| It is quite
understandable that the average hobbyist, crafter and designer has a hard time wading
through the terms people throw around when describing metals and finishes in the
jewelry industry. I have to laugh every time I here some desperate jeweler crooning to a
potential customer that his piece is made from German or Mexican silver. Translated
:(it is not silver but somehow I just got the word silver in there to describe it) and any
day of the week you can stroll through the flea market or the mall and see people selling
gold chain by the inch at an unbelievable price for gold and an even more unbelievable
price for heavily plated brass. The point is the public has been so flim flammed and
confused by the oblique terminology it is hard to know what the real truth is even when
your in this business. Never fear here at jewelry findings on line we don't fear the
truth! Now to the facts.
Most of the items we
sell are brass. Raw brass is great because it is inexpensive. It can be used raw in
several ways. Leave it natural it will darken over time but can always be repolished. Use
a patina. Patinas are liquids that you brush on or soak your items in. They will most
frequently give that green color of the statue of liberty. Now a days you can also get
them to produce shades of blues, browns, grays and blacks. It is also common to see people
painting on stampings. You can use a cold enamel paint and colorize or just highlight
certain aspects of your piece. Although an added expense the most common way to finish
brass items is to plate them. Although this can actually be done at home with a small
plating machine it is in my opinion a good task to farm out to your local plater. They're
not hard to find just look in the yellow pages. Plating involves lots of very nasty
chemicals including cyanide and really strong acids. Best to be safe and leave it to a
pro. The word plating has a very negative impact on most people. Everyone remembers the
cheap piece of jewelry that the finish came off of. Truth is plating is not for every
item. You wouldn't want a plated ring for example. Plating works best on low wear items.
Things that aren't constantly rubbed by skin and sweat. Good items to plate are pins,
pendants (not the chain), earrings and any application that is decorative but not in
constant skin contact. Plating and polishing is an art and subject all its own and it pays
to be somewhat familiar with some of the industries terms. There is going to be a huge
difference in the finish longevity between something that has a "flash plating"
which is so....... thin and something that has a really thick plate like the one you find
on "gold by the inch" chain. Just remember that more costs more.
Here is a list of some of the terms you might here people using
when speaking of finishes and what they mean:
GILT: This refers to a
brass that has been dipped in acid, rinsed clean to a bright finish, then had
a lacquer applied to retard tarnishing.
BRIGHT DIPPED: Same as Gilt
but no lacquer is applied. Tarnishes, but good for soldering.
HAMILTON GOLD: First a thin
layer of nickel is applied then a layer of real gold about 2-3mils thick.
IMITATION RHODIUM: Again
nickel is first applied then a layer of white tin. Silvery in appearance resists oxidation
and tarnishing.
Rhodium:
an expensive, non-tarnishing, precious metal that has a good white color.
Rhodium is a hard metal which provides good wear-resistance and is often used in two-tone
finishes.
WHITE: A light silvery
finish applied to only brass. Not as durable as rhodium.
Black nickel: is
a bright or matte, dark plating process that is used to highlight antique finishes. Or,
when used as a final color it will range from dark Grey to light black. A bright black
nickel will yield the darkest color.
Gold electroplate: as
defined by the Federal Trade Commission is a deposit of a minimum of 7 millionths of an
inch of gold
Gold flash: used
for color or thin deposits of less than 3 mils. A flash allows the plater a quick and
inexpensive way to have a variety of gold colors (14kt. to 24kt.) as a final finish.
Heavy gold: as
defined by the Federal Trade Commission is a deposit of 100 or more mils of gold.
Lacquer: is
a paint, clear or colored, that is applied to an item.
Matte: a
dull, non-bright finish
Mil: a
millionth of an inch
Rack plating: products
are individually affixed, via a copper wire, to a plating rack. The rack is dipped into a
plating bath, electric current is activated, and plating occurs.
Barrel plating: is
a type of mass finishing that takes place in a barrel or tub. Barrel plating is usually
requested for very small pieces where pricing must be kept low.
Silver: an
inexpensive, beautiful, white metal. However, silver tarnishes and needs a protective
coating.
Two-tone: is
a plating process that produces a final finish that includes at least two different colors
on the same piece.
Antique:
finished pieces are dipped in a coloring agent such as paint then tumbled. Cracks and
crevices remain dark bringing out design and adding appearance of age.
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