After several questons as to what metals are being used in Jewelry with the price of Gold going over $1600/oz and Silver at $40/oz, I thought a listing with short explanations, of the most commonly found metals used in the jewelry business, would be appropriate. Which ones are used most commonly these days, who knows, you will have to ask the person making the jewelry..
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Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery and ductile member of the metal group. Aluminum is found primarily in bauxite ore and is remarkable for its ability to resist corrosion. Although aluminum has been used in jewelry, it is not widely accepted or used frequently.
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Argentium or ARGENTIUM™ Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver made to a higher standard than traditional sterling silver and is guaranteed to be not less than 92.5% pure. It can be made nearly twice as hard as annealed standard sterling silver by a simple heat treatment. With this most important advance in silver technology in modern times, unlike standard sterling silver, Argentium is virtually tarnish-free and stays how silver was meant to be: forever beautiful. Argentium does not require the chemical treatment to maintain the high luster, therefore it does not have the allergic effect on some people as does normal Sterling Silver.
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Brass is the term used for alloys of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses each with unique properties and color. Brass has a yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as decoration, jewelry and for coins.
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Bronze refers to a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive. It is strong and tough and has myriad uses in industry. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age. Common bronze alloys often have the unusual and very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling in the finest details of a mold.
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Copper is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity, and finds extensive use as an electrical conductor and as a component of various alloys used in jewelry. Copper oxidizes easily giving it its green coloration. NOTE: some people will cause Copper and Copper Alloys to turn a bright green.
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Elegente gives jewelry the gorgeous look of platinum, without the price tag. This unique sterling silver and 1% platinum blend offers incredible luster in vintage and classic jewelry designs.
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Gold is the most highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money and in jewelry due to its value. The most common carats used for gold in bullion, jewelry making and goldsmithing are:
999 (24 karat) (millesimal fineness 999)
916 (22 karat) (millesimal fineness 916)
833 (20 karat) (millesimal fineness 833)
750 (18 karat) (millesimal fineness 750)
625 (15 karat) (millesimal fineness 625)
585 (14 karat) (millesimal fineness 585)
417 (10 karat) (millesimal fineness 417)
375 ( 9 karat) (millesimal fineness 375)
The use of the carat (karat in North American spelling) is a system of denoting the purity of gold by fractions of 24. The carat (karat) term is only associated with gold, millesimal fineness is used for all other precious metals. NOTE: some people will cause Gold, especially Yellow Gold, to turn green.
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Gold Filled jewelry or any other item with a sheet of gold applied to its surface, can be called Gold Filled.
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Gold Plated jewelry or any other item that has a very thin layer of gold applied to it. The thin layer normally wears away more quickly than gold in a gold filled item.
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Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes on a high polish. It belongs to the transition metals, and is hard and ductile. It is chiefly valuable for the alloys. WARNING - nickel plated jewelry, especially earrings can cause allergic reactions on many people.
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Palladium is a rare silver-white metal resembling platinum. Palladium has a great affinity for hydrogen and is used in catalytic converters on cars. As a precious metal, it is sometimes used in jewelry. Quite often Palladium is used to cover Silver to prevent tarnishing.
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Pewter is a metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting copper, acting as a hardener, with the addition of lead for the lower grades of pewter. Physically, pewter is a bright, shiny metal that is very similar in appearance to silver. Like silver, pewter will also oxidize to a dull gray over time if left untreated. Pewter is a very malleable alloy, being soft enough to carve with hand tools, and it also takes good impressions from punches or presses. Because of this inherent softness and malleability, however, pewter cannot be used to make tools itself. Duplication by casting will give excellent results especially in jewelry making. Pewter is many times the base metal for Silver or Gold plating.
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Platinum is aheavy, malleable, ductile, precious, grey-white metal resistant to corrosion. Platinum is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts, dentistry, and coinage. Platinum jewelry achieves the highest value of all the jewelry metals. Platinum's wear and tarnish-resistance characteristics are well suited for making the finest of jewelry. Platinum is more precious than gold.
999 (also known as three-nines fine)
950 (the most common purity for platinum jewellery)
900 (also known as one-nine fine) 850 (rarely seen any longer)
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Rhodium is a rare silvery-white hard metal. The primary use of rhodium is as an alloying agent for hardening platinum and palladium. This metal finds use in jewelry and for decorations. It is electroplated on white gold and platinum to give it a reflective white surface. This is known as rhodium flashing in the jewelry business.
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Silver is a soft white lustrous metal and has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity for all metals, and like gold, occurs as a free metal in nature. Its main use is as a precious metal for currency, ornaments and jewelry, and as utensils (hence the term silverware).
999 (Fine silver used in bullion bars, also known as three-nines fine)
980 (common standard used in Mexico ca.1930 - 1945)
958 (equivalent to Britannia silver)
950 (equivalent to "French 1st Standard")
925 (equivalent to Sterling silver)
900 (equivalent to "Coin silver" in the USA, also known as one-nine fine)
830 (common standard used in older Scandinavian silver)
800 (minimum standard for silver in Germany after 1884)
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Silver Plated jewelry or any other item that has a layer of Sterling Silver applied over a base metal.
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Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The minimum millesimal fineness is 925, although all grades of Silver are used in jewelry. Silver is also a common coinage material. . WARNING: Care should be taken when purchasing Sterling Silver jewelry as the chemical treatment used on Sterling Silver to maintain the high luster does have an allergic effect on some people.
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Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery and ductile member of the metal group. Aluminum is found primarily in bauxite ore and is remarkable for its ability to resist corrosion. Although aluminum has been used in jewelry, it is not widely accepted or used frequently.
.
Argentium or ARGENTIUM™ Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver made to a higher standard than traditional sterling silver and is guaranteed to be not less than 92.5% pure. It can be made nearly twice as hard as annealed standard sterling silver by a simple heat treatment. With this most important advance in silver technology in modern times, unlike standard sterling silver, Argentium is virtually tarnish-free and stays how silver was meant to be: forever beautiful. Argentium does not require the chemical treatment to maintain the high luster, therefore it does not have the allergic effect on some people as does normal Sterling Silver.
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Brass is the term used for alloys of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses each with unique properties and color. Brass has a yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as decoration, jewelry and for coins.
.
Bronze refers to a broad range of copper alloys, usually with tin as the main additive. It is strong and tough and has myriad uses in industry. It was particularly significant in antiquity, giving its name to the Bronze Age. Common bronze alloys often have the unusual and very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling in the finest details of a mold.
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Copper is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity, and finds extensive use as an electrical conductor and as a component of various alloys used in jewelry. Copper oxidizes easily giving it its green coloration. NOTE: some people will cause Copper and Copper Alloys to turn a bright green.
.
Elegente gives jewelry the gorgeous look of platinum, without the price tag. This unique sterling silver and 1% platinum blend offers incredible luster in vintage and classic jewelry designs.
.
Gold is the most highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money and in jewelry due to its value. The most common carats used for gold in bullion, jewelry making and goldsmithing are:
999 (24 karat) (millesimal fineness 999)
916 (22 karat) (millesimal fineness 916)
833 (20 karat) (millesimal fineness 833)
750 (18 karat) (millesimal fineness 750)
625 (15 karat) (millesimal fineness 625)
585 (14 karat) (millesimal fineness 585)
417 (10 karat) (millesimal fineness 417)
375 ( 9 karat) (millesimal fineness 375)
The use of the carat (karat in North American spelling) is a system of denoting the purity of gold by fractions of 24. The carat (karat) term is only associated with gold, millesimal fineness is used for all other precious metals. NOTE: some people will cause Gold, especially Yellow Gold, to turn green.
.
Gold Filled jewelry or any other item with a sheet of gold applied to its surface, can be called Gold Filled.
.
Gold Plated jewelry or any other item that has a very thin layer of gold applied to it. The thin layer normally wears away more quickly than gold in a gold filled item.
.
Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes on a high polish. It belongs to the transition metals, and is hard and ductile. It is chiefly valuable for the alloys. WARNING - nickel plated jewelry, especially earrings can cause allergic reactions on many people.
.
Palladium is a rare silver-white metal resembling platinum. Palladium has a great affinity for hydrogen and is used in catalytic converters on cars. As a precious metal, it is sometimes used in jewelry. Quite often Palladium is used to cover Silver to prevent tarnishing.
.
Pewter is a metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting copper, acting as a hardener, with the addition of lead for the lower grades of pewter. Physically, pewter is a bright, shiny metal that is very similar in appearance to silver. Like silver, pewter will also oxidize to a dull gray over time if left untreated. Pewter is a very malleable alloy, being soft enough to carve with hand tools, and it also takes good impressions from punches or presses. Because of this inherent softness and malleability, however, pewter cannot be used to make tools itself. Duplication by casting will give excellent results especially in jewelry making. Pewter is many times the base metal for Silver or Gold plating.
.
Platinum is aheavy, malleable, ductile, precious, grey-white metal resistant to corrosion. Platinum is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts, dentistry, and coinage. Platinum jewelry achieves the highest value of all the jewelry metals. Platinum's wear and tarnish-resistance characteristics are well suited for making the finest of jewelry. Platinum is more precious than gold.
999 (also known as three-nines fine)
950 (the most common purity for platinum jewellery)
900 (also known as one-nine fine) 850 (rarely seen any longer)
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Rhodium is a rare silvery-white hard metal. The primary use of rhodium is as an alloying agent for hardening platinum and palladium. This metal finds use in jewelry and for decorations. It is electroplated on white gold and platinum to give it a reflective white surface. This is known as rhodium flashing in the jewelry business.
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Silver is a soft white lustrous metal and has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity for all metals, and like gold, occurs as a free metal in nature. Its main use is as a precious metal for currency, ornaments and jewelry, and as utensils (hence the term silverware).
999 (Fine silver used in bullion bars, also known as three-nines fine)
980 (common standard used in Mexico ca.1930 - 1945)
958 (equivalent to Britannia silver)
950 (equivalent to "French 1st Standard")
925 (equivalent to Sterling silver)
900 (equivalent to "Coin silver" in the USA, also known as one-nine fine)
830 (common standard used in older Scandinavian silver)
800 (minimum standard for silver in Germany after 1884)
.
Silver Plated jewelry or any other item that has a layer of Sterling Silver applied over a base metal.
.
Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The minimum millesimal fineness is 925, although all grades of Silver are used in jewelry. Silver is also a common coinage material. . WARNING: Care should be taken when purchasing Sterling Silver jewelry as the chemical treatment used on Sterling Silver to maintain the high luster does have an allergic effect on some people.
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Surgical Stainless Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, with chromium (12–20%), molybdenum (0.2–3%), and nickel (8–12%). The chromium forms a passivation layer of oxide when exposed to oxygen (air), so even though there is still nickel in the mixture, the chromium forms a layer that is too thin to be visible, which means that the metal remains lustrous. The oxide provides an impervious barrier to water and air, protecting the metal beneath thus it does not react to the human body. Mixtures of these metals are used for short term medical implants but are not considered for longer term (20 to 30 years). In cases where the implants are to be “permanent”, titanium alloys are preferred. Titanium is a reactive metal, the surface of which almost instantly oxidizes on exposure to air, creating a microstructured stable oxide surface. This provides a surface into which bone can grow and adhere in orthopaedic implants but which is incorrodible after implant. Thus “surgical steel” may be used for temporary implants and the more expensive "titanium steel" for permanent ones. Either can be used for people alergic to other metals for their jewelry, especially pierced earrings.
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Tin is a silvery, malleable poor metal that is not easily oxidized in air and resists corrosion. It is found in many alloys and is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion. Tin is malleable at ordinary temperatures but is brittle when it is heated. The primary use of Tin in jewelry is for solders, but is normally combined with other jewelry metals for more durability and color match.
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Titanium is a light, strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant metal with a white-silvery-metallic color. Titanium can be alloyed with other metalselements to produce strong lightweight alloys for aerospace, military, industrial applications, to include strengthening of jewelry pieces, especially rings.
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Vermeil also known as silver gilt, is a combination of sterling silver, gold and other precious metals. It is commonly used as a component in jewelry. A typical example is sterling silver coated with 14-carat gold. To be considered as vermeil however, the gold must also be at least 10-carat and be at least 1.5 micrometers thick. Vermeil, Gold Plating and Gold Filled are many times used synonymously in the jewelry business, but should not be.
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Also be careful. As plastics and resins have become harder and more heat-proof, they are also being coated with fine layers of gold, silver and platinum, and are passed off as solid or plated metals in jewelry pieces. The weight of the item quickly identifies if it is solid metal or a metal covered plastic/resin. Cost savings lends it's self to using plated items and as long as they are properly idenified, pose no problem and in many cases can be more decorative than solid metal counterparts.
Tin is a silvery, malleable poor metal that is not easily oxidized in air and resists corrosion. It is found in many alloys and is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion. Tin is malleable at ordinary temperatures but is brittle when it is heated. The primary use of Tin in jewelry is for solders, but is normally combined with other jewelry metals for more durability and color match.
.
Titanium is a light, strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant metal with a white-silvery-metallic color. Titanium can be alloyed with other metalselements to produce strong lightweight alloys for aerospace, military, industrial applications, to include strengthening of jewelry pieces, especially rings.
.
Vermeil also known as silver gilt, is a combination of sterling silver, gold and other precious metals. It is commonly used as a component in jewelry. A typical example is sterling silver coated with 14-carat gold. To be considered as vermeil however, the gold must also be at least 10-carat and be at least 1.5 micrometers thick. Vermeil, Gold Plating and Gold Filled are many times used synonymously in the jewelry business, but should not be.
.
Also be careful. As plastics and resins have become harder and more heat-proof, they are also being coated with fine layers of gold, silver and platinum, and are passed off as solid or plated metals in jewelry pieces. The weight of the item quickly identifies if it is solid metal or a metal covered plastic/resin. Cost savings lends it's self to using plated items and as long as they are properly idenified, pose no problem and in many cases can be more decorative than solid metal counterparts.
