What Platinum 950 is worth and how dealers price it
Platinum 950 contains 95% platinum, normally alloyed with ruthenium, iridium or cobalt. It is denser than gold, so a Pt950 ring feels noticeably heavier than an 18k ring of the same size — one of the quickest ways to tell them apart before testing.
Marks to look for are PT950, 950, PLAT or Pt. White gold is often mistaken for platinum: an 18k white gold ring is marked 750 and will be lighter, and its rhodium plating wears yellow over time while platinum stays grey.
Platinum refining is more specialised than gold, so payouts are lower: many buyers offer 70–85% of melt, and some high-street jewellers will not quote on platinum at all. Specialist refiners handling larger lots pay closer to 90% less a refining charge.
Worked example: a 6.8 g Pt950 band holds 6.46 g of pure platinum. Enter 6.8 g at 950 above for the live euro melt value, then compare offers at 75% and 85% payout to see how much the dealer's margin matters.
Platinum prices are driven largely by industrial demand, especially autocatalysts, so they can diverge sharply from gold. Always check the live figure on the day you sell rather than relying on a price you saw last month.