Lecture "Great metals. Platina. Silver."

A lecture "Great metals. Platina. Silver." takes place within the lecture series "Jewellery encyclopedia" on 22 February at 11.00 in Kaliningrad Amber Museum. It will be held by the deputy director for research of the museum, art expert, candidate of pedagogic sciences Irina Toropova.

Platina was named by Spain conquistadors, who first learnt a new metal looked like silver in the middle of 16th century in South America (on the territory of today's Colombia). In Spanish 'platina' is diminutive from 'plata', which means 'silver'. In other words 'small silver'.

Such depreciation was caused by its particular refractory quality, because of what this noble metal didn't come into use and cost twice less than silver for a long time.

Mounts for diamonds, pearls, topazes were made of alloys from platina and gold, palladium, solver, copper. Mild white colors gave place to "play" of a stone, which seemed to be bigger and finer.

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by victorious "march" of platina in jewellery production.

Silver was known to the humankind from the earliest times. It is connected to the fact that the metal was often found in native state and it wasn't necessary to eliquate it from the ore. Silver was considered as sacred and symbolized the Moon in Assyria and Babylon, in the Middle Ages it was very popular among alchemists.