consider...
Were these materials ethically sourced? This is particularly relevant to any gems or wood incorporated into the piece.
If purchasing as a gift, what metals, colours, or textures will appeal to your loved one?
Are allergies an issue? Pieces may appear to be one metal but are filled or plated with a different material. Be mindful of what metal will be in contact with the skin—earring posts, for example, can be a different metal from the face.
Think about longevity—is it something you will be wearing every day? Will the piece develop a patina over time? Will it require constant cleaning or touch-ups?
consider...
...ask the artist about
Is this piece functional? Wearability is more important than ornamentation.
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Does the piece function smoothly? The clasp and assemblage should be user friendly, and the overall weight of the piece should be comfortable.
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Is the solder minimized and resin removed?
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Is the piece free of lead or cadmium bearing alloys? Their presence would be a health and safety concern as the jewellery will be in contact with skin.
...ask the artist about
the material
Jewellery can be made from gemstones and precious metals, but it can also be made from many different alternative materials.
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The metal most commonly used in the jewellery sold at CCBC is sterling silver. We also sell jewellery made from materials such as wood, leather, fibre, beads, enamel, natural clay, and polymer clay.
gemstones
properties
Stones must be securely set, with hardness in relation to use. The classification of stone type must be identified on the piece (tagging, etc.). Some gemstones, including pearl and amber, are classified as organic, meaning that they are produced by living organisms. Others are inorganic, meaning that they are generally composed and arise from minerals. The three precious gemstones are emeralds, rubies, and sapphires.
common types:
Amber: Composed of tree resin that has hardened over time, the stone/hardened resin must be at least one million years old to be classified as "Amber."
Pearls: Formed naturally in pearl oysters or pearl mussels, or they can be cultured on a pearl farm with human intervention. Naturally occurring pearls are quite rare today. Pearls come in a range of different colours. Pearls can have blemishes which are little marks, bumps, scars, or irregularities on a pearl's surface that give a pearl strand its personality. Heavy marking, however, will lower its value. A pearl's lustre—the appearance/shininess of a pearl's surface judged by its ability to reflect light—also affects it price and is one of the most important factors in judging and pricing pearls.
Quartz: The most abundant mineral found at the Earth's surface, quartz refers to a family of crystalline gemstones of various colours, the most well known being rose quartz, smoky quartz, and amethyst.
Amethyst: Historically the most prized gemstone of the quartz family, its purple hue ranges in tone from light to dark.
Beryl: Pure beryl is colourless, but it is often tinted by impurities. Its colours can include green, blue, yellow, red, and white.
Emeralds: One of three main precious gemstones, it is known for its fine-green to bluish-green colour
Jade: Most commonly a green colour, but does come in other colours as well. It is closely linked to Asian culture, history, and tradition.
Jasper: Comes in a variety of colours and features unique and interesting patterns within the stone.
Moonstone: Used in jewellery for centuries, dating back to ancient civilizations, its colour/pattern resemble a moon, which gives it its name.
Opalite: The trade name for synthetic opalised glass.
Rubies: One of three main precious gemstones, it is known for its intense red colour.
Sapphire: One of the three main precious gemstones. The most popular form is blue sapphire, known for its medium to deep blue colour and strong saturation.
Turquoise: It is an intense medium-blue or greenish-blue (turquoise in colour) and is closely associated with Southwest and Indigenous American jewellery
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Care
Gemstones: Cleaning gemstones is easy. Simply soak the piece in a bowl of warm soapy water for several minutes and then use a soft non-metallic brush to remove any grime.
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Pearls: Pearls are very soft by jewellery standards and should only ever be soaked in mild soapy water and nothing else.
metal
properties
Gold, silver, and copper can be found in their pure form in nature. Bronze and brass are alloys (made up of more than one metal and not found in a pure form in nature). Gold is more valuable than silver, which is more valuable than copper. This is due to their relative weights and rarity.
common types
Gold: In its purest form, gold is a bright, slightly reddish-yellow, dense, soft, and malleable metal. Gold has been a valuable and highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewellery, and other arts since long before the beginning of recorded history. Because of the softness of pure (24k) gold, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewellery, altering its hardness and ductility, melting point, colour, and other properties. Alloys with lower karat rating, typically 22k, 18k, 14k, or 10k, contain higher percentages of base metals in the alloy such as copper or other precious metals including silver or palladium. Copper is the most commonly used base metal, yielding a redder colour.
Silver: Sterling silver is one of the three precious metals (the others being gold and platinum). It is the most lustrous, most plentiful, and least expensive of the precious metals. The standard for sterling silver has remained unchanged since 1300 when King Edward I of England established an early trade practice rule for silversmiths, decreeing that sterling must consist of 92.5% pure silver alloyed with 7.5% copper. The copper is added for hardness as fine silver is too soft for use in jewellery. The term "sterling" refers to the composition of the metal, never to the weight of a finished item. Silver is much more plentiful than gold. However, silver tends to tarnish, making it less popular in some forms of jewellery.
Argentium Sterling Silver: Argentium Silver is relatively new and has many advantages over Sterling Silver, such as being brighter, very slow to tarnish, and easy to clean with dish detergent. It is purer than traditional sterling silver (93.5% versus 92.5%), is made of recycled silver, and has a much cleaner, environmentally friendlier process.
Copper: Copper is a soft and malleable metal. The metal and its alloys have been used for thousands of years. Pure copper is orange-red and acquires a reddish tarnish when exposed to air.
Bronze: Bronze is an alloy consisting of about 90% copper and 10% tin, with other metals often being added. These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than copper alone or have other useful properties, such as stiffness, ductility, or machinability.
Brass: Brass is a metal alloy made of copper and zinc. The proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. Brass is often used for decoration because of its bright gold-like appearance. It has a relatively low melting point and its characteristics make it a relatively easy metal to cast. Today, almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled.
Gold Plating: Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper or silver (to make silver-gilt), by chemical or electrochemical plating.
Vermeil: Vermeil is a gold plating process developed in France in the mid-1700s. A typical example is Sterling Silver coated with 18K or 24K gold. To be considered vermeil, the gold must be at least 10 karats and at least 2.5 micrometres thick. Vermeil pieces appear to be gold but are much cheaper and lighter than solid gold.
Keum-boo: Keum-boo (also Kum-Boo or Kum-bu), meaning "attached gold," is an ancient Korean gilding technique used to apply thin sheets of gold to silver in order to make silver-gilt. Traditionally, this technique is accomplished by first depleting a surface of sterling silver to bring up a thin layer of fine silver. Then 24 karat gold foil is applied with heat and pressure.
Enamel: Vitreous enamel is a form of glass that can be applied to a variety of metal substrates including, copper, gold, steel, and fine or sterling silver. The enamel manufacturer combines the glass with other elements such as silica, flint, soda potash, and borax to form the fusibility. Metal oxides give the enamel its colour. Enamel is available in different types, including transparent, opaque, opalescent, painting, and liquid, and it may be leaded or unleaded.
Enamelling techniques include cloisonné, champlevé, plique-a-jour, limoges (painting), basse taille, and can include silkscreening, sgraffito, stamping, and decals. Enamel can be applied with different methods including sifting or screening dry enamel powder. The enamel powder may be mixed with distilled water and packed into a cloisonné formed out of wire or a cell created by etching. Liquid enamel can be sprayed, brushed or dipped and poured. Painting enamel is applied by brush.
The enamels are fired in a kiln or with a torch to a high temperature of 1400–1700°F. The enamel melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable, vitreous coating on the metal. Enamelling is an old technology and has been used for thousands of years, often in jewellery making.
Precious Metal Clay: Metal clay is a crafting medium consisting of very small particles of metal such as silver, gold, bronze, or copper mixed with an organic binder and water. Originating in Japan in 1990, metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay. After drying, the clay is fired, like other typical clay. This burns the binder away, leave the pure metal. Shrinkage occurs during this process. Precious metal clay allows craft jewellery makers to make sophisticated looking jewellery without the years of study needed to make fine jewellery.
metal finishes
High Polish: High polish is the most common and gives the metal the reflective, shiny look.
Satin or Matte Finishes: Satin or matte finishes reduce the shine and reflection of the jewellery and are often used to accentuate gemstones such as diamonds.
Brushed Finishes: Brushed finishes give the jewellery a textured look and are created by brushing a material (similar to sandpaper) against the metal, leaving "brush strokes."
Hammered Finishes: Hammered finishes are typically created by using a soft rounded hammer and hammering the jewellery to give it a wavy texture.
Oxidizing: The effect of oxidizing pieces creates a slightly tarnished or antique look. This happens when the silver is purposely exposed to air that contains sulphur. This compound, silver sulphide, creates blackened patches that give the silver a dark-black finish. This provides pieces with a more a vintage look, while also exposing more details of the metalwork.
Patina: Patina is a film on the surface of bronze or similar metals. Artists and metalworkers often deliberately add patinas as part of the design. A wide range of chemicals, both household and commercial, can give different patinas.
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care
For mountings, you can use rubbing alcohol to dissolve some of the sticker grime. However, don't use alcohol on any kind of pearl jewellery. Soap and water and a soft brush will take care of most of your cleaning needs, including gold, blackened silver, and bronze. Make sure the brush is VERY soft when used on metal, especially gold which can be scratched relatively easily. Use a soft cloth that won't leave fuzz or threads behind to dry and buff your jewellery once it's cleaned.
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For cleaning silver, you can use a special silver cloth to help remove tarnishing with gentle rubbing. Direct sunlight can cause silver to tarnish, so you should take it off if you're sunbathing. Try to store your silver piece in a cool, dry place (preferably air-tight) to help avoid oxidization. ​
techniques
Etching: The process of using an acid to cut into the metal and create a permanent design.
Fold Forming: A way of forming sheet metal by folding, working the metal, and then unfolding. This allows the artist to create new shapes and textures without soldering.
Forging and Hammering: The process of shaping metal using a tool (usually a hammer). Often the piece is heated up in what is called a forge before the hammering begins.
Hand Engraving: The design is first hand sketched onto the metal surface. Next, using an etching tool, the thick lines are carved out using multiple shorter strokes, while thinner lines are achieved by connecting single strokes.
Riveting: Riveting, also known as cold connection, is an ideal solution for fasting, connecting, and stacking layers of jewellery parts without soldering. In addition to metal, rivets can be used with leather, plastic, and other materials to create unique multi-dimensional components.
Soldering: The process of using solder to create a bond between two pieces of metal. This is a low-melting-point metal that is heated between the joint of the two metal pieces, acting as an adhesive.
Wax Casting: The process of pouring metal into a wax cast to create the desired design. Once the metal has set, the wax is melted away leaving the new metal piece behind.
fastenings
Bolt Ring: The basic type of fastening for a necklace or bracelet, it consists of a hollow loop with an internal spring-operated catch, which is retracted then released when attached to a link at the other end of the chain.
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Jump Ring: This is a fixed ring used to connect components in a finished article or at the end of items such as necklaces. Bolt rings may be attached may be attached to it.
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Pearl Fastener (Barrel): Pearls are traditionally fastened by means of a clasp, one side of which screws into the barrel of the other.
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Trigger: Also known as a karob or lobster-claw clasp. Similar to a bolt ring, it has a trigger which lifts a bar, allowing a jump ring or other loop to be inserted. It operates like a mountaineer's karabiner. This is a popular fastening for heavier chains.
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Magnetic: A recent innovation using powerful mini magnets to fasten.
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for reference
Bezel Setting: A method of setting gemstones in which the stone is held in the mounting by a narrow band of metal surrounding the girdle (outside perimeter) of the stone.
Claw: A claw setting is one in which a series of metal prongs (claws) holds a stone securely in a setting. The claw grips the stone just above the stone's girdle, with no metal directly under the stone (it is an open setting). This type of setting lets light in under the stone, so it is usually used for transparent faceted stones. The modern-day claw setting became popular in the 1800s.
Ductility: Refers to when a solid material stretches under tensile stress, as with stretching metal into wire.
Embossing: A stamping technique in which a pattern (for example a scroll pattern similar to an engraved effect) is pressed onto a plain area of metal to leave the pattern in relief, i.e. standing proud above the plain background rather than cut in as in the case of engraving.
Faceted: A faceted stone has small, flat-cut surfaces that make a sparkling effect on transparent stones. Facets act as both windows and mirrors, reflecting and channelling light into a stone where it then refracts and re-emerges.
Gilding: A technique where a gold plate, leaf, or print is applied to another type of metal (commonly silver). This allows for the appearance of gold without the weight, cost, or other less desirable qualities of a pure gold material.
Inclusion: A particle of foreign matter contained within a gemstone. Examples include air bubbles or foreign objects. Some inclusions decrease the value of a stone, but others, such as needles in rutilated quartz or 'spangles' in amber, are prized.
Malleability: A material's ability to deform under pressure (compressive stress), such as when a metal is flattened by hammering or rolling.
Pave: Stones set close together, showing no metal between them.
Precious Metals: The three precious metals are gold, silver, and platinum. They are rare, naturally occurring metals with high economic value, known for their high lustre and ductile properties. While sometimes used industrially, they are known for their use in art, jewelry, and coinage.