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Jewellery coating

Current technology

A wide range of metals and metal-organic compounds are now used in the jewellery coating industry.

Jewellery coating can be classified according to the purpose of application:

  • Provide mechanical strength.
  • Cover a relatively cheap material with a more noble one.
  • Ensure the special aesthetic properties of the coating.

Palladium coating of jewellery, or palladium plating, is one of the most commonly used methods to enhance appearance and protect items made from other metals, such as gold or silver.

Market

No significant changes in demand for palladium for jewellery coating are expected. Organic moderate growth in income among the global population will stimulate demand for jewellery, including palladium-plated jewellery.

Challenges of current technology

Silver is a coating that provides aesthetic qualities and a white lustre, though it has a microhardness 3–5 times less than that of palladium.

Positive impact of palladium

Palladium coating gives jewellery a beautiful, shiny and contemporary look, while also providing resistance to corrosion and oxidation.

Furthermore, palladium has high reflective properties.

Due to its higher microhardness, palladium coatings help protect jewellery from scratches, which is particularly important for expensive jewellery and watches.

To find out more about the physical and mechanical qualities of palladium, see – Chemistry.

To find out more about jewellery coating, see the following scientific publications:

  1. Corti, C. W. (2022). The Evolution of Platinum Jewellery Alloys: From the 1920s to the 2020s: Developments in new alloys and techniques. Johnson Matthey Technology Review, 66(4), 418-434. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1595/205651322X16390711562364
  2. Tang, L. J., Ho, H. M., Koh, W., Zhang, Y. J., Goh, K. S., Huang, C. S., & Yu, Y. T. (2011, May). Pitfalls and solutions of replacing gold wire with palladium coated copper wire in IC wire bonding. In 2011 IEEE 61st Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) (pp. 1673-1678). IEEE. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ECTC.2011.5898736
  3. Vermilyea, S. G., Cai, Z., Brantley, W. A., & Mitchell, J. C. (1996). Metallurgical structure and microhardness of four new palladium‐based alloys. Journal of Prosthodontics, 5(4), 288-294. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-849x.1996.tb00513.x