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However, the same physical properties that make Iridium the most beautiful metal in the world has also made it impossible for mankind through the ages to make jewelry from it. First, it is extremely hard. Hold an Iridium ring. It is heavier and denser than platinum, giving it a richer more luxurious feel in the hand. Second, it melts at twice the temperature of gold (more than 2,000 degrees hotter) making it impossible for jewelers to reach the melting point necessary to cast a smooth luxurious surface without any pitting or other imperfections. This higher melting temperature is one reason Iridium has a luster similar to a fine high luster pearl. Hold an Iridium ring next to a platinum ring and the deeper lustrous sheen is immediately apparent.

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These unique properties of extreme hardness, high melting point and ultra high luster is why NASA uses it to build key components exposed to the environment in outer space where Iridium, unlike other metals, can withstand the effects of solar radiation and extreme heat and cold.

SmithsonTennant is a division of American Elements, the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced materials for high technology applications, which includes a longstanding relationship with NASA, Space X and the European Space Agency (ESA). American Elements first began producing Iridium components for NASA over two decades ago developing the metallurgical processes and ultra-high temperature advanced vacuum furnaces that proved necessary to melt and cast iridium free of pits, scratches or other surface anomalies sufficient to meet the extremely high tolerance standards of the U.S. space program (and since 2009 when American Elements announced to the world it had produced the first iridium ring, the high standards you expect from fine luxury jewelry).