Materials used in jewelry making

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:20:25 +0000

Since early history, in creating a jewelry, people have used gemstones, coins or other precious items. Typically, they are set into precious metals. Now and then, alloy of almost every metal have been encountered in jewelery. From bronze (met in Roman times) to modern fine jewelry made of gold, white gold, platinum, palladium, titanium, silver and stainless steel. In USA and Europe, most jewelry are made of an alloy of gold, with different purity, which is stated in karats (K). Usually, gold jewelry is from 10K to 18K purity. Higher purity levels are less common (22K and 24K), being considered too soft. However, these high purity alloys of gold are used in Asia, Middle East and Africa.

But there are much more materials that we meet in creating jewelry: glass, such as fused-glass, called enamel; wood; animal substances such as bone or ivory; natural or polymer clay; or even plastic. Other jewelry are made of hemp or other twines.

Frequently, in creating jewelry, we meet beads, made of a variety of materials: glass, gemstones, metal, wood, shells, clay and polymer clay.Beads may be large or small – the smallest type of beads are known as seed beads and they are used for the “woven” style of beaded jewelry. Seed beads are used also in an embroidery technique where seed beads are sewn onto fabric backings to create broad collar neck pieces and beaded bracelets. Bead embroidery was a very popular method of handwork during the Victorian era and it is used also in our days in many cultures.

So, for creating jewelry various materials have been used from ancient times. Nowadays, the materials used are not so important, as design plays an important role making jewelry appreciated. I believe that we can make beautiful jewelery without spending a fortune, by just using our ingenuity. That’s why, our website is trying to offer practical guides on how to make your own jewelry using simple but efficient models, guides on how to repair/maintain your current jewelry, how to transform old jewelry into new items using only your ingenuity.

Gemstones used in jewelry making

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Materials used in jewelry making

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