Metal for Jewelry Making

In this article I shall try to enumerate the most popular picks among metals for creating jewelry.

Gold

Gold is definitely the eternal favorite among jewelry making metals and has won hands down on the popularity charts, down all the ages. All the countries separated by geographical barriers and cultural differences are united on this one common front – fondness for the precious yellow metal that has a very high resale value and emanates a dull yellow shine.

It is also one of the toughest metals, second only to titanium and platinum and can therefore, securely hold precious gemstones in its fold. The carat ranges from 10 to 24. 22 carat gold jewelry is the maximum possible purity that you can expect, but it is rather soft. Most jewelry stores stock 18 to 20 carat gold jewelry which is tough and extremely durable. Gold can be mixed with other alloys to create rose gold and white gold.

White Gold

When normal gold is mixed with palladium or silver and given a rhodium coating to impart a white glow, the alloy is called white gold.

Platinum

A very dense, heavy, super strong/tough and 95% pure

White metal that has warmed its way into people’s heart despite its astronomical cost is platinum. It is one and a half times more expensive than gold, but can securely hold precious gemstones better than any other metal.

Silver

It is much more affordable than gold and therefore more popular. Pure silver is rather soft and ductile and prone to breakage. That is why an alloy called sterling silver has been created out of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper to impart toughness. Sterling silver does not tarnish with age.

Stainless Steel

Chromium and steel have been mixed to create this anti-corrosive and rust resistant metal that is slowly picking up its way along the popularity charts because of its dirt cheap cost, durability and hardness.

Titanium

A silver white durable lightweight metal that is making waves in the jewelry industry thanks to its hardness (tougher than gold, thrice stronger than steel, toughest metal on earth) is titanium. One cannot solder titanium.

Tungsten Carbide

A highly strong, durable, very heavy, scratch resistant white metal used for making wedding rings for men is tungsten carbide.

Other metals and alloys that are and have been frequently used in the present and in the past for making jewelry are brass, copper, nickel and bronze.