (PGM). However, many historians vow that there are indications that palladium was actually first used by South American Indians in ancient art. From whatever perspective, palladium has always been around. It was first seriously used in jewelry in the 1940's during war time, but was never at the forefront. Why? Well maybe because gold has always been the standard for currencies and a sign of wealth.

In any event, we at Stuart Berger have embraced the use of palladium and see it's future as an important component in jewelry making for the following reasons.

Palladium allows the consumer to enjoy on of the rarest precious metal with natural color, purity and strength. It is 30 times rarer than gold. Palladium's lustrous whiteness is brighter than both white gold and platinum. From a practical standpoint, it won't tarnish or yellow like white gold, thus never needs to be rhodium plated. For those that have specific allergies to metals, it is hypoallergenic. Currently, it's also attractively priced in a market where gold and platinum have sky rocketed.

We strive to find ways to produce jewelry that lightens the environmental impact. That is why we only use certified recycled palladium from Hoover and Strong's Harmony metals program. We feel that steps like these are just as important to you as they are with us. In an industry where it's hard to teach old dogs new tricks and forward thinking is not always endorsed, we see palladium as the new canvas for the artwork you wear.

Image: Amore' Earrings, in Palladium featuring 12.36 ctw rose cut rubies with recycled diamonds.

What is Eco-Chic Jewelry ?

From the dawn of time, women have adorned themselves with baubles to express themselves. Most have looked to jewelry to set themselves apart, be it social status or fashion, now we find ourselves turning the corner by using eco-friendy materials and innovative design that minimizes the impact on our environment.

Eco-Chic jewelry is simply the responsible use of resources and materials in the making of jewelry. The mining of precious metals has had a devastating effect on the regions where these practices take place including contaminating drinking water, displacing

communities and harming pristine environments.

Today, we find ourselves in quite a predicament, with a challenging economic climate and the decline of our natural resources we in the jewelry industry must adopt a new approach to appeal to the socially and environmentally conscious.

The examples here are from our latest collection, Ruby Rocks. Our rubies are from Kenya, Africa and each piece is handmade in the United States. We only use recycled gold and palladium for our metal work. We also incorporate reclaimed diamonds in our designs. Reclaimed diamonds are stones that have been removed from other pieces of jewelry. All in all, we try to keep our designs fresh and innovative while using materials that have a lower impact on our environment.

We invite you to send us your comments and thoughts. After all, it is you, the public that ultimately decides whether or not a concept becomes a trend. We feel this concept is long overdue, what do you think?