About: Jewelry Metal ; Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel, Alloy, Gold, Platinum,
            Annealing, Plating, Aluminum, Pewter, Alpacca, Oxidation, Vermeil, etc.

*Alloy

An  Alloy  is  combination  of  two  or  more  metals. Common  alloys  used  in  jewelry  are: Gold  under  24 K, (had mixed  with silver, copper  and/or other metals), Sterling Silver (92.5% silver 7.5% copper), Brass (roughly half copper, half zinc), Bronze (at least 60% copper  with  tin  and  perhaps  other  metals),and Pewter (tin, lead, antimony and  a  bit of  silver or copper).

*Alpaca / Alpacca

Alpaca  is  an  alloy  consisting  of  mostly  copper (roughly 60%) and  approximately  20% nickel, about 20%  zinc, about  5% tin. This  metal  is  a  silver  substitute.

*Aluminum

Aluminum  is  a  light  weight  silver-white  metal. When  aluminum  was  first  discovered in the 18th century, it was more valuable than gold. Now inexpensive. Aluminum is used in many alloys. Some inexpensive jewelry was made using aluminum.

*Anodized

Anodized  metal  has  been  through  an  electrochemical  process  which  changes  the molecular  structure  of  the  surface layer, giving  it  a  thin  protective  film. In  the anodization process,  the  metal  is  placed  in  an  acid  bath (at the “anode” or  positive end of  the electrical  circuit), and  an  electrical  current  is  passed  through  the  tank.

This  process  causes  a  controlled  oxidation  of  the  metal’s  surface  to  occur  (oxygen atoms bond  to  surface  atoms  of  the  metal).Aluminum  is  often  anodized, as  is magnesium,  titanium  and  tantalum. Anodized  has a lustrous sheen; the  anodizing process can  produce colorful  surfaces.

*Annealing

Annealing  is  the  process  of  heating  a  metal  and  then  cooling  it  to  make  it  more workable. As  metal is  worked (hammered ,rolled, etc) stresses  make  the  metal  brittle (the metal  molecules  are  pulled  into  random  structures  during  the  working).

Annealing  the  metal  make  the  metal  recrystallize, putting  the  molecules  in  an orderly structure.  The  temperature (and amount  of  time  it takes) for  annealing  a metal depends on  what metal  or  alloy  it  is. Large  pieces  are  annealed  in  an annealing oven; small pieces are  annealed  using  a  blow-torch.      

*Blue Gold

Blue  gold  is  gold  with  a  bluish  tinge. It  has  been  alloyed  with  a mix  that includes iron.

*Electroplate  or  Plating :

Electro  plating (also  called  Galvanotechnics  after  its  inventor, Luigi  Galvani) is  a process in which  one  metal  is  coated  with  another  metal  using  electricity.

*German Silver

This  is  just  a name, since German  Silver or Nickel  Silver is  not  silver  at all.
German  Silver  is  an  alloy  of  60%  copper, 20%  nickel  and  20% zinc. If  put  5%  of  tin in this  alloy  it  is  called  Alpaca. This  alloy  was  first  used  in  mid  1800s  by  the Germans  as a silver  substitute.

*Gold

Because  of  its  unique  quality, this  metal  is  considered  the  most  precious  metal.
It  is  heavy  but  does  not  tarnished  or  corrode, and  very durable. Gold  is  also  a good conductor  of  heat  and  electricity.

Gold  in  jewelry  is  not  pure  gold  anymore. The  purity  or  fineness  of  gold  in  jewelry is indicated  by its Karat  number. 24 Karat ( 24 K or 24 Kt)  gold  is  a  pure  gold  or  fine gold and  it  is  greater  than 99.7%  pure gold.  

Anything  less  than 10K  cannot  be  called  gold. The  minimum  karat  standard  varies .

In  Indonesia  minimum  22 K. In  Italy  and  France, 18K  is  the  minimum .In  Canada  and England  the  minimum  only 9K,in  Mexico  minimum  only  8K.

Gold  articles  in  USA  have  not  to carry  a  karat or  other  quality  mark. When  a  karat mark is  applied, the  manufacturer  registered  trade  mark  must  be  stamped  near  the karat mark and  must  be  accurate  in  accordance  to  federal law.

*Gold  Filled (G.F.)

Thin  outer  layer  of  gold  on  a  base  metal.  Example, jewelry  marked
1/20 G.F. 12Kt  is  at  least 1/20th  gold  and  it  layered  with  12 karat gold. To  be classified as gold-filled, a piece  must  have  at  least 1/20 gold  by  weight.

Gold plated

*Gold  Plated

Very  thin  layer of gold on the surface  of  a  base  metal. Usuall y applied  by  the  process of electroplating.  Plating  makes  the  layer  of  gold  a  much  thinner  layer  than  Gold Filled. It is most  commonly  plated  with 10 K gold.
(I  had a  gold-plated  jewelry  that  can  stand  the  test  of  time, a  royal  replica pendant and earrings  made by  Central Java crafter that  had  been  more  three decades old. Still look  like a new.

*Grey Gold

Grey  gold  is  gold  that  has  been  alloyed  with  15-20% iron.

*Green Gold

Green  gold  is  gold  that  has  been  alloyed  with  a higher  percentage  of  silver and copper.

*Niobium

A  light  weight, tough  hypoallergenic  refractory  metal, usually  anodized  to  produce vivid colors  for  costume  jewelry. Mars  easily  and  cannot  be  soldered.

Oxidized Java Beads

*Oxidation

The  naturally  occurring  chemical  process  in  which  oxygen  atoms  bond  to  atoms of another  material (such as metal), producing  a different  chemical  compound. We  are most familiar  with  oxidizing  iron (“rust”) and  oxidized  silver, which  called ‘tarnish”.
Copper  turns  to  green  when  oxidized, adding  an  aesthetically  pleasing  age  look  to roofs, and  other  outdoor  decorations.

*Palladium                                                                     

A  durable  metal  related  to  platinum, palladium  has  recently  been  added  to  the short list of “precious” metal.  It is  less  dense  and  more  malleable  than platinum, but has a lower melting  point  and  reacts  more  readily  to acids. Palladium will  also  develop tarnish when heat  is  applied.

Palladium  used  in  jewelry  in l939  as  a  substitute  for  Platinum, which was being used for the war effort. After  the war, it was used  rarely because  there  were  difficulties working it. When  white  gold  is  alloyed  with palladium  instead  of  nickel,  a grey - white gold  is produced.  Because  palladium  has become  very  useful  in  an  catalytic converters, its  price has  risen  dramatically (more than silver or gold) making  it  an impractical  alternative to platinum.

*Patina

A  film  formed  naturally  on metals through exposure  to  the  elements  for an extended period. Oxidation  will  turn  copper  and  bronze  green, silver, black and gold reddish. Patina is a  generally thought  enrich  the  value  of antiques, but  can be  artificially produced by the control  application  of acids  or  electrolytes  to newer objects.

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*Pewter

A  soft  metal  alloy  composed  mostly  of tin,  with lead, antimony, bismuth, copper and/or silver added. Polished  pewter  has  a  silvery luster.  Pewter can easily worked  by several different  method, the  most  popular  being  castings  of charms, hammering  of larger items  and  turning  on  lathe  to  produce  candlesticks  or  goblet  stems.

*Plating

The  process by which one metal is coated with another using electricity. Also known by the term  electroplating  and Galvano  technics - the latter named after the inventor of the process. To  produce  less costly jewelry components, inexpensive  or base metals  are coated with  a thin layer  of  precious metal, usually gold or silver. Chromium, copper and rhodium are  also electroplated  although  rhodium  is  sometimes  used  a plate.

*Platinum

Very  strong, very dense and  60%  heavier than  gold. Platinum  was  discovered  in Russia in the  18th century. Platinum  used  in  jewelry is  usually  alloyed  with  a small percentage of another  metal  of  the platinum  group (iridium, osmium, rhodium, ruthenium or palladium) and/or  cobalt  to  increase  its  malleability. All  of  the  platinum group  of metals  are rare, with  platinum  and  palladium  only  slightly  more  common, and  of course  they  are all expensive.

*Pot Metal

An  inexpensive  metal  alloy  commonly  used  for  costume  jewelry. Not  used  as frequently as  in  the  past, as it nearly always contains  a  significant  amount  of  lead. 

*Precious Metal Clay (PMC?)

Is  just  what its  name  implies  precious  metal  on  the  form  of  clay. It  is  
available in  pure  silver  mixed  with  water and an organic  binder (80% fine  silver powder,20% water  and  organic binder) and  in 24K gold  in  a  similarly  compounded base. It can  be rolled, cut,  shaped  and  even  extruded  from  a  pastry  tube, in  other words, just like sculpting  clay. Once  the  shape  is  made  it  is  fired  in  a  kiln  or  special oven  at temperatures  from 1,650 F  for  silver  and  to  about 1,830F  for  gold.

*Rhodium

One  white  metal  of  the  platinum  family  of  precious  metals. Rhodium  is  quite expensive and  is  often  used  to  plate  both  precious  and  base  metals  giving  them  a hard, platinum- like  sheen.

*Rose Gold

Rose  Gold (Pink Gold) is  gold  with  pink  tinge. It  has  been  alloyed  with  a  mix  90% copper and  10% silver.

*Rolled Gold

Rolled  gold  is  a  very  thin  sheet  of  gold  that  is  laminated  to  a  lesser metal (usually brass).The  two  layers  of  metal  are  heated  under  pressure  to  fuse  them  together. The sheet  is  rolled  into  a  very  thin  sheet  and  used  to  make  jewelry  or  other objects .Jewelry  made  from  rolled  gold  wear  well  over time.

*Roulz

A  metal  alloy  consisting  of  copper, nickel, silver  named  for  the  French  chemist  who invented  it  in  the 1800s.

*Silver  800

Silver  alloy  which  contains  800 parts per 1000 (80%) silver  and  200  parts  per thousand (20%) copper, and  is  used  primarily  for casting.

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*Sterling  Silver

Like  gold, silver  is  a  precious  metal, because  it  is  very  stable. Doesn’t  react easily.
Silver  in  its  pure  form  is  too  soft  to  make  jewelry  or  other  items. To  make  it durable, it has  to  mix  with  other  metal. Usually  silver  mix  with  copper  as  its  best companion, and  it make  an  alloy (mixed  metal) as  known  as  Sterling Silver.  This  alloy (silver  and  copper) is frequently  stamped  as  “925” silver, indicating  the  percentage  of silver.

As  Sterling  Silver (SS), that  means  it  contain  at  least  92.5 percent  of  pure  silver.
In  Sterling  Silver  contain  7.5  percent  copper  to  harden  the  silver. But  it  brings  a tendency  to  tarnish, -  a  darkening  that  occurs  when  Sterling  Silver  reacts  with gases in the  air  or  with  other  substances  that  contact  with. Like  chlorine  and  sulfur compounds forming  a  new  molecule  with  a  dark  almost  black  color. Sterling  Silver oxidizes  when contact  with  air, and  body  fluids.

Copper  is  not  a  precious  metal  because  it  is  less  stable  and  more  likely  to  react with other  chemicals  forming  a  molecule  like  salt.

Stainless steell Chainmaille

*Surgical  or  Surgical  Stainless  Steel

A  family  of  low  carbon  alloy  steels  usually  containing  10-30% chromium. The chromium provides  exceptional  resistance  to  corrosion  and  heat. Other  elements  may be added to increase  and  impart  special  characteristics. In  jewelry,  which  is sometimes labeled “hypoallergenic”  we  see  it  in  a  few findings, such  as  ear  wires  or posts.

*Vermeil (ver-may)                 

Gold  plated  silver ; or  occasionally, gold  plated  bronze  Vermeil  has  a  very  rich  gold color,  usually  darker  than  high-karat  gold.

*White  Gold:                                                                

White  gold  is  gold  that  has  been  alloyed  with  a  mix  of  nickel, zinc, copper, tin, and manganese.

*Yellow Gold

Yellow  Gold  is  gold  that  has  been  alloyed  with  a  mix  of  50%  copper  and  50% silver.
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(Sources : Preston Reuther/wire-sculpture.com ; Carly Wickell/About.com ; RossAtelier.com)
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Article Edited, rewritten and photographed by Ross T Nugroho of RossAteiier.com.You are free to copy for noncommercial needs as long as mentioned the author/editor and the sources within. Its very nice of you to inform it to Ross..
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