Common Alloys Used In Jewelry

[pricescope]

Many thanks to John Pollard for submitting his new article: An Overview Of Common Alloys Used In Jewelry

 

[movie zombie]

simple and informative.....well done!

movie zombie

 

[:)]

John - stellar article.

Extremely informative. The pics are a great touch to really demonstrate color differences, etc.

Ha Ha - No wonder you knew the answer to my SK Plat question!!!

Does the SK Plat being such much harder than the other plat alloys mean that it is really hard for bench workers to work with?

Perhaps we should put a link to this in the FAQ section?

ETA - I like how you included the actual PSI to give strength qualities - although the PSI is fairly high for all, It does really show the big diff bet gold and plat and will likely be helpful to those trying to decide about prongs, etc.

 

[AGBF]

I tried to post a review at the site of the article but ran into technical difficulties. I am not giving up, but have rather enlisted Leonid''s help. The short version of my review is that your article was excellent, John.

Deb

 

[AGBF]

I thought the article was excellent and gave a good overview of the alloys used in making jewelry. It was clear that gold had to be mixed with other minerals because it was not strong enough to use in jewelry in its pure form. It was not clear why platinum had to be mixed with other minerals in order to use it in jewelry, however. A good job was done in delineating the properties of the different platinum alloys, but the lay person was still left wondering why any alloy of platinum was needed in jewelry making.

I loved having a short, readable essay on precious metal available here on Pricescope. Thank you, John!

Deb

 

[JohnQuixote]

I've only just seen this thread moved here to FAQ (I need to get out more). Apologies for the delay in responding. Thank you all for the gracious comments.

Date: 12/31/2006 5:13:07 AM
Author: AGBF

I thought the article was excellent and gave a good overview of the alloys used in making jewelry. It was clear that gold had to be mixed with other minerals because it was not strong enough to use in jewelry in its pure form. It was not clear why platinum had to be mixed with other minerals in order to use it in jewelry, however. A good job was done in delineating the properties of the different platinum alloys, but the lay person was still left wondering why any alloy of platinum was needed in jewelry making.

I loved having a short, readable essay on precious metal available here on Pricescope. Thank you, John!

Deb

Very useful Deb. Here are your answers:

Platinum is alloyed with other metals for two reasons1) to bring down its melting point and (2) because in its pure form it’s too soft.There are infinite variations of preferences people have in alloys beyond the several I mentioned.It depends on what the person’s preferences are and what he effects he/she is trying to achieve.For example, platinum-ruthenium has the highest melting point of the alloys I mentioned, but it’s more millable, so it can be machined and grinded better.Many milled products are plat-ruth because it is harder and crisper at the bench.Platinum-iridium has a lower flow point and is fabulous for casting but is more difficult to hand-tool.

Why is platinum needed?It’s hypoallergenic.It’s almost indestructible.It doesn’t wear out over time.It’s far superior for setting soft stones (platinum is the stone setter’s choice by far).

It’s also recent:We would have used platinum long ago if we could, but for centuries we didn’t have torches to melt it or machines capable of milling, rolling and pulling it.Once we developed the means to work it platinum came into use.Now we have the tools and machinery, but platinumsmithing still takes different laborer skill sets and equipment than goldsmithing, which contributes to why finished platinum jewelry costs more; it’s not tied simply to the different costs of precious metals.

We can relate this to diamond cutting.It is similar to the advent of the rotary saw in the late 1800s which gave us the ability to saw rough and ushered in the brilliant style of diamond cutting.Today lasers are being used to saw which has stepped up our efficiency and accuracy.

Hope this is helpful.Great questions!