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In its purest form silver is a soft
metal that is too soft to be used for jewelry making or making other items. In order to make it stronger,
pure silver needs to be mixed with another metal thereby making it an “alloy” known as Sterling Silver.
The most common metal that silver is mixed with is copper. A mixture of 7.5% copper is mixed with
silver resulting in the hardness it needs. In order for any jewelry to be marked silver, solid silver,
sterling silver, sterling or using the abbreviation Ster (according to the US Federal Trade Commission) it needs to contain
92.5% pure silver. You may also see sterling marked as 925 or 92.5 to indicate the silver content. Unfortunately,
because of the copper content, the tendency to tarnish is brought into the mix when exposed to gasses in the air and other
substances it comes in contact with.
From
the south of China 100 years ago nomadic tribes migrated into Thailand. The exact number of hill tribes
is not know but is estimated to be around twenty.. Among these groups is the well known and largest tribe
in Thailand called the Karen Hill Tribe. After years of farming their traditional cash crop of opium they
became part of a royal project showing them an alternative way to live. Silversmiths
were sent to the Karen Hill Tribe to teach the art of jewelry making. Over time this art was passed down
through the generations and has now become world renowned for the unique and creative beads and jewelry. Each
bead is hand made using 95-99% silver and is made using little or no machinery. After melting the silver
with torches and pouring into molds each piece is engraved, tapped or sculpted into a shape that resembles nature to symbolize
their connection with their land. Because of the silver content these pieces are softer, have a whiter
color and will not tarnish as readily as sterling silver.
Gold is the most malleable of all known metals. Because
it’s so soft, it’s usually mixed with other metals such as silver, copper, platinum, palladium, tellurium, zinc,
nickel or iron to make it stronger. In its purest form, gold has a metallic luster of sun yellow however
when mixed with other metals, the color ranges from silver-white to orange-red. When mixed with copper
and silver for instance you will get a red, green or yellow gold. White gold is made with the mixture of
nickel, copper, zinc or palladium.
The fineness or purity of gold is measured in units called a “Karat”. The standard
fineness used for most jewelry in the USA is 14Kt gold. Below is a chart that explains the different measurements.
Karat Measurement Gold/Alloy Content
24 Kt 100%
Pure Gold
18 Kt 75%
Pure Gold - 750
14 Kt
58% Pure Gold - 580
10 Kt
42% Pure Gold - 420
9 Kt
37.5% Pure Gold - 375
Gold Filled items are made
by layering Gold alloy to a base metal such as brass, copper or steel; (brass is usually used) then rolling the metal to a
desired shape and thickness. Gold filled is 50 – 100 times thicker than gold-plating and 17 -25 times
thicker than heavy gold-electroplate.
Gold plated is a
very thin deposit of gold (1/1000 inch to 1/1,000,000 or so of an inch thick) then electroplated or electrochemically applied
to a base metal. The industry standard for this process is .15 to .25 mils thick whereas heavy gold electroplate
may be .002 or .003 inches thick.
Pewter is a
metal alloy usually between 85 & 99% tin and the rest containing copper & antimony for hardness. (Antimony
in its stable form is a blue-white metallic element that does not have the same chemical responses as a true metal. Antimony is also often added to lead to make the lead stronger.) The color of pewter starts out very bright and glossy like silver but over time the metal eventually
oxidizes and turns a grayish tint. The pewter that’s made with lead will eventually turn black.
Pewter is also highly tarnish resistant but will form a patina with age.
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