Metal jewelry manufacturing: information and techniques

Metals for jewelry making are an important part of the jewelry artist’s studio. The most commonly used metals are probably silver and gold, however there are a variety of jewelry making metals that give the jewelry artist flexibility when designing and creating their pieces.

With current scientific and technological advances, you can integrate many other alloys into your work.

Factors to consider when choosing the metals you want to work with

• Cost is probably the number one factor.
• What style of jewelry you design. If you are primarily attracted to silver, you will gravitate towards incorporating silver into your work. There is also the possibility of mixing metals to give definition and texture to a jewel. Using bimetals where a layer of gold is fused with sterling silver can also save money and achieve the quality you are looking for.
• The different metals required the use of alternative equipment. You will need to consider how much money you have to invest in tools and equipment to achieve the type of jewelry designs you want to create.

Metals have a variety of alloys that when added provide each other’s unique properties.

Silver alloys: Silver, has the highest thermal conductivity.

• Fine silver is about 99.9% pure. In this way it is lustrous and smooth.

• Sterling silver is an alloy that contains 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other components, usually copper.

• Argentium Silver is a tarnish-resistant, fouling-free silver. It is perfectly malleable once annealed and is almost twice as hard as traditional sterling silver.

Most high-quality silver items are stamped with a “fineness” or “quality” mark. This mark designates the content of the jewelry and, according to federal law, must be accompanied by the manufacturer’s mark or registered trademark. Most importantly, silver is more affordable than gold and makes wonderful jewelry!

Pure gold: It is 24 karat, which is the reason for the high price of jewelry made with 24K.

The solution to making gold consumer friendly is to mix it with another material, creating an alloy that results in a stronger and often less expensive piece.

Karat (also written as karat and abbreviated as kt) is the measure of the relationship between gold and other metals contained in the alloy. The more gold an alloy contains, the higher the carat.

Gold alloys generally span a range of 8 to 18 karat. An 8 karat alloy means that the gold content is 1/3 and an 18 karat piece is 75% gold. Other common karat gold alloys for jewelry are 10 kt and 14 kt.

• Gold or bimetallic plating – Gold plating is an application of gold to a base metal part. This technique gives an item the expensive look of gold for a fraction of the price. A piece of jewelry with a gold overlay is always stamped indicating the process and quality of the karat gold.

• Gold plate: This technique chemically bonds a layer of gold to a base metal through electrolysis. It is created when the base metal is covered with a layer of gold with at least 10 carats.

• Gold Filling – This is the process in which a metal is overlaid with gold of at least 10 karats through the use of heat and pressure. For jewelry to be “gold filled”, the gold content must constitute at least one twentieth of the total weight of the item.

• Gold on Silver – This is a gold overlay using a silver base metal. Jewelry made of silver covered with a layer of yellow gold is considered the most luxurious of the bimetals. You can wear this metal with confidence because it is durable and gives jewelry a more expensive rich look.

Copper: It is a great alternative to the high prices in the precious metal market. Many jewelry artists and designers have found copper to be an interesting alternative. Copper jewelry making can be very versatile, not only because of cost, but also because copper is one of the easiest metals to work with. Copper is also very flexible and therefore easy to cut, shape, and bend. Making copper jewelry is easier than ever due to 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, sheets, tubes, chains, beads, and jewelry components.

Platifina: Introduced in 2005, Platinum is a new sterling silver alloy made up 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 pure silver or platinum and is guaranteed to tarnish resistance, however, platinum jewelry is much more affordable than platinum.

Karatium: The alloys are a new family of alloys that contain a percentage of gold and have been formulated in response to industry demand for less expensive metals. They are available in yellow containing 20% ​​gold, pink and white containing 10% gold, as well as a sterling silver alloy containing 2.5% gold. Although Karatium alloys are polished to a high luster like traditional karat gold alloys, they can be priced considerably lower than 10 karat gold and are an attractive alternative to gold filled products as they are a true ” Alloy “and not a product coated with a base metal. layer that makes up most of her jewelry. Karatium alloys also have the advantage over gold fill that the gold layer will never wear away. Karatium alloys are formulated to work well in all jewelry applications and can be cast, formed, and manufactured like karat gold alloys. All Karatium metal jewelry supplies have been formulated for optimum resistance to tarnishing. These qualities make Karatium a jewelry making material for research and experimentation.

Stainless steel: Recently gained popularity as a material for jewelry making, stainless steel was developed in the 19th century and is a combination of iron and carbon alloy. It has been used in tools, structures and manufacturing. Jewelry artists have recently started using it because its resistance to its attractive gray color, strength, and low cost, has made stainless steel a good alternative metal for jewelry making.

Titanium: Titanium is probably the strongest available. It is an industrial metal that has recently been introduced to the jewelry industry. Titanium has an attractive gray hue and gives jewelry a modern look. It is resistant to corrosion, tarnishing and fading. Titanium can be manufactured in different designs and has become an excellent alternative for wedding and engagement rings.

Tungsten: Also called tungsten, it is formed from super-dense alloys and is used in products ranging from golf club heads to weapons. This metal is as strong as steel and approximately twice the weight, making it almost wear resistant and a perfect alternative for jewelry making.

Palladium: It is a shiny silver-white jewelry making material used in electronics, jewelry, and some other industries. Palladium is considered a precious metal. With its bright color and long-lasting nature, it is the perfect metal to wear in wedding jewelry that is expected to maintain its appearance for decades.

Bronze: One of the first copper alloys; so early, in fact, that an entire era, the Bronze Age, was named after him. Bronze was used to make beaded bracelets, ankles, earrings, and necklaces. Bronze is gaining popularity for its color and ease of creating interesting textures.

Brass: Combine copper with zinc and you will see the golden shine of brass. Brass is malleable and has an intense luster that gives it the appearance of gold. Bronze was used primarily to create functional elements such as doorknobs and picture frames. Brass has now gained popularity as a metal among jewelry designers.

Some of the metals, such as bronze, copper, and silver, can be etched using a prepared solution of ferric chloride that also contains hydrochloric acid. This process allows you to create unique textures and designs. Be sure to follow the instructions when etching any of these three metals and dispose of the solution properly.

Alpaca (Alpacca): Not to be confused with animal, nickel silver is a relatively new metal jewelry supply, primarily made of copper alloyed with nickel, zinc, and tin. Alpaca’s reduced cost makes it a natural jewelry-making material that replaces silver in fashion jewelry.

Tin: As tin-alloyed copper turned into bronze, lead-copper-alloyed tin resulted in pewter. Pewter was primarily used in tableware making, as well as being a base metal often used for rings and pendants. When polished to a high sheen, pewter approaches the elegant sheen of fine silver.

Now that you are familiar with the different types of metals for jewelry making, you can begin to improve your designs.