The increased use of palladium (alloys) for fine jewelry has prompted the need to understand its unique working properties. This paper explores the working characteristics of palladium as related to general jewelry manufacturing work offered in the industry, including servicing and repair (ring sizing, cleaning and polishing), setting, assembly of components and the hand-fabrication of custom jewelry. Palladium influences on manufacturing techniques such as soldering, assembly, torch and laser welding, pre-finishing, polishing and gemstone setting are also reviewed and illustrated via topic-specific projects. Featured projects provide an overview of efficient working procedures for palladium alone and in combination with other alloys.

Author: Mark B. Mann