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Jewelry Part VI - Jewelry Metals Primer
Jewelry & Fashion | PUBLISHED 01.20.21 | Jennifer Ventresca
PART VI
BRING ON THE BLINGOLOGY
(Jewelry Metals Primer)
The use of metals in jewelry and adornments have been around ever since the metal ages (a.k.a., the bronze age around 3000 BC). From bronze, copper, tin, iron to the refinement of gold and silver, popularity and values of metals wax and wane. In our sixth installment of our Blingology series, we are focusing on all things metal -- as they relate to jewelry.
MEASURING METALS
DWT: an abbreviation for pennyweight (a form of measuring precious metals). There are 30 pennyweights in an ounce (troy). See also pennyweight.
Pennyweight: a common weight unit of measure used in the valuation and measurement of precious metals. One pennyweight equals 1/20 of an ounce (troy). See also DWT.
Gram: a unit of measurement in the Metric System (not Standard System). One troy ounce = 3.10 grams.
Karat: unit of measure of the purity of gold; pure gold is 24 karats.
Troy Ounce: a form of measurement used for weighing precious metals. The troy ounce contains 20 pennyweights (dwt) each of 25 grains. One troy ounce = 31.10 grams.
METALLURGY
First of all, what is metallurgy? It's the art of separating or extracting metals from their impurities and/or ores. Includes smelting, reducing, alloying, brazing, plating, refining, etc.
Alloy: a mixture of two or more metals to create more desirable characteristics and/or added strength.
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Assay: The process used to determine proportions of precious metal within a piece of gold, silver, or other alloy.
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Base Metal: refers to non-precious metals commonly used in costume jewelry (i.e., copper, iron, nickel, tin, zinc, etc.)
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Contemporary Metal: refers to newer metal alloys which are not considered traditionally "precious" such as cobalt chrome, stainless steel, titanium, etc.
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Precious Metal: Metals that are rare and have high economic value such as silver, gold, platinum, etc.
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Primary Metal: an alloy which comprises the majority of the weight of a jewelry item.
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Secondary Metal: an alloy which comprises the minority of the weight of a jewelry item.
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Platinum: a rare silver-white metal; currently the most expensive metal. |
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Gold: a precious yellow element of metal; highly malleable; not subject to oxidation/corrosion. When alloyed, it can be found in white and rose/pink coloration. See also white gold and rose gold. |
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Rose Gold: an alloy of pure 24 karat yellow gold, copper and silver whose depth of color depends on the ratio of yellow gold to copper. |
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White gold: an alloy of pure 24 karat yellow gold with nickel, platinum, or another metal. |
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Silver: a precious metal of a grey-white color that is widely used in decorative art and jewelry making. It is commonly alloyed to increase its hardness.Pure silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. Silver plate: a base metal with a thin layer of silver bonded to it Sterling Silver: A precious metal alloyed to create the more durable form of silver, but must be made up of 92.5% silver (also known as 925 Silver). |
Stainless Steel: a contemporary metal which is resistant to tarnish and rust. It is a form of steel that contains chromium and/or nickel. | |
Titanium: a lustrous white, strong, low-density, and highly corrosion-resistant element which commonly occurs in igneous rocks. It is chiefly used to alloy aircraft metals, but is also a popular choice for piercing jewelry. |
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Tungsten: a contemporary metal containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. |
Vermeil: either gold-plated or gilded silver. It generally consists of a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold or gold alloy.
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Work-Hardened: a change in hardness of metal due to repeated cold flexing or stress. The annealing process can be used to relieve the stress. |
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Next time ...
Jewelry Part VII: Jewelry Terms of Miscellany
If you would like to learn more about your own jewelry (valuation, whether it's real or fake, etc.), send us an email. Someone from our expert jewelry team will be happy to help you.
If you missed any of the blogs in this series, links to each appear below:
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII Proper Care, Cleaning, & Storage |
Keywords: jewelry, metal, precious metal, semi-precious metal, DWT, pennyweight, karat, troy ounce, alloy, base metal, platinum, gold, silver, silver plate, sterling, sterling silver, titanium, tungsten, metallurgy
What are the best products to clean fine silver to a lustrous shine ?