Materials

Antiqued or Aged Metal - refers to new metal (any metal) being oxidized and darkened to give an antiquated or aged appearance.  There are some beautiful brass Art Deco and Art Nouveau pendants, clasps, etc. available to jewelry designers that have been made from old moulds and have been "antiqued".  They are new pieces made to look old.

Argentium Silver - Argentium Silver contains more silver and replaces the copper used in traditional sterling silver with an element called germanium making the silver highly tarnish resistant and more pure than traditional sterling silver (935 vs 925). It is also made using recycled silver.

Brass - brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.  It is stronger and harder than copper and it can be raw or plated.  I use either raw brass stampings or brass stampings that have been finished, polished and plated in the U.S. and there is no lead or nickel used in the plating process. 

Bronze - bronze is a warm colour because of the copper.  The bronze that I use is alloyed 82% copper and 10% tin.  

Copper - Copper is used to alloy silver and gold.  It has been used for many things such as jewelry designs, ornaments, decorative inlays in buildings for thousands of years. Copper will patina over time if it isn't coated.  Some people like this look - it depends of your personal preference.  I use uncoated copper and sometimes Artistic Wire, which is a coated copper.

Crystal - The difference between glass and crystal is the lead content.  Glass is composed of sodium and potassium.  Crystal is composed of sodium, silicone and a lead content of 10-24%.  Lead makes the glass heavier and lead changes the refraction index, making the item appear brighter and cleaner.  Lead crystal is not as brittle as standard glass, making deeper more complicated cuts easier to make.

You are in no danger touching lead crystal.  However, putting lead crystals in the mouth (ingesting) or allowing children or pets to play with your lead crystal jewelry is not recommended.  Small items could be a choking hazard.

Czech glass - Czech glass making goes back hundreds and hundreds of years.  Glass as a decorative art form such as engraving was well rooted in Bohemia in the 17th century and held its dominance through the early 20th century and until the Nazi invasion in 1938.  At the end of the war there was the Soviet Occupation and factories no longer produced objects of art.  But families held on to the glassmaking traditions and today there are many small cottage industries where beads are made by hand. 

Fine Silver - Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver.  It is softer and will tarnish more slowly than sterling silver.

Gold Filled - gold filled, also known as “rolled gold”, “gold overlay”, “metal cladding” is a joining of a base metal with an outer layer of gold.  A gold alloy is bonded to a brass core with heat and pressure.  Gold filled is legally required to contain 5% or 1/20 gold by weight.  Gold filled products can be 10K, 12K, 14K or 18 Karat gold filled (also described as 14/20 or 12/20 gold filled). 

Gold plating - is just that - gold plating over a base metal (a thin layer of gold) - the coating can be worn away.  Gold filled is a lot thicker than regular gold plating or heavy gold electroplating and gold filled products can last 20 to 30 years and they are commonly used in high fashion jewelry. Gold filled products are very durable and provide the look and feel of "real" gold at a fraction of the price.

Jeweler's Brass - Also known as Merlin's gold or red brass (85% copper and 15% zinc).  It is durable and a true gold colour (12K/14K) - a warmer yellow than regular brass.

Karen Hill Tribe Silver - the Karen are people of northern Thailand and the silver that they produce is 99.9 percent fine silver.  Their tools can be anything from nails, chisels to scrap metal.  All of the hill tribes work with silver, but only the Karen have made silversmithing their profession.  

Lampworking - lampworking is glassworking using a torch to melt and shape glass.  Many types of glass are used such as Moretti, Borosilicate or Bullseye.  Early lampworking was done with a single flame from a oil lamp allowing the artisan to control the flame.

Pewter - modern pewter is a metal alloy consisting of tin, copper, antimony and/or bismuth - to replace lead.  Most of the pewter on the market today is a lead free alloy.

Retro - meaning retrospective or something new that is made to look like something from another era.

Swarovski Crystal - Daniel Swarovski founded his company at the end of the 19th century.  Today, Swarovski produces home accessories, gift ideas, eyewear, etc. worldwide - they are also known for their optical products - binoculars and telescopes.  Swarovski crystal is considered to be the finest in the world - they are unmatched in quality and crystal brilliance.   Swarovski also produces the finest faux pearls available.

Standard Sterling Silver - 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper).

Vintage - vintage beads/findings/metal that are no longer being manufactured.  Vintage beads are highly collectible and cherished because of rarity and/or because of the condition.  European or Japanese beads from 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s are desirable and used a lot in fashion jewelry designs.  Trade Beads are sometimes used in fashion designs.  Trade Beads are also highly collectible.  Vintage metals from the eras mentioned above are also desirable and used in fashion jewelry designs.

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