Platinum as the Pinnacle of Luxury
for its brilliance.
The precious metal platinum is coveted the world over for not just its beauty and brilliance, but its strong and tactile nature. It is those most rarefied qualities that make it highly sought-after in the worlds of jewellery and the decorative arts, as well as industries of advanced mechanics and technology and more recently skincare.
The legend of platinum begins thousands of years ago, in Ancient Egypt. It is there that archaeologists have discovered the earliest uses of the rare metal in elaborate jewellery and embellished ritual objects. The fine metal can also be traced to South America, where ancient civilizations like the Incas incorporated the mesmerizing metal within ceremonial regalia and as coveted gifts to master craftsman and artisans.
It wasn’t until 1751 that platinum was classified as its own element, when its peculiar makeup and exalted virtues were finally beginning to be comprehended by the time’s top minds. After elaborating experimentations and scientific breakthroughs, the precious metal’s desirable attributes of durability, malleability, resistance, and perhaps most importantly, beauty, were realized.
Today, when one imagines haute-joaillerie, platinum most certainly comes to mind. But it wasn’t until 1890 that the modern use of the precious metal appears in jewellery especially created for King Edward VII of England.
Then swiftly, platinum’s appearance in prized possessions and personal adornments gains, thanks to its luminosity, refusal to tarnish, and compliant character in delicate hand fabrication. Its presence in Art Deco jewellery, gilded architectural design, and glimmering openwork filigree cement the rare element’s prestige as one synonymous with extravagance. Its resistance to discoloration allows it to perfectly compliment the radiance of precious gems.
Platinum’s fame is then found beyond the world of ornamentation, as it becomes understood to be quite useful when applied to mechanical and technical instruments. Thanks to its demonstrated durability, the metal is soon employed in fine watchmaking, used to create precise mechanisms, complicated movements, and timepieces that no doubt stand the test of time in both design and exactitude. And it is that interminable prowess that has allowed platinum to more recently lend itself to automotive, therapeutic, and technology industries.
Intrigued by the unique properties of platinum, the scientist at La Prairie developed the signature Platinum Multi-Peptide, attaching three different peptides with complementary actions to spherical platinum particles. These three peptides were designed to act as signals to trigger rejuvenating cellular activities and thus, to support key rejuvenating processes in the different skin layers.
The Platinum Multi-Peptide, in conjunction with the House’s Exclusive Cellular Complex, is the foundation of La Prairie’s Science of Haute Rejuvenation, embodied in the Platinum Rare Collection.
