THE TITLE WONT BE DISPLAYED AS THIS IS VIEWED WITHIN A FRAME

METAL PRODUCTS

925 sterling silver		Sterling silver is 92.5% or higher pure silver metal denoted by the "925" stamp. This standard is used to assure consistent quality among sterling products. Sterling is 92.5% pure instead of 100% pure in order to achieve the requisite hardness and stability to resist wear and tear, and hold its shape. Pure 100% silver looks bright white and is extremely soft. To enhance its beauty and durability, the vast majority of fine silver jewellery is made of sterling silver, which is composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper alloy.

made from sterling silver		The Silver Corporation uses this term to describe goods that are manufactured from sterling silver, but which, due to the manufacturing process of the goods, may not test as .925 sterling silver because of the amount of manufacturing residue left on the product - a good example of this is small bali spacers and very intricate beads.

Alloy		A mixture of two or more metals in their molten state.

base metal		Non-precious metals - in metal working, a base metal is any metal that is not one the noble or precious metals. Examples of base metals include iron, steel (an alloy of iron and other metals), copper, brass (an alloy of copper and other metals). Brass is a common base metal in jewellery.

electroplating		The process of covering a base metal with a thin film of a precious metal (eg gold or silver). The base metal is set in a chemical solution containing the precious metal, through which an electric current flows. This electrical current allows the precious metal to chemically bond with the surface of the base metal thus coating the base metal with a thin skin of the precious metal.

gold finished / gold coloured		The product is made of a base metal (brass or steel) and is electroplated with a non-standardized thickness of gold which may well be extremely thin and impure.

gold filled		Gold-filled products are constructed in two or three layers. The first layer, the core, is usually brass or copper. The top layer(s) are made of a gold alloy which is then bonded to one or both surfaces of the core with heat and pressure. Gold-filled is legally required to contain 5% gold by weight, which equates to 5 parts in 100 or 1 part in 20. The correct terminology is 1/20 gold by weight. The % of gold is called the karatage of the gold alloy. Most gold-filled is 12kt (12/20) or 14kt (14/20) gold-filled. Products are variously identified as 14/20 Gold-filled or 12/20 Gold-Filled; or, 14kt Gold-Filled or 12kt Gold-Filled.

gold plated		Products are plated with an industry standard of .15 to .25 mm thickness of gold which must be of at least 10 karats to the surface of the base metal. Gold plate vs. gold-filled: gold-filled is 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and about 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold plate.

karat gold		Karat is the measure of fineness of gold. Pure gold is 24kt, meaning 24 parts out of 24 are gold. 24kt is too soft to be functional, so it is alloyed with other metals for durability, cost, and colour. A karat of gold that is less than 24 karat means that it contains the karat number of parts gold with the remaining parts made of an alloy of various other metals. The metals used for the alloy depend on the end colour of gold which can be yellow, rose, green or white. Metals used can be copper, silver, nickel, zinc, tin, palladium, and/or manganese. (People with nickel allergies should be aware that white gold contains nickel.) All of the gold we stock is yellow gold. The higher the karat the deeper the yellow tone of the colour of the gold. As a guide here are the typical constituents of different types of 18 Kt gold: 18kt yellow gold - 75% gold + 12.5% silver + 12.5% copper 18kt white gold - 75% gold + 5% copper + 15% nickel + 5% zinc 18kt rose gold - 75% gold + 5% silver + 20% copper As a rough guide: 18 karat gold is about 75% gold. 14 karat gold is just over 50% gold. 12 karat gold is exactly 50% gold.

precious metal		The precious metals are platinum, gold and silver. All other metals are base metals.

silver finished / silver coloured		The product is made of a base metal (brass or steel) and is electroplated with a non-standardized thickness of silver which may well be very thin and impure.

silver plated		Products are plated with an industry standard of .15 to .25 mils thickness of silver, which must be at least 92.5% silver, to the surface of the base metal.

stardust		Stardust is a type of metal finishing effect created by etching a surface with a laser. The laser treatment roughs up the surface and causes it to catch light in a different way than smooth polished metal. The appearance is a frosted look.

surgical steel		Stainless steel—a non-allergenic material when not plated. It is darker and greyer than sterling silver.

vermeil		Vermeil is Gold Plated Sterling Silver. The product is made of Sterling Silver which is electroplated or other wise coated with 10kt, or higher karat, gold plating. Gold Plated Sterling items have the yellow brilliance of high karat gold at a fraction of the cost; yet, the product is of much higher quality than plated base metals since the base metal being plated is Sterling Silver. The Karat of the plating varies so we state the karat of the plating. Plated items are not lifetime products, the metal coating will wear off eventually depending on how often the product is worn and how well it is cared for.




GLASS PRODUCTS

AB		AB stands for Aurora Borealis (the northern lights). It is a finish that is applied to the exterior of many glass beads. When it is applied to round beads the coating tends to be all over the bead. When it is applied to faceted beads, some facets are treated and some are not. The AB coating gives an iridescent sheen to the surface that has been coated that will reflect a rainbow spectrum of colours. The process was invented by the Swarovski company together with Christian Dior in 1955.

aventurina		Glass containing opaque sparkling particles of foreign material usually copper or chromic oxide.

crackle glass		Crackle glass is made by dipping ordinary molten glass into water causing the exterior of the glass to crack and fracture whilst the molten interior remains solid. While crackle glass is surprisingly tough its inherently fragile nature should be catered for!

foil lined		All sorts of metals are used in foiled beads so we describe the foil as one of the following: sterling silver foil - means that the foil is sterling silver sheet 24K gold foil - means that the foil is 24k gold sheet silver foil - means that the foil is made of a silver coloured metal, type unknown gold foil - means that the foil is made of a gold coloured metal, type unknown

fire polished		Fire polish beads are faceted glass beads that are usually machine cut and then polished or tumbled to round the edges of the facets so they are less sharp. This gives the bead a slightly softer appearance while still maintaining the flashy, light-catching properties of cut glass.

millefiori		Ornamental glass produced by cutting cross sections of fused bundles of glass rods of various colours and sizes

venetian murano glass		Glass that has been manufactured on the island of Murano which is a few minutes boat ride off the coast of Venice.

The Silver Corporation Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registered Number 05963181