Jewelry development Metals – facts and Techniques
Jewelry development Metals – facts and Techniques
Jewelry production metals are an important part of the jewelry artist studio. The most commonly used metals are probably silver and gold, however there is a range of jewelry production metals that give the jewelry artist flexibility when they are designing and creating their pieces.
With today’s scientific and technological advances you can consolidate many other alloys into your work.
Factors to think When selecting the Metals You Want to Work With
Cost is probably the estimate one factor.
What style of jewelry you design. If you are mostly attracted to silver, you will gravitate towards incorporating silver in your work. There is also the possibility of mixing metals to give definition and texture to a piece of jewelry. Using bi-metals were a layer of gold is fused into sterling silver, can also save money and perform the potential you are finding for.
Different metals required the use of alternative equipment. You will need to factor in the estimate of money you have to spend in tools and equipments to perform the type of jewelry designs you want to originate
Metals have a range of alloys that when added together supply the unique properties of each one.
Silver Alloys: Silver, has the top thermal conductivity.
• Fine-Silver is about 99.9% pure. In this form it is a lustrous and soft.
• Sterling-Silver is an alloy containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other components, normally copper.
• Argentium Silver is a tarnish defiant silver and firescale free. It is perfectly malleable once annealed, and is approximately twice as hard as original sterling silver.
Most high potential silver items are stamped with a “fineness” or “quality” mark. This mark designates the article of the jewelry, and under federal law, must be accompanied by a maker’s mark or registered trademark. The most important thing is that silver is more affordable than gold and makes wonderful jewelry!
Pure Gold: is 24 Karats, which is the imagine for the high price on jewelry made with 24K.
The explication to production gold consumer-friendly is to mix it with someone else material, creating an alloy that results in a stronger and often less-expensive piece.
Carats (also written as karats and abbreviated as kt) are the measure of the ratio of gold to other metals contained within the alloy. The more gold an alloy contains, the higher the caratage is.
Gold alloys typically span a range from 8 to 18 carats. An 8 carat alloy means that the gold article is 1/3 and an 18 carat piece is 75% gold. Other base caratages of gold jewelry alloys are 10 kt and 14 kt.
• Gold Overlay or Bi-Metal: Gold overlay is an application of gold on a base metal piece. This technique gives an item the costly look of gold for a fraction of the price. A piece of gold overlay jewelry is always stamped indicating the process and the gold’s karat quality.
• Gold Plate: This technique chemically bonds a layer of gold to a base metal using electrolysis. It is created when the base metal is coated with layer of gold with at least 10 karats.
• Gold Filled: This is the process in which a metal is layered with at least 10-karat gold by using heat and pressure. In order for jewelry to be “gold filled,” the gold article must form at least 1/20th of the item’s total weight.
• Gold over Silver: This is a gold overlay using a silver base metal. Jewelry made with Silver covered with a layer of yellow gold is carefully to be the most luxurious of the bi-metals. You can use this metal with trust because it is durable and to gives jewelry a more costly rich look.
Copper: is a great alternative to the skyrocketing prices in the precious metal market. Many jewelry artists and designers have discovered Copper as provocative alternative. Copper jewelry production can be very versatile, not only because of the cost, but also because Copper is one of the easiest metal to work with. Copper is also very pliable and thus easy to cut, form and fold. Copper jewelry production is easier than ever because of the accessibility of the metal. Copper can be found at jewelry supply and metal supply stores. Like many of the other metals, Copper can be purchased in many forms: Wire, sheet, tube, chain, beads and jewelry components.
Platifina: Introduced in 2005, platifina is a new sterling silver alloy comprised of 92.5 percent silver, 1 percent platinum and 6.5 percent other metals (that’s a trade secret). This new alloy creates a metal that is brighter in color than whether silver or pure platinum and is guaranteed tarnish-resistant, yet platifina jewelry is much more affordable than platinum jewelry.
Karatium: Alloys are a new house of alloys containing a division of gold and have been formulated in response to manufactures ask for less costly metals. They are available in Yellow which contains 20% gold, Pink and White options which comprise 10% gold as well as a sterling silver alloy which contains 2.5% gold. Although Karatium alloys polish to a high luster much like original karat gold alloys, they can be priced considerably less than 10kt gold and are an provocative alternative to gold filled products since they are a true “Alloy” and not a clad stock with a base metal layer production up the majority of your jewelry. Karatium alloys also have the benefit over gold filled that the gold layer will never wear off. Karatium alloys are formulated to work well for all jewelry applications and can be cast, formed and fabricated just like karat gold alloys. All Karatium metal jewelry supplies have been formulated for optimum tarnish resistance. These qualities make Karatium a jewelry production material to investigate and experiment with.
Stainless Steel: Has recently gained in popularity as a jewelry production material, Stainless steel was developed in the 19th Century and is a blend of iron-carbon alloy. It has been used in tools, structures and manufacturing. Jewelry artists have recently started using it because its resistance to Its provocative grey color, vigor and low cost, has made stainless steel a good alternative metal for production jewelry.
Titanium: Titanium is probably the strongest available. It is an industrial metal that has been recently introduce into the jewelry industry. Titanium has an provocative gray tone and gives jewelry a contemporary look. It is corrosion, tarnish and discoloration resistant. Titanium can be fabricated into distinct designs and has come to be a great alternative for wedding and engagement rings.
Tungsten: Also called wolfram, is formed from super dense alloys and is used in products fluctuating from golf club heads to weapons. This metal is as strong as steel and about twice the weight, production this metal approximately wear proof and a perfect alternative for jewelry making.
Palladium: Is a lustrous silvery white jewelry production material used in electronics, jewelry, and definite other industries. Palladium is carefully to be a precious metal. With its provocative color and durable nature is the perfect metal to use for wedding jewelry which is startling to keep its appearance for decades.
Bronze: An early copper alloy; so early, in fact, that an entire era – the Bronze Age – was named for it. Bronze was used for production bracelets, ankles, and earrings, and beaded necklaces. Bronze is gaining in popularity because of its color and the easiness to originate provocative textures.
Brass: consolidate copper with zinc and you see the golden luster of brass. Brass is a malleable, and has a high-luster, that gives it the appearance of gold. Bronze was used primarily to originate functional items such as door knobs and photograph frames. Brass has now gained in popularity as a metal amongst jewelry designers
Some of the metals, such as, bronze, copper and silver can be etched by using a ready explication of ferric chloride which also contains hydrochloric acid. This process allows you to originate unique textures and designs. Make sure you supervene instructions when etching any of these three metals and that you arrange of the explication properly.
Alpaca (Alpacca): Not to be confused with the animal, alpaca is a relatively new metal jewelry production supply, predominantly made of copper alloyed with nickel, zinc, and tin. The reduced price of alpaca makes it a natural jewelry production material substitute for silver in fashion jewelry.
Pewter: As copper alloyed with tin became bronze, tin alloyed with copper and lead resulted in pewter. Pewter was mostly used in the manufacturing of tableware as well as being a base metal often used for rings and pendants. When polished to a high luster, pewter approaches the elegant sheen of fine silver.
Now that you are well-known with the distinct types of jewelry production metals, you can begin to enhance you designs.
