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Vera Battemarco, Couture Artisan Jewelry tm, Fine handcrafted styles just for you. :: Jewelry Facts and Information
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Jewelry Facts and InformationInformation on materials, definition and care of your new, vintage and antique jewelry.
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Gold Vermeil is 22k Gold (or any other karat weight) over Sterling Silver. It is a plating process of Gold over Sterling Silver by definition. When cleaning your Gold Vermeil treasure keep in mind that some jewelry cloths have a very strong polisher which can remove this fine Gold layer. Depending on where you live the brightness of the gold will mellow slowly or be accelerated by the underlying Sterling, which tends to tarnish faster in large metropolitan areas due to the smog in the air. At first, simply wash your beautiful jewelry in a mild soap and dry it with an old towel. Actually, I like to use Simple Green, which is a cleaner you find in the cleaning supplies of supermarkets and places like Home Depot. After sometime, the Gold layer will more than likely wear off. Don't fret! The beauty of its age is the fact that the Gold tends to stay on the crevices of textured pieces. It gives it a most beautiful bas-relief effect. I like to think of it as gracefully aged! You can also have it replated if you wish.
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Gold Filled, Rolled Gold or Gold Fill do have a content of Gold. It looks just like solid gold and it behaves like it, so if you are allergic to fashion jewelry but not 14k gold, gold filled is right for you. It should not create an allergic reaction. This wonderful material is created by using 1 or 2 sheets of actual gold and one sheet of base metal (generally brass). The brass sheet is sandwiched (for lack of better expression) between the 2 gold sheets. All 3 sheets are then rolled through a mill (similar to a pasta making machine). The gold is then permanently bonded to the center metal, hence the name, Gold Filled or Rolled Gold. It is available in Yellow, Rose and White 14Kt (generally). With proper care it will last for decades. I have some pieces in my private collection that are over 100 years old and look brand new. The designs I create with Gold Filled materials are marked as such (14KGF) whenever there is a metal Gold signature tag on them.
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Argentium or Tarnish Resistant Sterling Silver is a long anticipated and fairly new composition in the market. Sterling is 92.5% pure Silver and 7.5% alloys. Argentium is achieved by adding Germanium to the alloy instead of Nickel. Not only does it not tarnish for long, long time, it is also better to wear, mostly for those with sensitivity to Nickel. Always bright and non-allergenic! Doesn't get much better than this!
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Brought to you by Vera Battemarco, Couture Artisan Jewelry tm |
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