Help with translation: The history of Platinum, like other precious metals, is...

[Ivret]

Could you help me with the following text, please. It is my "amateur" summary of the introduction to the book by Donald McDonald & Leslie B. Hunt "A History of Platinum". Could you please tell me whether is sounds English or not. Some of the phrases are just a "free" translation from my native language into English, others are taken from the book. I am not sure of the word collocability (combinability, valency) of the word combinations, the structure of the sentences, the stylistic relevance of some words.
I would sincerely appreciate your commenatry and advice.

The Text

"The history of Platinum, like other precious metals, is estimated about 1 million years. But unlike gold and silver, which have always been highly esteemed and used by our ancestors for the production of goblets, dishes and other household articles, Platinum has a complex and difficult fate. Even the name of the metal is the result of an ignorant mistake, made by the Spanish Conquistadors of the 16th century. While panning for gold in New Granada they discovered alluvial deposits of the rare white metal. Spaniards misunderstood the value of the metal, having wrongly taken it for low-grade silver. They named it “Platina”, a diminutive of Plata, the Spanish word for silver. Thus for many years Platinum had no value except as a means of counterfeiting. It was only in the middle of the eighteenth century that Platinum became a tough challenge to European scientists trying to understand and use the metal. But owing to its impressive chemical and physical properties, Platinum was mostly associated with science and technology, than with art and beauty.
And only in the 20th century still remaining irreplaceable for many scientific and technological tasks, the white metal really became the core of the most distinguished jewelry pieces, that finally turned it into the most elegant and precious metal, perfectly accentuating splendor and natural colour of rich stones, especially diamonds."

[Alan]

Hi Ivret,

I offer some suggestions in capital letters:

"The history of Platinum, like other precious metals, is estimated TO GO BACK about 1 million years. But unlike gold and silver, which have always been highly esteemed and used by our ancestors for the production of goblets, dishes and other household articles, Platinum has HAD ? a complex and difficult fate. Even the name of the metal is the result of an ignorant mistake, made by the Spanish Conquistadors of the 16th century. While panning for gold in New Granada they discovered alluvial deposits of the/A rare white metal. Spaniards misunderstood the value of the metal, having wrongly MIStaken it for low-grade silver. They named it “Platina”, a diminutive of Plata, the Spanish word for silver. Thus for many years Platinum had no value except as a means of counterfeiting. It was only in the middle of the eighteenth century that Platinum became a tough challenge to/FOR European scientists trying to understand and use the metal. But owing to its impressive chemical and physical properties, Platinum was mostly/MORE OFTEN associated with science and technology, than with art and beauty.
(And) IT WAS only in the 20th century, WHILE still remaining irreplaceable for many scientific and technological tasks, DID the/THIS white metal really becOme the core/THE CENTRAL PART of the most distinguished jewelry pieces(,) AND that finally turned it into the most elegant and precious metal, perfectly accentuating THE splendor(OUR) and natural colour (OR)of rich stones, especially diamonds."

You need to be consistent and either use Brish English spelling or American English - in other words OR or OUR for both words in your last line

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Subjunctive

[Ivret]

Alan,

Thank you very very much for your commentary.