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Is platinum magnetic or not?
Pure platinum isn’t magnetic.
Platinum is a “paramagnetic” material. This means it’s only very weakly attracted to a magnetic field and does not retain any magnetism once the field is removed.
In practical terms, this means pure-platinum object won’t noticeably stick to a magnet due to its minimal magnetic properties.
Below are the common questions people have about magnetizing platinum items and jewelry and whether it’s really possible.
- Can Pure Platinum Ever Be Magnetic?
- Under Which Circumstances Can Platinum Become Magnetic?
- Are Rings Made of Platinum Magnetic? What About Other Types of Jewelry?
- Is 950 Platinum Magnetic? What About Platinum 999, 850,Â
- Is Raw Platinum Magnetic?
Table of Contents
Can Pure Platinum Ever Be Magnetic?
Pure platinum can never be magnetic. It’s a paramagnetic material that won’t noticeably magnetize when exposed to a magnet.
Pure platinum is immune to magnets, but things change when this precious metal is alloyed with other magnetic metals.
See right below for more details.
Under Which Circumstances Can Platinum Become Magnetic?
Platinum can become magnetized when it’s alloyed with other ferromagnetic metals and materials.
For example, platinum is often alloyed with cobalt, nickel and iron and the presence of these metals makes the entire platinum object respond to magnets.
The magnetic reaction happens even when the alloy consists of 90% platinum and just 10% of ferromagnetic material, for example cobalt. 10% cobalt is enough for a noticeable magnetic effect, though obviously the more ferromagnetic metal used, the stronger the item’s attachment to magnets.
Platinum remains immune to magnet when it’s alloyed with non-magnetic metals like gold (gold is non-magnetic precious metal), silver (silver is non-magnetic precious metal), palladium (palladium is also non-magnetic) iridium and others.
Are Rings Made of Platinum Magnetic? What About Other Types of Jewelry?
No, rings made of pure platinum aren’t magnetic. Rings and any other type of platinum jewelry (bracelets, chains, necklaces, pendants, broches…) made of platinum alloyed with ferromagnetic materials will become magnetized when exposed to magnets.
For example, here’s this person on Reddit who claims they bought a bracelet made of pure platinum and pure authentic gold.
Neither platinum nor gold are ferromagnetic so the bracelet should be 100% unresponsive to magnets. And yet, this person says the platinum part of their bracelet responds to a magnet and that she can pick up the entire bracelet with a single magnet.
Obviously, her “pure platinum” bracelet is only- platinum-coated and the base metal is reactive to magnets.
Or the entire bracelet is made of fake platinum.
Fake platinum is rampant on the market, but knowing genuine platinum doesn’t magnetize gives you an edge. I already described how to test platinum at home with magnets so I won’t repeat myself here.
But here’s a helpful image as illustration and you can visit the link above for more details.
Is 950 Platinum Magnetic? What About Platinum 999, 850,Â
Platinum 950 can be both magnetic or not, depending on the other metals alloyed with platinum. Platinum 950 isn’t magnetic when alloyed with diamagnetic metals like gold, silver, palladium, iridium…
Platinum 950 is magnetic when alloyed with ferromagnet materials and metals like iron, cobalt, nickel and some forms of stainless steel.
Platinum 999 is not magnetic and can never be magnetic. Platinum 999 is the purest form of platinum with at least 99.9% pure platinum content. Pure platinum isn’t magnetic and there’s only 0.1% room left for any other metal.
Platinum 859 can be magnetic or not depending on the presence of other metals. It’s magnetic when alloyed with ferromagnetic metals and materials. It’s not magnetic when alloyed with other non-magnetic precious metals.
Platinum items and jewelry hallmarked 600 Plat. 400Irid means that they’re made of a alloy consisting of 60% platinum and 40% iridium. These will always be non-magnetic as both platinum and iridium are noble metals are diamagnetic.
Is Raw Platinum Magnetic?
No, raw platinum isn’t magnetic.
Raw platinum extracted from the ground can be contaminated with ferrous metal particles, but it’s never the huge amount needed to cause a magnetic reaction.
Are Platinum Coins and Bars Magnetic or Not?
No, genuine platinum coins and bars aren’t magnetic. You can test platinum coins and bars you have in your home safe with magnets, ice, water and many other free methods.
Note: there are plenty of gold IRA scams on the market and you want to make sure you buy genuine platinum bullion when investing your retirement savings and hard-earned money.
I recommend you check out Augusta Precious Metals if you’re looking to open a silver IRA account or a gold IRA account (with both of these accounts you can buy IRA-eligible platinum bullion). Augusta Precious Metals are a safe US gold investment company that sell a wide variety of IRA-approved precious metal bullion.
They also allow you to buy physical precious metals outside of your IRA account.
Is Platinum Magnetic? Can Platinum Be Magnetized Under Certain Circumstances or Not? (Conclusion)
Pure platinum isn’t magnetic.
Platinum is a “paramagnetic” material. This means it’s only very weakly attracted to a magnetic field and does not retain any magnetism once the field is removed.
Platinum-made items (for example jewelry) can become magnetic when platinum is alloyed with ferromagnetic metals and materials.
You can read my post for more details and if you have questions send them in the comment section below.
- Is my 950 platinum bracelet actually platinum?- https://www.reddit.com/r/jewelry/comments/195rplc/is_my_950_platinum_bracelet_actually_platinum/
- Is platinum magnetic: why is my platinum jewelry sticking to magnets and other questions about Platinum Jewelry- https://wulfdiamondjewelers.com/is-platinum-magnetic/
- Testing precious metals with magnets- https://www.quicktest.co.uk/blogs/testing-precious-metals/testing-precious-metals-with-magnets
- Is Platinum Magnetic Yes or No? A Simple Explanation- https://www.boyiprototyping.com/materials-guide/is-platinum-magnetic/
- Is platinum magnetic?- https://www.quora.com/Is-platinum-magnetic
Nikola Roza
Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.
