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• Metals and their alloys:
  • When choosing a metal or karat of gold one must consider their different properties.  Metals differ in terms of durability, malleability, and hardness.  Some metals are also more reactive than others, which means that the metal will react to the atmosphere and to your skin's pH.  Reacting with the atmosphere can be undesirable, as with tarnish, or desirable as with patinas.  When metal reacts to your skin it is seen as a green or black coloration on your skin.  People with allergies to metals are usually just allergic to copper, a very reactive metal, used to alloy both gold and silver.  Avoiding copper alloys becomes important for these people, but there are options.

• Silver Alloys: 
  • Fine Silver: Ag 47
    • We occasionally use fine silver, silver in its pure form, for people with copper allergies.  It is fairly soft but a beautiful bright white color, (in fact silver is the whitest of all precious metals) and is relatively inexpensive. It doesn't tarnish easily and is simply polished.  Fine silver can also be used to set extremely sensitive gem stones.
  • Sterling silver:
    • Sterling Silver consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper, zinc and sometimes silicon or other alloys.  These alloys are added to .999, or fine silver, to enhance its durability and hardness.  .  However, even with the addition of alloys,  silver is still not especially strong.  It takes scratches easily, it can be misshapen, and after bending too many times can become brittle and break.  A sterling silver ring worn everyday for more than 10 years can be significantly worn away.  For this reason we don't suggest using sterling silver for wedding bands unless there are other harder metals used as well, like in Mokume Gane or gold accents. 
• Gold Alloys:
  • 24 karat gold: Au 79
    • Pure gold, or fine gold, is very soft, it is rarely used as jewelry without being alloyed.
  • 18k Yellow Gold:
    • 18k is 75% fine gold alloyed with 25% copper, silver, zinc and other alloys.  The combination of metals in 18k makes a strong and durable alloy as well as allows the rich gold color of a higher karat to show.  For these reasons, it is our favorite yellow gold alloy.  For simplicity sake we state that 18k is 75%, actual amount of pure gold in our 18k is .752.
  • 14k Yellow Gold:
    • 14k is 58.5% fine gold alloyed with 41.5% copper, silver, zinc and other alloys.  14k is a very strong, yet sometimes brittle alloy with a pale gold color.  It is popular in North America because it still has a gold color and is economical as well as strong.
  • 22k Yellow Gold:
    • 22k is 91.8% fine gold alloyed with 8.2% copper and silver.  We use this alloy mainly in Mokume Gane as it has superior malleability, especially in combinations with sterling silver and Shakudo.  The deep gold color of 22k is truly beautiful and still a little more durable than sterling silver.
  • 14k or 18k Red Gold:
    • The pinker color of red gold is achieved by raising the copper ratio of the alloy.  For example, 18k red gold is still 75% fine gold, but the 25% of alloy has a greater copper content than a yellow gold or a green gold.  Red (or rose or pink) gold has become quite popular because it flatters pale and rosy skin tones and certain colors of gemstones.  The higher copper content makes the alloy more durable than its yellow or green counterparts.
  • 14k or 18k Green Gold:
    • The greenish color of green gold is achieved by raising the silver ratio of the alloy.  Green gold is mainly used as contrast with other metals, or if the color goes well with the gemstones or subject mater.  Green gold is more malleable than red or yellow gold but less durable.
  • 14k Nickel White Gold:

    • In this gold alloy, nickel, fine silver, and other alloys are used to turn, what was a deep yellow-orange, to a white metal.  14k white contains 58.5% fine gold.  This alloy is a bright grey color, is extremely hard and an economical choice, although it can be brittle which means prongs and other small parts can crack under pressure.  Some people do not tolerate nickel well.

  • 18k Nickel White Gold:
    • 75% fine gold and 25% nickel, fine silver and other alloys.  It is difficult to completely camouflage the rich yellow-orange color of fine gold with only 25% alloy.  So this white alloy is a deep grey with a yellowish tint.  Most 18k white gold jewelry one sees in stores is rhodium plated.  Rhodium is a platinum group metal and is used to plate because it is scratch-resistant and a bright grayish white color.  We don't use this alloy, but we might for a special request.
  • 14k and 18k Palladium White Gold:

    • In this gold alloy, palladium, fine silver and other alloys are used to create a glossy medium grey color.  This gold alloy has the distinction of being the only gold alloy that uses an alloy of greater value than the gold itself.  Palladium is a platinum group metal and a deep grey color (see below).  As opposed to nickel white gold, palladium white gold is malleable, not brittle, yet very strong and durable.  We use this alloy mainly for white gold macramé rings.  This is also a hypo-allergenic choice, being totally composed of non-reactive metals.

• Platinum and Palladium:
  • Platinum: Pt 78
    • Platinum is a noble metal which is alloyed with other platinum group metals.  It is a very dense, hard and durable metal, but more difficult to work with as a jeweler.  Right now we are able to do fabrication and repairs with Platinum but must send castings out to be done by a specialist because of the unusual qualities of platinum.
    •   The following is a list of standard platinum alloys suitable for jewelry.

      .900 platinum Pt 78 + .100 iridium Ir 77

      .900 platinum Pt 78 + .100 ruthenium Ru 44

      .950 platinum Pt 78 + .050 iridium Ir 77

  • Palladium: Pd 46
    • Palladium is a platinum group metal.  The others are iridium, platinum, ruthenium, osmium and rhodium.  It is soft and malleable and a flat, dark grey in color which contrast well with sterling silver.  Lately it has been more expensive than gold per oz..  It is also completely inert, thus hypo-allergenic.  We use it, in its pure state .999, mainly in Mokume Gane.
• Copper Alloys:
  • Shakudo:
    • An ancient Japanese alloy composed of copper and gold.  The alloy we use is 96% copper and 4% gold.  The gold in this alloy allows the reactive copper to patina to a dark black/brown/purple color that is fine-tuned to the wearer's pH level.  We use this alloy mainly in Mokume Gane because of its high contrast with other metals.  Shakudo is one of the metals which will turn your finger green which is why we line rings made with it with more precious metals.
  • Nickel Silver:
    • Actually contains no silver, it is 65% copper, 18% nickel, 17% zinc.  We use it as a grey contrast metal with sterling silver in the Mokume Gane, also for some moving parts such as pin backs or barrette mechanics because of its strength.  It is a dull grey metal, very hard, durable and inexpensive, but may cause irritation for some people.  In Mokume Gane it is mainly a economical alternative to the palladium and sterling combination.