Apart from gold and silver alongside coloured gemstones, diamonds and pearls, a variety of unconventional materials are emerging in jewellery making such as ceramic, enamel, shell and other precious metals. 

The Osmium-Institut Zur Inverkehrbringung Und Zertifizierung Von Osmium GmbH, for instance, recently introduced the potential of using crystalline osmium as a jewellery material.

Sourced as a by-product of platinum mining, osmium is one of the world’s rarest precious metals, said the institute. Only 30 grams of osmium can be found in 10,000 tonnes of platinum ore. In its crystallised form, it is the last of the eight precious metals to be made tradeable in the market. 

Highly sought after as a store of wealth, crystalline osmium has been used in luxury watches and other high-end consumer goods such as headphones. It is now gaining more popularity in the jewellery world as inlays and accents for upmarket pieces. 

Hong Kong-based Tania Chan, the first high-end jewellery designer in Asia to use osmium in her jewellery designs, debuted her osmium collection in September this year to showcase the beauty of this precious metal.

Luxury jeweller Boucheron also incorporated unique materials in its Carte Blanche high jewellery collection, Or Bleu. For instance, the Eau d’Encre bracelet features obsidian, a volcanic stone known for its deep black hue while the Sable Noir necklace features black sand, which is agglomerated using a 3D-printing technique.