Metal Jewelry Making

Gold

During jewelry making, the first and most obvious choice for most jewelers and customers is the king of precious metals – the expensive dull yellow hued royal insignia called gold. Right from ancient times to the contemporary age, gold has ruled the roost in the jewelry making industry owing to its rarity, toughness, golden glow and sophisticated shine.

This regal metal had been the mainstay and exclusive property of blue blooded lineage and aristocratic heritage from around 5000 years back.

A staple of myth, legend ,history and folklore, Gold is unarguably a mark of royalty and countless wars have been fought in history, where the victors have carried away gem encrusted gold jewelry by the hordes as spoils of war.

Jewelers prefer 18 to 20 carat gold as they can hold gemstones better than nearly pure 22 carat gold jewelry which is a bit soft. Other varieties of gold are white gold and rose gold.

White Gold

When palladium or silver is mixed with gold to create a light gray alloy and then given a rhodium polish to impart the silver hue, the alloy is called white gold. Superior quality white gold, that is an affordable substitute for platinum, stays away from allergy causing nickel.

Stainless Steel

If you are looking for a dirt cheap anti-corrosive rust resistant shiny silvery metal that is durable and hard as well, your best bet would be stainless steel, made of an alloy of chromium and steel.

Titanium

This white metal is supposed to be the toughest metal on terra firma and happens to be thrice stronger than steel. Even gold fails to match up to its toughness and strength and yet, it is surprisingly light weight and durable, making it ideal for contemporary sleek jewelry. It is not possible to solder this metal so you cannot resize your jewelry made of titanium.

Platinum

Only platinum can match up to the strength and durability of titanium being the other hardest metal in the world. It is usually used in its 95% pure form and can securely hold all kinds of precious gemstones, in fact, more strongly than other metals.

It was much in vogue among ancient Egyptians for its supreme rarity and is much more expensive than gold. Platinum scores with jewelers and customers for its sophisticated, elegant, classy, elitist white look but puts off most buyers because of its unaffordable cost.

Other popular metals and alloys used for making jewelry are sterling silver, silver, tungsten carbide, bronze, copper, brass which are pretty affordable.