Jewelry Metals Guide

There are several metals used in the creation of handmade jewelry. By knowing information about the metals, their benefits compared with each other and their unique qualities, you will be able to make a better and more informed decision about purchasing your jewelry.

Most of the pieces you will find at Your daily Jewels are made of Sterling or 14K gold filled.

 

Sterling Silver is a mixture of pure silver and some other metal, usually copper. The resulting alloy gives the silver strength. Sterling Silver contains no nickel.

The standard is at least 92.5% silver. Hence the .925 stamp you see on some sterling silver items. This standard alloy is used to assure consistent quality among sterling products. Sterling is 92.5% pure instead of 100% pure in order to achieve the requisite hardness and stability to resist wear and tear, and hold its shape

Silver that is not sterling has less pure silver content and will often be softer, darker in color and less shiny.

Bali Silver: Jewelry items made with a minimum silver content of 92.5% guaranteed, are individually handcrafted by highly skilled silversmiths in Bali, Indonesia.

Argentinium: Argentium Sterling (AS) is a patented alloy of silver. It is resistant to tarnish. It is Sterling mixed with an alloy of 2% Germanium and is as strong as Sterling, brighter, and does not tarnish like Sterling.

Gold is measured in the Gold Carat. There are several carats available for gold. The carat is the gold content of the metal. The carat measures the proportion of pure gold mixed with other metal alloy to make up the final metal. 

 

 

(You may have noticed that carat or is also used to measure the weight of diamonds and gemstones. Although the same name is used, the two measurements are measuring different characteristics of jewelry)

The higher the proportion of gold used in the final metal, the more valuable and expensive the metal will be.

• 9kt yellow gold contains 37.5% pure gold (375 parts per thousand parts).

• 14kt gold contains 58.5% pre gold (585 parts per thousand parts).

• 18kt gold contains 75% pure gold (750 parts per thousand parts).

The remainder of the metals is a combination of alloys. These different metals are what can help to give the metal its unique appearance, such as a different white gold, rose gold, etc.

Gold Vermeil (Pronounced: Vermay) is sterling silver that has been gold-plated. Most of vermeil is plated with 24K gold. This is a good combination for those with allergy to normal, plated findings.  

The difference between vermeil, and gold-filled, is in the thickness of the gold and the base metal used. In vermeil, the base is sterling silver. The standard is for the Vermeil gold plating is much thicker than ordinary plating

Gold plating is the process of adding a thin layer of gold to another metal in order to give that metal a gold-like appearance. In most cases, the layer of gold is very thin, just enough to cover all exposed surfaces of the other metal. It is commonly used in decorations and in jewelry plating.

The benefit of gold plating for jewelry is that it gives the look of gold, but is cheaper. It wears poorly compared to Gold Filled.

Plating or electroplating is the process in which one metal is coated with another metal using electricity

  

Gold Filled is made of a base metal (usually brass) covered by sheets of gold in a mechanical bonding process.

Effectively a thick coat of gold: the legal rquirement is gold content is 5% or 1/20  (one part per twenty) of the total weight. Most gold-filled is 12kt or 14kt gold-filled

Gold filled is used for top-of-the-line jewelery. Usually made with 14k gold, it is hard wearing. With reasonable care it will not peel or flake, and should last as long as solid 14k gold jewelry.

Gold filled is constructed in two or three layers. It is a quality material that is common in all types of jewelry. The product is easy to care for and will maintain its golden shine for a lifetime 

Base Metals used in Jewelry are non-precious metals used as a core for plating and gold-filled items. Brass is the most common base metals in jewelry. Nickel is not used as regularly anymore because many people are sensitive to it. Copper is also used.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions that are not answered in this brief guide.

Spotlight on Sandy Vern

 

Having spent most of my life in the city, I must admit I was never exposed to the art of soap making. It truly is an art, and Sandy Vern is The Soap Artist

Sandy has told me a little bit about her process:

Her soaps are made from scratch using the old-fashioned cold process method of combining various oils, butters, and lye in just the right amounts to create a luxurious soap. All of her  soaps are made  in very small batches to ensure precise quality control over the entire 
process. 

After curing for 4 - 6 weeks, she hand-cuts and individually packages each soap. You know you are getting a soap that is finely crafted and one-of-a-kind! Her packaging is so pretty you will not want to open it!

Blue Cocktail Earrings

 Born in Massachusetts, and living in Connecticut, Sandy divides her time between caring for animals and honing her self taught crafting skills. Sounds like a dreamy life to me.  She just opened a second Etsy store that will showcase her whimsical earrings and stitch markers. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplysandysthings.

Jolly Ranchers

Two of her many earring themes are cocktails and candy!

Berry Soap Popsickles

 Sandy also taught me about “melt and pour” soaps and the artistic details involved in this process. In these molded soaps she uses a combination of quality goat milk and Shea butter bases, as well as oatmeal and honey bases.

Molded soaps come in any shape or color you can imagine and make great little gifts. Sandy is  happy to take custom orders. Most items can be custom made with your choice of colors and scents. 






What a great gift idea for a theme wedding or Party!

Pink Grapefruit and Lavender Bath Bombs

 


Other items to look for in Sandy’s shop are hand knit washcloths, exfoliating soaps, whipped Shea butter, lotion bars,  lip balms, and bath bombs.

I know you will want more of Sandy, so here are all of her addresses across the web:

http://sandyvern.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplysandysthings

http://theadventuresofsandyvern.blogspot.com/

Vanilla Daisy Soap

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment down below, and you can really make my day if you "follow" me

Norah

Alzheimer's is Not All Bad

It has been two years since Alzheimer's took its final ravage on on my mother's brain and body. I spent eight years, day in and out, with a lot of help, caring for my mom.

My mom on High School Graduation day

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease is like being back in school. Everyday you are learning more, and trying to remember what you have learned in order to apply it to the next lesson. You are constantly being challenged and tested by your loved one. Pop quizzes are the best, and you are often caught unprepared.

Nancy Reagan's quote is very true,"When you have met one person with Alzheimer's disease, you have met one person with Alzheimer's disease". Every patient has a slightly different presentation and every presentation changes by the day.  What I tell people who are fumbling through the early stages of care and feeling like they cannot do anything right to protect their loved one is: "The only plan is to plan for no plan to work".

It will sound odd, but my fondest memories of my mom are during her years with Alzheimer's. She became a kinder, gentler mom. Happy to be helped. Happy when I covered for her in conversation, or told her "I always forget...".Happy to laugh. Happy to have her children there, almost everyday.  She lived in the moment and enjoyed many moments. Yes, she had her battles, especially in the early stages, asking me "Why haven't I slipped away yet, why do I know this is happening?". My mom spent her last eight years with her children. Had she been healthy, we probably would have visited two or three times  a year. Instead, we moved her close to all of us, and few days went by when one of her children was not with her. All four of her children became bonded in the commitment to make her days happy and safe.

My mom had the brightest blue eyes you have ever seen. People would stop just to comment on how beautiful she and her eyes were. They shone bright and sparkled through the disease process, while the eyes of others fell dull. At the moment of her passing, after seeming to asleep for over a day, she opened her sparkling eyes with her last breath. All four children around her; I believe it was her message that her light shines on in all of us. We became close siblings because of Alzheimer's disease, we became more patient because of Alzheimer's disease, we learned how to selflessly give to others because of Alzheimer's disease, and we learned of the healing power of laughter when you just do not know what to do next.

During the long goodbye to our mom, we became better people in the world. We graduated Alzheimer's University with honors. I thank my mom for living through the long goodbye with graciousness, humor, and trust. I thank my siblings for loving so unconditionally. I thank God that we could all find the positive in a situation that many cannot bear. This was my mom's final lesson to her children.

 My mom and her sisters