Information about Palladium
Palladium is a relative newcomer to the jewellery industry, with the Assay office only regonising and compulsory hallmarking it since 2010. Palladium is from the Platinum group of metals (also containing Rhodium & Ruthenium) which means it has a very white appearance, much like its relative Platinum. It is however much lighter (about half the weight) which means the same ring like for like in Palladium will be much lighter than the Platinum one.
The Assay Office Palladium '950' mark
A Typical Alloy Mix:
Palladium 95% + Ruthenium 5% approx.
Confusingly the Hallmark in Palladium looked very similar to the Platinum one, the new above pictured Hallmark makes the metal easier to identify when looking at the Assay markings under a 10x loupe. Like Platinum, Palladium is stamped '950' which is a measure of the metal purity.
Palladium has no 'memory' so it doesn't spring back at all which is great for setting stones, however the metal can sometimes be hard to cast as it reacts with hydrogen.