Which Metal? Part 2: Weight When designing jewelry, the metal’s physical characteristics must be considered, one of which is weight. The pure form of each of the precious metals is an element, meaning that its molecules cannot be further broken down into separate atoms. Each has its own symbol on the periodic table. Gold is Au (for aurum, Latin for gold); [...] UK Jewellery Associations and Organizations Part II http://www.bja.org.uk - The British Jewellers Association (BJA) - UK jewellery industry including, jewellery manufacturers, jewellery wholesalers, designer jewellers, internet retailers and others. British Jewellers Association offers a range of jewellery info and advice, promotional services to members (over 750 members). (http://www.jewelleryinbritain.org.uk - Jewellery in Britain - 8 page news sheet, which is sponsored [...] Rubies and Sapphires Rubies and sapphires belong to the same family of minerals and thus have the same physical characteristics. Among gemstones, they are the hardest, second only to diamonds, but still require gentle handling. The term ruby only applies to the color red. However, sapphires range in color from blue to green, black, orange, pink, yellow, purple [...] Which Metal? Part 3: Strength The next physical proper to consider when designing is strength. This factor has four parts: the hardness (resistance to being impressed), malleability (how much it can be worked without annealing), ductility (the ability to be drawn into wire without breaking), and tensile strength (how much stress it will withstand before breaking). Again, each alloy of [...] Jewelry Making: Cost of Material For most of us, cost can be a deciding factor when choosing which metal to use. Silver is far less expensive to work with than either gold or platinum, and for those who like to experiment with techniques, silver is the obvious choice. There is something intimidating about trying out a new technique on several [...] |