Christian Dann Quiroz

Top 4 Metals for Jewelry Making In this post, we will talk about the six major precious metals used in jewelry making. These precious metals have various characteristics, and some of them are hard to shape. With this in mind, fabricated metals are available to make the task easier. Without further ado, below are the top four metals that are normally used for jewelry making. Silver Sterling silver is the metal of choice when discussing jewelry. To put it another way, it is 7.5% copper and 92.5% silver. Sterling silver is an excellent choice for jewelry as it lasts long and is suitable for necklaces, rings and necklaces, cuff links, and belt buckles. However, without proper care, silver is more prone to tarnish than platinum, gold, or titanium, as it is a softer type of metal. Silver-filled Another popular option is silver-filled metals (also known as "silver overlay"). The significance is that this wire is created by covering a cheaper metal with a layer of silver by heat and pressure. Moreover, the silver layer is thicker than a regular plating by hundreds of times. Because it's so thick, you can dig deeper, polish more, and even perform some light etching without exposing the underlying base metal. Silver-filled is best for jewelry components such as ear wires and chains. It keeps them inexpensive, and they'll endure forever and look great when coupled with sterling silver pendants. Gold Gold jewelry is made out of gold and metals like zinc, copper, nickel, and silver. Carats (ct) or karats (K) are used to measure the actual gold content. This describes the ratio of gold to the other types of metals in the composition. Of course, the more gold content, the more money you'll have to shell out. Since 24K gold is soft, it would create poor jewelry. Instead, consider jewelry made from 14K gold as it is hard and easy to deal with. If you want a more expensive piece, choose 18K gold (75% pure gold). Pure gold's color is yellow. Its color variation came from the alloy's non-gold metals that heavily affect its color. ● White gold is pure gold mixed with white metals like silver, nickel, and palladium. It is a grayish tint that has been coated with rhodium, providing a whiter appearance. On the other hand, nickel is generally avoided as it causes allergic reactions to many. ● Yellow gold is pure gold mixed with zinc, copper, and silver. ● Green gold is virtually the same as yellow gold but without copper in its alloy. ● Rose gold is a mixture of pure gold and a large proportion of copper. These gold variations are popular options for rings, wedding bands, necklaces, and earrings. Titanium Titanium is the hardest natural metal, outperforming platinum, gold, steel, and silver. It's also easy to color, scratch-proof, and lightweight. Moreover, titanium is a popular choice for surgical implants and body-piercing jewelry as it is entirely hypoallergenic. However, it is not a good material for rings as titanium is not resizable or solderable. These are just some of the favorite precious metal options for modern pieces of jewelry. While most of them are easy to mold, bend, and solder, some metals are too hard to work on. So, fabricated metals are popular among jewelry makers. Moreover, these metals have different characteristics that need to be considered aside from the jewelry's design.