Jewelry Essentials Assignment 1

14K Gold

14 parts gold, 10 parts another metal or metals. 58.3% of precious metal. 583 parts per thousand.

18K

18 parts gold, and 6 parts an alloying metal or metals. 75% pure. 750 parts per thousand.

Marking and Selling Plated Goods

All the precious metals (usually in alloy form) can be used as plating, but gold and silver are the most common. Among plated goods, thicker coatings wear better and last longer. They also look more like solid gold or silver than thinner coatings, giving a piece a richer look. Plating thickness is measured in tiny units of measure called microns. A micron equals one thousandth of a millimeter. An average human hair is about 50 microns across. The thickness of the plating and the fineness of the precious metal content determine the legal definition of the finish. For example, an item must have a half-micron layer of fine gold to be referred to as "gold plated." There's a chart on the next page that describes the various types of plating.

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Color

Gold is bright, sunny yellow. Platinum & silver are both considered white metals by the trade, even though platinum's rich gray-white looks quite different from silver's gleaming white. Both are neutral in color.

Heft

Heft is what makes jewelry made of gold, silver, or platinum feel heavy for its size and gives jewelry a sturdy or stable feel.

Electroforming

In electroforming, several wax copies are created and coated with a thin layer of conductive paint. The copies are then submerged in an electrically charged solution that contains precious metal particles. The charged particles bond to the coating, building a metallic surface. When the precious metal layer is the desired thickness, the manufacturer removes the forms. A heating process melts the wax out through a small hole in the rigid metal shell. Electroforming creates hollow jewelry that's light in weight but has a massive look. It's also surprisingly durable, although not as durable as cast and die-struck items. Because it uses less metal than other methods, the process can also result in lower-priced jewelry.

Fineness

Is a measure of a precious metal's purity, based on parts per thousand. A metal that rates 1,000 is described as fine, or pure. This means it has virtually no impurities or is deliberately blended with another metal or metals to form an alloy.

Pure Silver

Pure silver is too soft to be practical for jewelry, so it's usually mixed with a small amount of copper. Copper gardens silver without taking away its brilliant shine.

Vermeil

Sterling silver base coated with gold or gold alloy of 10K or finer. The coating must be at least 2.5 microns thick.

Tarnish

Sulfur in air reacts with silver to form silver sulfide, a common tarnish that can be removed with commercial silver polishes.

Sterling Silver

To be considered "silver" in the US, an alloy must he at least 92.5 silver.

Selling Jewelry

To sell jewelry, you must know it's features and be able to explain their importance to your customer.

Features

To sell jewelry, you must know it's features and be able to explain their importance to your customer. A feature is a characteristic or part of the jewelry.

Ingredients of Typical Gold Alloy Colors

14K Yellow : Gold, copper, silver, zinc 18K Yellow : Gold, copper, silver, zinc Green: Gold, copper, silver (amount of silver increased) Rose : Gold, copper, silver (amount of copper increased) White: Gold, nickel or palladium, copper, zinc

10K

41.7% of precious metal 417 parts per thousand 10 parts gold, 14 parts other metals by weight.

24k

99.99% of precious metal 999 parts per thousand 24 parts gold

Silver Plate

A base metal coated with a layer of silver that must be thick enough to provide a durable covering.

Heavy Gold Electroplate

A coating of 10K gold or finer with a minimum overall thickness of 2.5 microns.

Palladium

A lustrous silvery white metal. The two metals have similar properties, but is not as dense as platinum.

Gold Filled

A material with 10K or finer gold alloy soldered or attached to less costly metal. The plating must make up at least 1/20 of the total metal weight. If it doesn't, the exact percentage has to be listed. Also called "Gold Overlay" or "Rolled Gold Plate"

Gold Alloys

Alloying gold increases its tensile strength & hardness. Alloying can also lower gold's melting point, which reduces its cost. These factors broaden gold's appeal by making it easier for jewelers to work with, increasing durability, and bringing it within reach of more buyers.

Jewelry Style

Although the word "style" is defined as "a distinctive and identifiable form"—relating to an item's structure, pattern, and shape—"jewelry style" means much more than that. It might refer to the type of jewelry, such as rings, earrings, necklaces, chains, bracelets, anklets, brooches, pins, cufflinks, and tie tacks. Jewelry style can also refer to a look or design theme that represents a time period, or to designer, branded, or custom jewelry.

Bridge jewelry

Bridge jewelry is the category in between. It's made of gold that's less than 14K or lightweight 14K, gold-filled metal or sterling silver, and with or without lower-quality gems.

Regulations in Britain

Britain's strict quality assurance requires that every article of gold, silver, and platinum with a quality mark be assayed by one of four government-controlled offices. The regulators recently added palladium to this list. This means that the fineness mark on any precious metal article manufactured in Britain, including palladium, is verifiable. British assay offices have the final word on whether a precious metal object meets the standard. Any British-made article that fails to meet the standard at the time of assay is crushed and returned to the manufacturer. Imported articles that fail the test are also returned to the importer or manufacturer. Each precious metal article must be stamped with a hallmark that indicates its purity and origin. A complete British hallmark includes: A sponsor's mark that identifies the manufacturer, or sponsor, of the item by using initials of the individual or firm responsible A standard mark that certifies the precious metal content The fineness, stated as karatage or as parts per thousand The location of the assay office responsible for certifying the article The date letter, which shows the year in which the article was hallmarked (this became voluntary as of January 1, 1999) The British hallmark for gold includes all five stamps. Gold's standard mark is a crown. Silver and platinum are stamped with all but the fineness mark. That's because the standard mark indicates the type of alloy it is, and the alloy type indicates the fineness. Silver, platinum, and palladium have their own standard marks. The symbol for sterling silver (92.5 percent pure) is a figure of a lion walking with its farthest forepaw raised, called a lion passant. Britannia silver, which is 95.8 percent fine, has a lion's head or the seated figure of Britannia, a female figure that symbolizes Britain. Platinum that's 95 percent pure or higher is symbolized by a cross on top of a round globe, called an orb. As of January 2010, the hallmarking of palladium became compulsory in Britain. The standard mark for palladium that's 50, 95, or 99.9 percent pure is a figure symbolizing Pallas Athene, the Greek goddess of war, wearing a warrior's helmet.

Regulations in Italy

By law, any gold jewelry sold in Italy must be at least 18K. Manufacturers can produce gold that's less fine, but solely for export. Italy requires that gold objects weighing more than one gram (0.035 ounce, avoirdupois) must have two stamps. The first indicates the gold content in parts per thousand (750 indicates 18K, for example). The second stamp has three identity marks. The first is the "Star of Italy," which identifies the manufacturer as an Italian company. Next is a number that indicates the order in which the company applied for a stamp in its province (for example, the number is 14 if it was the 14th company in that province to apply). There are also two letters that indicate the province where the company is located (for example, VI for Vicenza, MI for Milan, AR for Arezzo). These markings are the absolute minimum required by Italian law. A company is free to add any other identifying marks. It can be a company logo, a model number, or the name of a product line. These regulations apply only to Italian manufacturers producing and selling within Italy. If an Italian company produces items for export, it must add another stamp, depending on the destination country. Exports to the United States, for instance, must be stamped with the word ITALY in English.

Allure

Comes from their heft, color, and luster.

Base Metals

Copper, zinc, tin, nickel, lead, & iron.

Die Striking

Die striking starts with manufacturing a steel pattern called a die that's designed to create a particular jewelry item or component. Dies usually have two parts: a punch and a mold. A die-striking machine cuts blanks of jewelry metals to the sizes and shapes needed for the jewelry item. A blank is then placed between the punch and the mold and subjected to tremendous pressure. This shapes and compresses the metal to produce a dense, durable product. Die-struck jewelry can be both strong and lightweight. It also requires less metal and uses less time and labor for the finishing process. Because multiple items can be made with the same die, die striking is economical, too, making die-struck jewelry affordable. Die striking makes crisp detail and sharp edges possible. A design can be engraved into the die, making this method especially useful for producing jewelry with a detailed pattern.

Fashion or costume jewelry

Fashion or costume jewelry might be made of base metals, plastic, wood, or other common materials, with or without sterling silver or gold plate. If it's set with gems, they might be laboratory-grown or imitations.

In the US market, jewelry is divided into three categories:

Fine jewelry Bridge jewelry Fashion or costume jewelry

Fine jewelry

Fine jewelry is made of 14K or finer gold, sterling silver, or platinum. If it contains gems, they're high quality and usually of substantial size.

Gold

Gold is the rarest of metals, & makes up only about 4 parts per billion of the earth's crust. Gold's rich color has been associated with the sun (and wealth) for thousands of years. Because it keeps beauty over time, it is a symbol of immortality. Gold played a large part in the Europeans' quest to the New World.

Gold Electroplate

Gold or gold alloy of 10K or finer, with a minimum overall thickness of 0.175 micron, applied by an electrolytic process. If the gold is fine enough but not thick enough, it's called "Gold Flashed" or "Gold Washed".

Gold's Appeal

Gold's appeal comes mostly from its color, luster, rarity, and resistance to corrosion. Gold is highly workable, so it can be used for many shapes and styles of jewelry. It lasts a long time and retains value. It's substantial heft is related to density. Gold is 19 times as dense as water. That means it would take more than 19 times the volume of water to weigh the same as one ounce of gold.

Metal Memory

If a metal has "'metal memory" it tends to return towards its precious shape. Of the the 3 precious metals, platinum has the least metal memory. Once platinum is bent, it is likely to stay in position. The lack of metal memory means platinum has superior holding power. Gold and silver have more metal memory than platinum.

Hand Fabrication

In a truly hand-fabricated item, every element is formed, assembled, joined, and finished entirely by hand or with hand tools. Flex shafts and polishing wheels are considered hand tools because, although they're powered by electricity, they're hand-controlled. Because hand fabrication is time and labor intensive, the pieces can be expensive, but the process has many benefits. For one thing, it offers jewelers a great deal of creative freedom. It can result in complex designs that might be impossible with other methods. It's often used for creating custom-designed, one-of-a-kind pieces, or to build pieces around gems that would be difficult to set into premade mountings.

US Regulations

In the US, if a jewelry item is stamped with a quality mark, it must also have a registered trademark to identify the manufacturer. In fact, the best way for a jeweler to protect against underkarating fraud is to buy only trademarked and quality-stamped jewelry. This won't completely protect a jeweler from legal action, but articles marked with registered trademarks are easily traced, so they're less likely to be misrepresented. The marking of US-manufactured jewelry varies with the jewelry metal. Gold must be marked with the karatage and the manufacturer's trademark. Using the word "gold" alone when you describe an item that's not made entirely of 24K gold is a violation of the guidelines. Silver can be stamped "silver" or "sterling silver" only if it contains at least 925 ppt (92.5 percent) of pure silver. "Coin silver" must contain at least 900 ppt (90.0 percent) of pure silver. Platinum quality marks are based on the number of parts per thousand of pure platinum in the alloy. The FTC states that it's a violation to use the word "platinum" alone unless the article contains at least 950 ppt (95.0 percent) of pure platinum. Typically platinum jewelry sold in the US contains at least 90 percent pure platinum. If an item is 950 parts or more of pure platinum, it can be marked platinum, plat., or pt. without stating the exact amount of platinum or the name of the metal used as an alloy. If it's between 850 and 950 parts, the mark must include the number of parts per thousand of platinum, but it doesn't have to list the alloying metals. If a platinum alloy is at least 500 parts pure platinum, it must be marked with the parts per thousand of pure platinum, followed by the parts per thousand of each alloying metal (for example, 800Plat.200Irid. for an item alloyed with iridium). An item that contains less than 500 parts platinum can't be stamped with the word or any abbreviation for platinum.

Colors of Gold

Increasing the percentage of metals in gold alloys can result in customized colors. Varying amounts of copper can give gold a rose or reddish color. Increasing silver in a gold alloy can give it a green color, and nickel and palladium can whiten it.

Titanium

Jewelry makers sometimes use pure titanium or a titanium alloy. These materials are lightweight but very strong. Titanium is only about half as dense as silver, so it doesn't have the heft of the precious metals. It's silver-gray in color and often polished or brushed.Pure titanium is hypoallergenic, meaning it won't cause allergic reactions or skin discoloration. It's often used for pierced earrings and other body jewelry. It resists scratching about as well as 14K gold. Alloying titanium with small amounts of aluminum and vanadium increases its durability and scratch resistance.Titanium is difficult if not impossible to work, so jewelry pieces must be mechanically cut, shaped, and assembled. Because the pure metal is difficult to extract and manufacturing is labor-intensive, titanium jewelry is priced in the same range as precious metal jewelry.

Lost-Wax Casting

Lost-wax casting can be used for mass production and one-of-a-kind pieces. The casting process has several steps, starting with creating a wax model of the piece to be cast. This is done either by hand or by injecting the wax into a rubber mold. A plaster-like material called investment is poured around the wax model. When the investment hardens, the wax is melted away, leaving a cavity that is then filled with molten jewelry metal. When the metal hardens, the investment is broken away, leaving a rough jewelry piece that is then finished and polished. Lost-wax casting is a versatile process that can produce both simple and complex designs. The technique can be used to produce large numbers of identical pieces, making it both economical and relatively affordable. Also, details show up well in cast jewelry.

Machining

Machining begins with the melting of the precious metal, which is then hardened into a solid form called an ingot. After drilling a hole through the center and smoothing the outer surface, the manufacturer forces the ingot through a series of shaping steps that condense and elongate it into a tube. When the tube is the desired thickness, the manufacturer cuts blanks from it that are slightly larger than the finished jewelry item. The blanks are mounted on cutting or milling machines for trimming to the desired size and shape. After that, the jewelry items are given a final polish. Machined jewelry includes wedding bands, solitaire ring settings, and more. It's even possible to add a gem-setting step to the machining process. Because the metal is repeatedly condensed as it's shaped, machining results in stronger, denser, and harder metal than would be possible with casting.

Niobium

Niobium is popular with custom jewelry designers and manufacturers because it's easy to work with and to color. Niobium can't be soldered—it's joined with rivets or tiny screws—but its workability is comparable to silver's. In fact, any item a jewelry maker can create with gold, silver, or platinum, he or she can create with niobium.Because niobium is hypoallergenic, it's popular for body-piercing jewelry. It's almost as dense as silver, so while it doesn't have the heft of gold or platinum, it feels more substantial than titanium. Niobium is also much harder to scratch than any of the precious metals and much harder to dent than silver and platinum. It's also extremely resistant to corrosion.Niobium, tungsten, and titanium can be heated or anodized to produce brilliant colors. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that results in a protective or decorative coating on metal. Anodized niobium colors include navy blue, light blue, yellow, rose, bronze, pink, magenta, midnight blue, and various greens. The color is so vivid that many people think it's enamel.

Silver Gilt

Or "vermeil" is a thin surface coating of gold on silver. The original process of mercury, a highly toxic element. Modern vermeil is created by electroplating, which uses electricity to activate the gilding process.

Platinum

Platinum is about 5 parts per billion of the earth's crust. Polished platinums luster can change over time, becoming softer & richer & achieving a subtle, enchanting glow called patina. During the 1920's & 1930s, platinum was used extensively to create the finest jewelry in the world. At that time the metal became associated with the rich & famous.

Platinum

Platinum is almost as ductile as gold & silver, but harder to scratch than either. Highly resistant to tarnish, and takes a high polish. It dents more easily than gold, but harder to dent than silver. Platinum prongs are less likely to break. Most platinum rates 900 or 950 on the fineness scale. Platinum is often plated with rhodium to give it a whiter finish.

Silver

Silver is about 76 parts per billion of the Earth's crust. Polished pure silver shines more brightly (luster) than any other metal on earth. More than 90% of the light that strikes it is reflected back to the observer's eye.

Patina

Soft, rich surface appearance that develops with age.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is an alloy. Its composition varies with its purpose, but to be called stainless steel it must be at least 10.5 percent chromium. The presence of chromium creates an invisible surface film that resists oxidation. Most stainless steel alloys are strong and ductile, and all are corrosion resistant.The stainless steel alloy used to make jewelry is composed of iron, chromium, and nickel. It's more scratch resistant than any of the three precious metals, but it exceeds only silver in its resistance to denting. It also takes a high polish.

Luster

The appearance of a material's surface reflected in light. The beauty of a precious metal's luster depends largely on how well it's polished. All other things being equal, the better the polish, the higher the luster.

Negative Tolerance

The difference between the fineness stated on the quality mark and the actual fineness of the precious metal. The US permits a difference of 3 parts per thousand (ppt) on unsoldered items and 7 ppt on soldered items. This means that a soldered 18K (750 ppt) gold ring can actually be as low as 743 ppt (750 minus 7) and still be called 18K. Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, and Turkey have some of the strictest requirements and do not permit even the slightest negative tolerance. Germany, on the other hand, has one of the most lenient standards. The difference can be as much as 10 ppt less than the quality mark indicates.

The History of Quality Markings

The idea of quality marking originated in ancient Egypt and Rome, where they often used official marks to indicate the purity of precious metal bars. By the 14th century, the practice of marking precious metals with official government-required stamps had spread throughout Europe. In 1363 England's King Edward III decreed that all precious metal items be tested and stamped for purity by the goldsmiths' guild. Found on many pre-columbian pieces.

Gold Plate

The item must be coated with gold or a gold or a gold alloy of at least 10K, to a minimum thickness of one-half micron. You can indicate the exact thickness if you also list the karat fineness.

Precious Metals

The metals most often used in jewelry - gold, platinum, & silver. They are appealing whether they're used alone or to complement gems in a piece. Palladium (a metal with properties similar to platinum) is also considered by many to be a precious metal. Allure, rarity, workability, and durability make them excellent for use in jewelry. Precious Metals are expensive because they're rare and difficult to extract from the earth.

Tungsten

Tungsten is especially popular for rings. The metal is blended with carbon and a bonding metal, usually cobalt, to form tungsten carbide. Because it's extremely hard, tungsten carbide takes and retains a high polish. It's dark gray and highly resistant to scratching. One ring maker promotes tungsten carbide rings as being "permanently polished."Tungsten carbide is about 15 times denser than water. That makes it about 75 percent as dense as gold and platinum, and 50 percent denser than silver. While tungsten carbide has good heft, it's not easy to work, so its jewelry uses are limited.

Benefits

What a feature does for a customer is called its benefit. A benefit can be aesthetic, psychological, or practical.