Metals in Jewelry
ALLOY: A mixture of two or more metals.
ALPACO: An alloy of metals, zinc, nickel, copper, and silver, imitating silver but with an off tone even when polished.
BASE METALS: Non-precious metals that include zinc, tin, and lead.
CHROMIUM: A hard gray white metal often used in Art Deco jewelry.
COIN SILVER: Coin silver was once the purity (.900) standard for coins. It was changed because so many silversmiths were melting the coins to make jewelry and watch cases. The name coin silver has continued to remain synonymous with .900 silver.
CUT STEEL: Small faceted steel studs, riveted closely together on a metal backing.
800 SILVER: It means exactly what it indicates. The piece is made of 800 parts refined silver and approximately 200 parts base metal. Pieces made in Europe often bear this mark. During the 1930’s and 40’s many Italian cameos were set in 800 silver.
GERMAN SILVER: German silver is not German and it is not silver. It is a mixture of zinc, copper, and nickel and is called German because a German introduced it to England in the late 1700’s. It is also known by the name “nickel silver”.
GILDING: Process by which a base metal is plated or coated with a thin layer of gold (called gilt metal).
GOLD FILLED: Covered with a layer of gold, of any specified fineness, by it’s being bonded to base metal by electroplating.
GOLD PLATED: Covered with a layer of gold, by it being bonded to a base metal by electroplating. Not as thick as Gold Filled.
GOLD WASH: Covered with a layer of gold, by it being bonded to a base metal by electroplating. Not as thick as Gold Plating or Gold Filled.
MARCASITE: Iron pyrite with a silver luster, cut in small faceted circular stones and often pave set in silver or other white metal.
NICKEL SILVER: A white metal mixture of copper, zinc, and nickel.
PEWTER: A leaded alloy.
PINCHBECK: An alloy of copper and zinc that was invented 1720, by Christopher Pinchbeck. It resembled, but was much lighter than, gold and was used in making expensive jewelry.
PLATINUM: Platinum is a heavy, dense, hard metal. It is white is color with a slightly grayish cast. By 1900 it was very popular and continued to be so throughout the 1930’s. Around 1915, 18k white gold was introduced as a perfect imitation.
PLUMB GOLD: In the United States a piece designated as a certain karat gold can legally vary one half of a karat. As you might imagine, when a manufacturer has a choice he might use 13-1/2k instead of 14k. In 1978 the karat mark followed by a P was introduced so that a manufacturer could insure that a piece was “plum” gold. If a piece is stamped 14kp it is guaranteed by the manufacturer to be no less than 14k. Some people mistake this mark for 14k gold plate.
POT METAL: A mixture of metals that were all thrown into a pot and melted down. It was prevalent and is a recognizable due to its dull-looking finish.
RHODIUM: A non-tarnishing white metal that resembles platinum. It has a shiny, bright veneer. It is an expensive finish and is often used to plate base metals to give them a platinum-like sheen.
ROLLED GOLD: A product resulting from fusing over a base metal a thin layer of gold, and then rolling it into sheets of varying thickness. This is an older term for gold filled. It is the same process but often the sheets of gold were thicker.
SILVERPLATE: This is the same process used for gold electroplating. A thin coating of silver is applied to an item made of base metal by means of an electrical current. Nickel silver and copper are the most popular base metals used for silver plating.
STERLING: A silver compound that contains 92.5 percent silver. Sterling silver will usually be hallmarked with the word “sterling” or an assay mark on the back of the piece of jewelry. This metal was widely used during World War II due to other metals being used for the war effort.
VERMEIL: Pronounced Vair-May, vermeil is gilded silver, i.e. sterling silver covered with a layer of gold by plating or by other process.
WHITE METAL: A mixture of: 92 percent tin, cadmium, lead, and zinc.
