Nitric acid can be used to perform a quick test to differentiate between palladium and silver. Palladium won't react to nitric acid, whereas silver will oxidize and turn a light brown color.
Palladium 500 and 950
Three standards of fineness marks are recognised for palladium hallmarks. They are 500 (50% pure), 950 (95% pure), plus 999 (99.9% pure) for 'pure palladium'. Palladium of 500 fineness is harder than 950, and more suitable for intricate items.
Platinum is denser — and stronger — than palladium. It's also resistant to rust and corrosive materials. Palladium is durable, too, but less so than platinum. Another interesting fact about both metals is that, when they get scratched, they don't lose any metal.
Palladium is a metal found primarily in Russia, South Africa, and Canada. It is stronger than platinum and has a wide range of uses, from dentistry to automotive to manufacturing to electronics.
Galileo Mining Ltd (ASX:GAL) has received the highest palladium and platinum results to date from its 100%-owned Norseman project in Western Australia. Palladium and platinum drill results extend over nine kilometres of strike length along a well-defined geological trend.
Like other Hardmode ores, Palladium is generated upon destruction of an Altar with a Pwnhammer, it is immune to all types of explosions and requires at least a Molten Pickaxe to mine. It can also be obtained from Crates.
Use a Magnet
Palladium isn't magnetic. If the piece you have is a forgery, it may contain iron. This is because iron is an inexpensive metal that's relatively easy to mold and shape. If your piece contains any amount of iron, it will react to a magnet.
Like most other precious metals Palladium does scratch. Despite being harder than Platinum, it will nevertheless pick up scratches.
It is now cherished for its lustrous silvery-white finish and because of its similar properties to platinum. Palladium is resistant to corrosion and will not tarnish in air.
Like Platinum, Palladium is stamped '950' which is a measure of the metal purity.
Palladium is the most valuable of the four major precious metals, with an acute shortage driving prices to records in recent years.
Palladium is highly magnetic because of its high magnetic susceptibility. Palladium is diamagnetic in bulk form and has the potential to become ferromagnetic.
Palladium will not tarnish and is great for filigree work, allowing for a broad spectrum of designs. Palladium rings are also 12% harder than Platinum, which translates into less signs of wear than Platinum.
Palladium is often used in cell phone and laptop components, and it's also found in ceramic capacitors having multiple layers. Due to the metal's high level of conductivity, manufacturers commonly include it in the connector plates of a variety of electronic products.
Palladium is a chemical element that is similar to platinum. A rare, silver-white precious metal, palladium has been commonly used for fine jewelry since the 1930s.
Palladium has the appearance of a soft silver-white metal that resembles platinum. It is the least dense and has the lowest melting point of the platinum group metals. It is soft and ductile when annealed and is greatly increased in strength and hardness when cold-worked.
Also, you won't have the disappointing experience of having your jewelry turn yellow and dull as you would with traditional white gold as palladium white gold does not change color over time and doesn't require any form of plating.
Palladium does not tarnish and will keep it's white color indefinitely. It is much lighter than platinum, similar in weight to 14 karat gold. I find that at current precious metal markets the same design cost a bit less in palladium than it cost in 14k palladium white gold.
Palladium's lustrous silver-white color makes it an attractive choice for jewelry. Whiter than platinum, palladium does not need to be plated in rhodium or other alloys.
You can find palladium scrap in many different items. A couple places to look include: Palladium alloys used for manufacturing: Look out for palladium sponges, palladium flakes, palladium sputter and sputtering targets. Palladium jewelry items: This can include rings, chains, bracelets, jewelry scrap.
According to the International Platinum Group Metals Association, in the electronics sector, most palladium is used for multi-layer ceramic (chip) capacitors (MLCC). MLCCs store energy in electronic devices such as broadcasting equipment, mobile telephones, computers, electronic lighting and high voltage circuits.
The largest use of palladium today is in catalytic converters. Palladium is also used in jewelry, dentistry, watch making, blood sugar test strips, aircraft spark plugs, surgical instruments, and electrical contacts. Palladium is also used to make professional transverse (concert or classical) flutes.