Platinum was discovered at the turn of the century and contributed hugely to the inventive imagination of Edwardian jewelry makers in Great Britain , famous for making delicate and frail-looking designs that have lasted so well over the many decades. Platinum can be shaped into very detailed jewelry and the most flimsy decorations hold true with the passage of time. Today designers are capitalizing on the sleek, silvery look of the metal. The only drawback is that many jewelers don't have the complex equipment to work with this exclusive material and platinum jewelry tends to the very classic, simple and austere designs. The Edwardian fashion of using it for intricate designs has not continued into our century and the design varieties are, as yet, very limited. This will probably change over the next decade, but for now, platinum lovers don't have the great diversity of designs to choose from that gold offers.