| Comment Number: | 517683-00002 |
| Received: | 7/25/2005 1:49:30 PM |
| Organization: | C.F.Kisner, Inc. |
| Commenter: | Francis Kisner |
| State: | PA |
| Agency: | Federal Trade Commission |
| Rule: | Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries |
| Docket ID: | To Be Added |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
I oppose loosening the standards for platinum. In the case of gold, at the time long ago when alloys were developed, the reason was not to create a more perfect gold but to make material last longer. Correctly alloyed gold resists wear better than gold in pure form. Platinum in the currently popular 900Pt/100Ir is much more wear resistant than the best alloyed gold available. Many people today exhibit sensitivity to the alloy part of jewelry. Even a small amount of nickel can induce a sensitivity in the skin which will show up in the form of reactions to other metals. Do we know if this will occur in platinum/non-platinum blends as it does in gold/non-precious alloys? In the form of high platinum/platinum group metals, trained metal smiths are able to perform repairs and alterations without concern that they might damage the jewelry by overheating. Traditional platinum alloys are so immune to oxidation the we do not use oxygen blocking flux coverings on the platinum. Are the new low platinum / non-platinum alloys repairable or do they include metals that will ocydize? If they, how can they be cleaned?