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Findings What are elements and alloys? What are base metals?In costume jewelry, base metals are often plated with a very thin layer of gold, silver, nickel or rhodium. Many plated items are plated first with copper. Many gold-plated items have a white nickel plate under the final gold plate.
Pewter includes any of the numerous silver-gray alloys of tin with various amounts of antimony and copper. TierraCast™ products are made with a lead-free pewter (Bruttania metal). Most have a surface finish over the pewter. Other base-metal items marked "antique pewter" or "antique brass" may be brass or zinc with an antiqued pewter or antiqued brass plating. In nearly all cases, these zinc or brass alloys meet lead-free criteria.
"White metal" and "pot metal" are terms for tin-based alloys used in low temperature casting of costume jewelry components. "White metal" castings are usually three-dimensional rather than flat and are often plated. The exact composition of white metal varies, because each casting foundry and shop uses its own proprietary formula. Stamped findings are typically made from brass or copper clad steel sheet. Stamped findings may be plated and are usually one sided, often flat or slightly domed.
Precious metalsSterling silver, sometimes stamped .925, is an alloy of at least 92.5% silver, and (usually) copper. It is a soft, easy to work with metal, which can be antiqued to a dark black or given a high polish. More sterling silver info
Fine silver, sometimes stamped .999, is at least 99.9% silver, which means it is softer and more malleable than sterling.
14 karat gold: Pure gold is 24kt, meaning 24 out of 24 parts are gold. 24kt is too soft to be functional, so it is alloyed with other metals for durability, cost, and color. 14kt is 14 parts gold out of 24, and the remaining 10 parts are other metals. Depending on the color of gold (which can be yellow, rose, green or white), the other parts may be copper, silver, nickel, zinc, tin, palladium, and/or manganese. (People with nickel allergies should be aware that white gold contains nickel.) All of the 14Kt gold we carry is yellow gold.
Gold plate is a very thin deposit of gold, electroplated or electrochemically applied to the piece. It is a very small fraction of an inch thick (about 1/1,000-1/1,000,000 of an inch thick). Heavy gold electroplate might be 2 or 3/1000s of an inch thick (this can also be written as 2 or 3 mils). Gold plate vs. gold-filled: gold-filled is 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and about 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate. More.
Gold fill (also called gold overlay) is made by using heat and pressure to apply a layer of karat gold to a base of less costly metal. This produces a surface with karat gold. The minimum layer of karat gold must equal at least 1/20 of the total weight of the item. Tubing and wire are usually seamless, so only gold touches the body. Gold-filled sheets of base metal used to make other findings can be either single clad (gold on visible side only) or double clad (gold on both sides and sometimes the edge). Seamless and double clad gold-filled items are less likely to discolor since the base metal is sealed inside the gold. However, the layer of gold on a single clad 1/20 gold-filled item is as thick (and the same total weight) as the two layers of gold on a double clad 1/20 gold-filled item. (Silver-filled items are created using the same process with sterling or fine silver.) Use care when buffing gold-filled items, to avoid removing the gold layer.
The surface layer of karat gold is usually 10kt, 12kt or 14kt. Also, to know the thickness of the layer, look for a fraction, such as 1/10 or 1/20. It is 1/20 unless otherwise stamped.
Examples:
1/10 10kt GF: 1/10 of the total weight must be 10kt gold.
1/20 12kt GF: 1/20 of the total weight must be 12kt gold.
What's the difference between gold plate and gold fill?
Gold fill is 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and
about 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate.
For more information on gold fill (gold overlay), check out the explanation provided by artisanplating.com.
Common alloysRegular brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. Our red brass wire is 90% copper, and 10% zinc, which gives it a bit warmer color. “Nickel silver” contains no sterling silver, although it is silver in color. Our nickel silver wire is 65% copper, 18% nickel, and 17% zinc. Steel is an alloy of iron and other metals; the surgical stainless steel used in jewelry has approximately 8% nickel.
Stainless steels (a.k.a. corrosion-resistant steels) include a broad range of iron-based metals. The name is generic for any steel alloy with a minimum of 11.5 wt% chromium. Common types or grades include 440, 304L, 316L and 904A. In all types, the chromium creates a very thin chromium-oxide layer on the surface of the steel which prevents it from rusting. The advantage of stainless steels over plated steels is that, if scratched or damaged, the stainless steel 'self-repairs' as a new chromium-oxide layer is formed. In plated steels, scratches in the plating can lead to corrosion of the steel underneath. In general, the higher percentage of chromium, the stronger the corrosion resistance of the steel. Other metals are added to the alloy to give the steel other properties, such as strength and malleability. Nickel is added to strengthen the protective oxide layer.
Surgical stainless steels include a narrower group of metals which, while wearable by the majority of the population, do contain a small amount of nickel, usually 8% in jewelry.
Different people are allergic to different things (or, with luck, nothing at all). One of the more common metal allergies that your customers may have is an allergy to nickel. People with slight nickel allergies can usually wear surgical stainless steel for a few hours, or possibly all day. But some people are so sensitive that they cannot even wear watches, or have the buttons on their Levi's touch their skin. For nickel-allergic people, we suggest niobium, sterling silver, 14kt, nickel-free, or plastic ear findings.
The term "nickel free" can be confusing, because items marked nickel free are allowed to
contain a very small amount of nickel. There is not yet a U.S. standard. The European standard regulates that items labeled nickel-free may not contain more than .05% nickel. In other words, there can’t be more
than 1 part in 2,000 that is nickel. All our nickel-free earring findings meet this European standard.
(The UK standard is .01% nickel.)
More nickel-free info
Gilt is a very thin finish of gold color (not actually gold).
About the colors of platings
White is the silver color that you most often see on costume jewelry and basemetal findings.
Silver plate is a thin layer of real silver applied to a base-metal piece. It doesn't quite match our white findings, but nicely matches the color of sterling silver. Also like sterling, silver plate will tarnish. For this reason, it frequently is laquered to prevent tarnish (until the laquer wears off).
Surgical steel findings are slightly more gray than white findings, but the difference is barely noticeable, especially on finished jewelry. Surgical steel does not match sterling or silver plate well.
Yellow is a bit brassier than gold plate but is usually a longer-lasting finish, especially on clasps. Gold plate is closer to the color of 14kt gold, but may not stay that way for long. (This could be why the brassier yellow is more commonly used.)
Raw brass (just brass, no plating at all) is usually the same color as yellow findings, although it will vary in color. In general, raw brass looks best with yellow findings, but it can also work with gold plate.
Gunmetal is black nickel plating, which looks antiqued.
Copper is a reddish-orange metal. Because it is soft, it is a nice metal to use for wire wrapping. However, it isn't very durable when made into lightweight charms and other findings. We now carry a small line of copper-plated findings and beads — inexpensive but fairly durable.
AP (antique pewter) is base metal with pewter-colored plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance. Please note that some AP items are matte, while others are shiny.
AG (antique gold) is base metal with gold plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance.
AC (antique copper) is base metal with copper plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance.
AS (antique silver) is base metal with silver plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance.
Other ways to color metalColor Magic™ stain is a permanent enamel-like paint coating that is great for coloring charms and all metal findings. It comes in a wide selection of vibrant (transparent, opaque, or glitter) coats, and irridecent colors. The stains may also be blended to create color variations.
Be aware that dye lots of Color Magic will vary (at one time, Vivid Purple was nearly opaque, but now it is translucent, and pinker).
Reference