KNOW THE METALS

Jewelry is metal. Although gems are also jewelry, the gems without the metal would be merely pretty baubles, because how would you wear the gems unless they were set in some way? The making of jewelry, therefore, depends on some kind of metal, whether the jewelry is a chain or necklace, a pin or brooch, a ring, earrings, or a bracelet.

Metals are divided into precious and base metals. The precious , are gold, platinum, and silver. They are also called noble metal because they resist corrosion and oxidation, the process in which air and elements in the air eat away metals to form tarnish and rust. Base metals are all other metals, whose resistance to corrosion is less, such as copper, nickel, and iron.

Most metals used in jewelry are combinations of precious and base metals. Although the precious metals could be said to be diluted vase metals, the reason they are combined may have less to , making the precious metal less expensive than with the intrinsic qualities of the base as well as the precious metals. You need to know a little about what those qualities are in order to understand the metals themselves.

Malleability is the capability of a metal to be hammered or worked under pressure without crumbling. The most malleable metals, in order, are gold, silver, and copper. Gold is so soft or malleable, in fact, that early man could work it with the most primitive tools.