Palladium was discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston, who named it after the asteroid Pallas and, oddly, first sold it anonymously as a new silver. A naturally white, hypoallergenic platinum-group metal about 40 percent lighter than platinum, it is used in fine jewelry on its own and as the white metal in palladium white gold.
Palladium is the youngest, rarest and most unusual of the precious jewelry metals. Discovered barely two centuries ago, named after an asteroid, and sold at first under a cloud of secrecy and scandal, it has become a naturally white, feather-light member of the platinum family. This is the story of palladium, from a Soho shop counter to the wedding bands and white gold of today.
Named after an asteroid
1803
Discovered by William Hyde Wollaston
40%
Lighter than platinum
950
Standard purity for palladium jewelry
2010
Year it gained its own UK hallmark
Palladium is the newcomer among the precious metals, and the only one named after a celestial body. In 1803 the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston isolated it from crude platinum ore shipped from South America. He named his discovery after Pallas, an asteroid spotted in the sky just months earlier, which in turn carried the name of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
It was not entirely unknown before then. As early as 1700, miners in Brazil had come across a pale metal mixed with their gold and dismissed it as ouro podre, or worthless gold, never realizing it was a new element. Wollaston was also a remarkably productive scientist: the year after palladium, he discovered rhodium, the very metal that today gives white gold its bright plating.
Named for a goddess of wisdom
Palladium takes its name from the asteroid Pallas, itself named for Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. No other precious jewelry metal is named after an object in space, a fitting origin for the rarest and newest of them.
Sold in secret
What happened next is one of the strangest episodes in the history of any metal. Rather than announcing his find to the scientific world, Wollaston quietly put palladium up for sale, anonymously, advertising it as a mysterious new silver in a small shop in Soho, London. He told no one he was the discoverer.
The secrecy backfired. A rival chemist, Richard Chenevix, bought some, tested it, and publicly declared it a fraud, an alloy of platinum and mercury rather than a true element. The accusation stood for nearly two years. Finally, in 1805, Wollaston revealed himself as the discoverer and presented a full, convincing account proving palladium was genuinely new. The metal that began life as an anonymous curiosity took its rightful place on the periodic table.
What makes palladium unique
Palladium belongs to the platinum group metals, a family of six closely related elements that share a silvery-white color and exceptional resistance to corrosion. Like platinum, palladium is naturally white, does not tarnish, and is hypoallergenic, so it never needs the rhodium plating that white gold relies on to stay bright.
Palladium shares platinum's white color and corrosion resistance, at well under half the weight.
Its defining trait for jewelry is weight, or rather the lack of it. Palladium is about 40 percent lighter than platinum, with a density of 12 grams per cubic centimeter against platinum's 21.45, which makes it comfortable for larger pieces that would feel heavy in platinum. It is also rarer than gold, with supply concentrated in just a few regions. Compared with platinum, it offers a very similar look at a fraction of the heft.
Palladium in jewelry
In fine jewelry palladium plays two roles. On its own it is usually 950, meaning 95 percent pure, and used for wedding bands and settings that benefit from its light weight and naturally white color. Just as importantly, palladium is one of the white metals mixed into gold to make palladium white gold, a premium, hypoallergenic alternative to the nickel alloys covered in the history of white gold.
| Standard | Pure palladium | Mark | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palladium 999 | 99.9% | Pd999 | Nearly pure; used mainly for bullion and investment |
| Palladium 950 | 95.0% | Pd950 | The standard for fine palladium jewelry, such as wedding bands |
| Palladium 500 | 50.0% | Pd500 | Harder; suited to intricate or detailed designs |
Palladium earned formal recognition late. It became subject to compulsory hallmarking in the United Kingdom only in January 2010, its purity marked with a Pallas Athena head, a nod to the goddess behind its name. It saw a surge of popularity in jewelry in the 2000s when platinum prices were high, and like the other white metals it stepped in for platinum during the Second World War. For the full comparison, the precious metals comparison guide places it beside gold, silver and platinum.
Good to Know
Because palladium is less commonly stocked than it once was, some jewelers no longer offer resizing or repairs for it. If you choose palladium, confirm that your jeweler supports it, or consider platinum, which is more widely serviced across the trade. The complete guide to platinum jewelry covers the closest white-metal alternative in full.
Palladium today
Most palladium never reaches a jewelry case. Around 85 percent of it goes into catalytic converters, where it scrubs harmful gases from car exhaust, with more used in electronics, dentistry and hydrogen technology. That industrial demand, combined with a tight supply concentrated in Russia and South Africa, has at times pushed the price of palladium above even gold.
For jewelry buyers, palladium remains an underrated choice: a genuine platinum-group metal, naturally white, hypoallergenic and light to wear. It completes a family of six metals that have defined fine jewelry, from gold and silver to platinum and the gold colors, each with a story of its own.
Palladium is named after the asteroid Pallas.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry, periodic-table.rsc.org
Further reading: FTC Jewelry Guides. The Royal Society of Chemistry maintains the authoritative periodic table; the FTC Jewelry Guides govern how palladium content is marked and described in the US.
In Short
1Palladium was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston, named after the asteroid Pallas, and first sold anonymously as a new silver before he proved it a true element in 1805.
2It is a platinum-group metal: naturally white, tarnish-resistant and hypoallergenic, needing no plating, and about 40 percent lighter than platinum.
3In jewelry palladium is usually 950 pure and is also the white metal in palladium white gold; it gained its own UK hallmark in 2010.
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From an anonymous sale in a London shop to the catalytic converters and wedding bands of today, palladium has traveled a stranger road than any other precious metal. Naturally white, remarkably light and genuinely rare, it is the quiet, modern member of the platinum family, and a fitting final chapter in the story of the metals behind fine jewelry. Every order ships free with a 30-day return policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
01
Who discovered palladium and when?
Palladium was discovered in 1803 by the English chemist and physicist William Hyde Wollaston, who isolated it from crude platinum ore. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which had been spotted only months earlier, and the following year he discovered a second element, rhodium.
02
Why was palladium sold in secret?
Palladium was sold in secret because Wollaston, rather than publishing his discovery, anonymously offered the metal for sale as a new silver in a London shop. A rival chemist denounced it as a fraudulent alloy, and only in 1805 did Wollaston reveal himself and prove palladium was a genuine new element.
03
Is palladium a precious metal?
Palladium is a precious metal and one of the six platinum-group metals, alongside platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. It is naturally white, resistant to tarnish and corrosion, hypoallergenic, and rarer than gold, with supply concentrated in only a few regions of the world.
04
Is palladium better than platinum?
Palladium and platinum share a naturally white color, tarnish resistance and hypoallergenic comfort, and neither needs plating. The main difference is weight: palladium is about 40 percent lighter, which suits larger pieces, while platinum is denser, more durable and more widely serviced by jewelers. The history of platinum covers the comparison.
05
What does Pd950 mean?
Palladium marked Pd950 is 95 percent pure palladium, the standard for fine palladium jewelry such as wedding bands. UK hallmarking also recognizes Pd500 at 50 percent, which is harder and suited to detailed designs, and Pd999 at 99.9 percent, used mainly for bullion. Palladium gained compulsory UK hallmarking in 2010.
06
Does palladium need replating like white gold?
Palladium does not need replating. It is naturally white throughout, so unlike white gold, which relies on a rhodium coating that wears and must be renewed, palladium keeps its color permanently. This is one reason palladium is also used as the white metal in palladium white gold, as explained in the history of white gold.
