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From bridal jewelry and wedding bands to tie accents and timepieces, jewelry designers use platinum in some of their most distinctive designs.

If you want to look at innovators in platinum, Oscar Heyman, which turns 100 this year,  is among the very first to come to mind.

Known for its classic designs and its coveted floral brooches and jungle animals, the third-generation family company makes the gemstones--whether diamonds, pearls or colored gemstones--the focal point of every piece.

Oscar Heyman platinum necklace with 22.3 carats of marquise diamonds and 19.57 carats round diamonds. Photo courtesy of Oscar Heyman

“The beauty, the essence, the color, the lustre of a stone are of primary importance in our jewelry,” the company said in a recent question-and-answer with Platinum Guild International USA. “The platinum enables us to present and showcase the extraordinary gemstones in their best light.”

The brothers behind the company were trained in European jewelry-making techniques and have created pieces that were specially commissioned by Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston among other retailers. They are currently working on a favorite platinum piece for a retail partner: a platinum and chrysoberyl cat’s eye and diamond necklace with almost 100 carats of cat’s eye, calling it “as rare and elegant a necklace as we have ever made.”

Another company pushing the limits of platinum design is a newer company, Diamond in the Rough, that is known for featuring rough diamonds, often in geometric shapes, in exquisite platinum settings.

The company explains its philosophy as follows: “No two rough diamonds are alike; because they are not cut and polished into a more uniform shape and size, each rough diamond engagement ring is a unique work of art.”

Diamond in the Rough “Signature” platinum engagement ring with a natural rough diamond center.

The brand has found an audience for its rough beauties on the red carpet, with celebrities such as Demi Moore, Jennifer Lopez, and Julianne Hough among those photographed wearing the brand.

With so many beautiful platinum pieces made for women, what about men?

Cliq, which is known for its Superfit technology that allows for the size of engagement rings and wedding bands to be adjusted, is trying to answer that call with platinum jewelry that is the “ultimate expression of status,” for men, says Eric Alulis of Cliq jewelry.

This Cliq tie accent featuring black and white diamonds is one of the company’s many men’s accessories offered in platinum.

“Unlike women, men generally accumulate fewer pieces of fine jewelry over their lifetime, so each piece of platinum jewelry is meant to celebrate a special occasion or achievement,” Alulis says.

The company offers cuff links, tie accents and shirt studs in platinum, sometimes with diamonds.