0R0B0RUS Wire Works Gallery: 2007

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Wire Jewelry Terms

FINENESS: Usually expressed in parts per thousand, it is the proportion of silver or gold in a metal alloy. For example, Sterling Silver is .925, meaning that 925 parts per 1000 are silver, and 75/1000 is another metal. Fine Silver is 99.9% pure silver. Gold fineness is measured in Karats.

GAUGE: The measurement of the thickness of an object, particularly wire and sheet metals. Wire gauges for jewelry applications will range from a very thick 4g to a very fine 34g. You must remember that the smaller the gauge, the larger the diameter of the wire.

GOLD: Gold is one of the most visually attractive of all metals, and because of its unique qualities, is considered the "most precious" metal. It is one of the heaviest of all the metals, does not tarnish or corrode, and is very durable. One of the first metals to attract the attention of man, its durability has been attested to by the discovery of elaborately crafted artifacts of gold in nearly perfect condition from the ancient Egyptian, Etruscan and Assyrian cultures.

Gold occurs in nature in almost pure form, and is the most malleable and ductile of the metals. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and in its pure state is very soft. One troy ounce of gold (the size of a sugar cube and equal to about 31 grams) can be hammered into a sheet (called gold leaf) covering 108 square feet or pulled into a thread fifty miles long.

When you buy gold jewelry, it isn't pure gold. The purity or fineness of gold in the jewelry is indicated by its karat number. 24-karat (24K or 24 Kt) gold is as pure as gold for jewelry gets. 24K gold is also called fine gold and it is greater than 99.7% pure gold. Proof gold is even finer, with over 99.95% purity, but it is only used for standardization purposes and is not available for jewelry.

When alloyed with another metal to make it harder, more durable and lest costly, the amount of gold (as in parts per 24) in the alloy must be stated if it is over 10K, which is the minimum legal standard in the U.S. Anything less can not be called gold. Throughout the world, the minimum karat standard varies. In Italy and France, 18K is the minimum; in Canada and England the minimum is only 9K and in Mexico, it's only 8K. Gold articles produced in the U.S. do not have to carry a karat or other quality mark. The exception occurs when a karat mark is applied, then the manufacturer's registered trademark must be stamped near the karat mark and must be accurate in accordance to federal law.

The weight of Gold and other precious metals is measured in Troy Weight, rather than the standard metric system or American pounds and ounces.

The various alloys of gold exhibit different colors.

GOLD FILLED WIRE: Gold-filled wire, sometimes called rolled gold, is a wonderful choice for wire jewelry makers. It is appropriate for all types of jewelry. For most people, it will last their entire lifetime without showing signs of wear. It is made by forming a tube of gold and filling the tube with a base metal, usually jeweler's brass. The gold content is 5% or 1/20 of the total wire. Gold-filled wire for jewelry offers an affordable, durable choice at a fraction of the cost of solid karat gold. It is generally available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and tempers in white, yellow (traditional) and rose gold colors.

A Few Facts About 14Kt Rolled Gold Wire (Gold-Filled Wire)

* 14/20 Rolled Gold wire creates high fashion jewelry at a fraction of the cost of solid gold and sells extremely well because of the fascination with gold.
* There is 100 times more gold in 14 kt. Rolled Gold (gold filled) than in gold plate.
* A 14/20 Rolled Gold pendant is usually considered a lifetime piece of jewelry.
* 14/20 Rolled Gold is usually used for pendants, pins, collars, bracelets, and small rings.
* Gold filled wire is available in 10k, 12k, and 14k, being the best quality and most durable. In the symbol 14/20, the 14 stands for the karat of gold used, and the 20 means 1/20.
* Basically, gold-filled wire is a good metal for a good price. It should always be represented properly and never misrepresented to your customer as solid gold. I collect old wire jewelry pieces and have several with actual dates on them. I show my customer these items to illustrate that gold-filled jewelry can stand the test of time.

Care of 14kt. Rolled Gold Jewelry

Your customer will usually ask, "How do I take care of it?"

It's easy. Just care for it as you would any other jewelry. It is quite durable. A simple inexpensive way to clean rolled gold jewelry (gold fill) is to soak it for a minute or two in a mild solution of ammonia and water or a commercial liquid jewelry cleaner. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly with water afterwards and let dry.

Because of the nature of wire sculpture, give your customer a cotton filled box for storing separately from their other jewelry. This will cut down on tarnish and keep it from being scratched by other jewelry. Plus it reduces the chance of a wire being pulled by being connected to another piece of jewelry. Remember this is NOT gold plate and in many cases is handed down from generation to generation. It is not unusual to find an old gold filled pendant that is nearly 75 years old!

GOLD PLATED WIRE: Gold-plated metal has a very thin layer of gold on the surface of a base metal, usually applied by the process of electroplating. Plating makes the layer of gold a much thinner layer than Gold Filled, and it is most commonly plated with 10K gold.

PLATING: The process by which one metal is coated with another using electricity. Also known by the terms electroplating and Galvanotechnics - the latter named after the inventor of the process. To produce less costly jewelry components, inexpensive or base metals are coated with a thin layer of precious metal, usually gold or silver. Chromium, copper and rhodium are also electroplated, although rhodium is sometimes used as plate.

STERLING: Silver with a fineness of 925 parts per 1000 ( 92.5%) silver and 75 parts per thousand (7.5%) copper, which increases the silver's hardness. Sterling is quite malleable and ductile.

VERMEIL: Gold-plated silver; or occasionally, gold-plated bronze. Vermeil has a very rich gold color, usually darker than high-karat gold.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Fwd: MSG to Karma - Pictures of Future Sales Items

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alan Alvaro <alan.alvaro@gmail.com>
Date: Dec 7, 2007 9:33 PM
Subject: Re: hola
To: Karma Thomas <lildorkfish@gmail.com>

Hi Karma ;)

Missed you! Been chugging away here, though I was a bit under the weather this week. Many things coming your way... probably not till Monday... much like my secret santa pkg (still trying to figure out what to send, my guy is in Calif though). Attached are some pics. Thanks for the anubis - I'll be sending back all three of the limited ones. In the pictures you can see that I have combined 14K gold-filled wire with the sterling silver. Two of the seahorses are also wrapped in 14K gold. Though 14K GF cost more and is significantly harder to work with, you should be able to charge a higher premium on these items. I want to take some better pictures and I will also send you a detailed description on 14K GF.

More later - Alan

On Dec 7, 2007 12:21 PM, Karma Thomas < lildorkfish@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Alan :)

Hope you are doing well :) Just wanted to know if you happened to have an wire wrappings finished and ready to mail out. I had a local person email me and she said her husband would really like to own one & she wanted to purchase one for him for christmas. I told her I'd let her know.

Anyways I just wanted to touch base with you :) Hope all is well :)
karma
--
www.dorkfishcoins.com

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them ~ Walt Disney

--
_________________________________
Alan Alvaro
http://a3consulting.com
925.963.0398