Metals Information

Findings

Findings is the generic term for metal jewelry components — bar pins, posts, charms, barrette backs, etc.
-  What is base metal?
Base metal is a catch-all term in the jewelry industry for metals used in costume jewelry. In metal working, base metal is any metal that is not one the noble or precious metals. The term precious metals usually means platinum, gold or silver. Examples of base metals include iron, steel (an alloy of iron and other metals), copper, brass (an alloy of copper and other metals), nickel, lead, and tin.
In costume jewelry, base metals are often plated with gold, silver, nickel or rhodium. Many plated items are plated first with copper. Many gold plated items have a white nickel plate under the final gold plate.

Pewter includes any of the numerous silver-gray alloys of tin with various amounts of antimony and copper. While none of our stock is solid pewter, we have a wide array of items in "antique pewter" which is formed from cast base metal with a pewter-colored plating. "Pot metal" and "white metal" are terms for tin-based alloys used in low temperature casting of costume jewelry components. "White metal" castings are usually three-dimensional rather than flat and are often plated. The exact composition of white metal varies, because each casting foundry and shop uses its own proprietary formula. Stamped findings are typically made from brass or copper clad steel sheet. Stamped findings may be plated and are usually one sided, often flat or slightly domed.

Alloys and precious metals

Some years, market "spot" price of gold and silver fluctuate greatly. An immediate effect will be noticed in sterling, gold filled and 14kt wire, sheet, beads and findings. If prices remain particularly high (or low), there will be a similar (but smaller) effect in the prices of silver- and gold-plated items.
14 karat gold: Pure gold is 24kt, meaning 24 parts out of 24 are gold. 24kt is too soft to be functional, so it is alloyed with other metals for durability, cost, and color. 14kt is 14 parts gold out of 24, and the remaining 10 parts are other metals. Depending on the color of gold (which can be yellow, rose, green or white), the other parts may be copper, silver, nickel, zinc, tin, palladium, and/or manganese. (People with nickel allergies should be aware that white gold contains nickel.) All of the 14Kt gold we carry is yellow gold.

Sterling silver, sometimes stamped .925, is an alloy of at least 92.5% silver, and (usually) copper. It is a soft, easy to work with metal, which can be antiqued to a dark black or given a high polish.

Gold plate is a very thin deposit of gold, electroplated or electrochemically applied to the piece. It is a very small fraction of an inch thick (about 1/1,000-1/1,000,000 of an inch thick). Heavy gold electroplate might be 2 or 3/1000s of an inch thick (this can also be written as 2 or 3 mils). Gold plate vs. gold-filled: gold-filled is 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and about 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate.

Gold-filled (also called gold overlay) is made by using heat and pressure to apply a layer of karat gold to a base of less costly metal. This produces a surface with karat gold. The minimum layer of karat gold must equal at least 1/20 of the total weight of the item. Tubing is usually seamless, so that only gold touches the body. "Silver-filled" is the same process, using sterling or fine silver. Use care when buffing gold-filled items, to avoid removing the gold layer.
The surface layer of karat gold is usually 10kt, 12kt or 14kt. Also, to know the thickness of the layer, look for a fraction, such as 1/10 or 1/20. It is 1/20 unless otherwise stamped.
Examples:
1/10 10kt GF: 1/10 of the total weight must be 10kt gold.
1/20 12kt GF: 1/20 of the total weight must be 12kt gold.

Regular brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. Our new red brass wire is 90% copper, and 10% zinc, which gives it a bit warmer color. Nickel silver contains no sterling silver, although it is silver in color. Our nickel silver wire is 65% copper, 18% nickel, and 17% zinc. Steel is an alloy of iron and other metals; the surgical stainless steel used in jewelry has approximately 8% nickel.

Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, iron, copper and niobium are elements. Elements are the basic building blocks of chemistry. Metal alloys are mixtures of various elements. Brass is an alloy of copper, zinc and other metals. Sterling silver is an alloy of silver and copper.

Different people are allergic to different things (or, with luck, nothing at all). One of the more common metal allergies that your customers may have is an allergy to nickel. People with slight nickel allergies can usually wear surgical stainless steel for a few hours, or possibly all day. But some people are so sensitive that they cannot even wear watches, or have the buttons on their Levi's touch their skin. For nickel-allergic people, we suggest niobium, sterling silver, 14kt, nickel-free, or plastic ear findings.

Surgical stainless steel, although wearable by the majority of the population, contains a small amount of nickel, usually 8% in jewelry.

The term "nickel free" can be confusing, because items marked nickel free are allowed to contain a very small amount of nickel. There is not yet a U.S. standard. The European standard regulates that items labeled nickel-free may not contain more than .05% nickel. In other words, there can be more than 1 part in 2,000 that is nickel. All our nickel-free earring findings meet this European standard. (The UK standard is .01% nickel.)

Gilt is a very thin finish of gold color (not actually gold).

Gold plate is a very thin deposit of gold, electroplated or electrochemically applied to the piece. It is a very small fraction of an inch thick (1/1000-1/1000000 or so of an inch thick). Heavy gold electroplate might be 2 or 3/1000 of an inch thick (this can also be written as 2 or 3 mils).

What's the difference between gold plate and gold-filled?
gold-filled is 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and about 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate.

About the colors of platings

"White," "yellow," "silver plate" and "gold plate" are somewhat ambiguous terms when you're trying to determine whether or not the clasp in your hand will match the clasp listed in a catalog. Here are our definitions, which are fairly standard throughout the jewelry industry:
White is the silver color that you most often see on costume jewelry and basemetal findings.

Silver plate is a thin layer of real silver applied to a base-metal piece. It doesn't quite match our white findings, but nicely matches the color of sterling silver. Also like sterling, silver plate will tarnish. For this reason, it frequently is laquered to prevent tarnish (until the laquer wears off).

Surgical steel findings are slightly more gray than white findings, but the difference is barely noticeable, especially on finished jewelry. Surgical steel does not match sterling or silver plate well.

Yellow is a bit brassier than gold plate but is usually a longer-lasting finish, especially on clasps. Gold plate is closer to the color of 14kt gold, but may not stay that way for long. (This could be why the brassier yellow is more commonly used.)

Raw brass (just brass, no plating at all) is usually the same color as yellow findings, although it will vary in color. In general, raw brass looks best with yellow findings, but it can also work with gold plate.

Gunmetal is black nickel plating, which looks antiqued.

Copper is a reddish-orange metal. Because it is soft, it is a nice metal to use for wire wrapping. However, it isn't very durable when made into lightweight charms and other findings. We now carry a small line of copper-plated findings and beads — inexpensive but fairly durable.

AP (antique pewter) is base metal with pewter-colored plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance. Please note that some AP items are matte, while others are shiny.

AG (antique gold) is base metal with gold plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance.

AC (antique copper) is base metal with copper plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance.

AS (antique silver) is base metal with silver plating. The crevices of the bead or charm are darkened to give it an antique appearance.

Other ways to color metal

Antiquing solutions are a quick way to change the color of findings. We carry a solution which turns copper-containing metals (sterling silver, brass, plus most base metal findings) black, a silver immersion which gives brass and copper alloys a silvery sheen (a nice effect after it has been blackened), and Griffith Silver-Black, ideal for antiquing sterling silver.
Color Magic is a permanent enamel-like paint coating that is great for coloring charms and all metal findings. It comes in a wide selection of vibrant (transparent, opaque, or glitter) coats, and irridecent colors. The stains may also be blended to create color variations.
Dye lots will vary (at one time, Vivid Purple was nearly opaque, but now it is translucent, and pinker).