There are a lot different types of metals used for making jewelry. There are also many combination of metal used - these are known as alloys. One example is gold where 18 carat gold will contain 75% pure gold with the balance being made up copper, nickel, silver pr palladium.
There are some metals that can be used in their pure form. Platinum and silver are two examples. Sterling silver needs to be pure to have that label. Gold on the other hand is far too soft to be used in jewelry - that is why it is blended with other metals - these metals are blended to increase the hardness of the gold.
Creating alloys is not always difficult. What is difficult is creating an allow that maintains the original look of the metal. Using gold again as an example, when we buy a gold ring we want it to be gold especially in appearance. The purer the gold the better.
By mixing gold, silver and palladium you arrive at an alloy that is gold based yet has the shine, color and luster of platinum. This alloy is known as white gold and does look a lot like platinum. The difference between silver and platinum is purely color. Platinum is white whereas silver is - well silver.
When considering which metal to use for your next piece of jewelry, consider these factors. Hardness: is the metal a hard metal that will wear well, or is very soft like pure gold and subject to heavy wear. Another consideration is price platinum can be very expensive.
Silver is hard and will last a long time. Platinum has the same reputation - it is hard and will last a long time. Unfortunately with platinum, it is not easy to reclaim the waste when making jewelry. Because of the high initial price, plaltinum jewelry can be very expensive.
There are many factors to consider when selecting your choice of jewelry metal. Silver is popular because it is the cheapest. Platinum is also popular because it is expensive and considered to be trendy. White gold has become popular because it looks like platinum yet comes at almost half the price. If you are looking for something special when it comes to jewelry white gold could be the answer. It is reasonably priced, reasonably strong and long wearing, yet gives the same air of opulence that platinum provides.
There are some metals that can be used in their pure form. Platinum and silver are two examples. Sterling silver needs to be pure to have that label. Gold on the other hand is far too soft to be used in jewelry - that is why it is blended with other metals - these metals are blended to increase the hardness of the gold.
Creating alloys is not always difficult. What is difficult is creating an allow that maintains the original look of the metal. Using gold again as an example, when we buy a gold ring we want it to be gold especially in appearance. The purer the gold the better.
By mixing gold, silver and palladium you arrive at an alloy that is gold based yet has the shine, color and luster of platinum. This alloy is known as white gold and does look a lot like platinum. The difference between silver and platinum is purely color. Platinum is white whereas silver is - well silver.
When considering which metal to use for your next piece of jewelry, consider these factors. Hardness: is the metal a hard metal that will wear well, or is very soft like pure gold and subject to heavy wear. Another consideration is price platinum can be very expensive.
Silver is hard and will last a long time. Platinum has the same reputation - it is hard and will last a long time. Unfortunately with platinum, it is not easy to reclaim the waste when making jewelry. Because of the high initial price, plaltinum jewelry can be very expensive.
There are many factors to consider when selecting your choice of jewelry metal. Silver is popular because it is the cheapest. Platinum is also popular because it is expensive and considered to be trendy. White gold has become popular because it looks like platinum yet comes at almost half the price. If you are looking for something special when it comes to jewelry white gold could be the answer. It is reasonably priced, reasonably strong and long wearing, yet gives the same air of opulence that platinum provides.
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