Metals
Gold market as of today:
kitco.com
Chart A
|
Karat |
|
%Gold |
Kt |
|
100% |
24Kt |
|
91.7% |
22Kt |
|
75.0% |
18Kt |
|
58.5% |
14Kt |
|
41.6% |
10Kt |
Chart B
HV
(Vickers Pyramid Number)
Approximate |
|
Alloy |
HV |
|
10kt White |
158 - 178 |
|
10kt Yellow |
128 - 135 |
|
14kt White |
125 - 204 |
|
14kt Yellow |
136 - 165 |
|
18kt White |
158-231 |
|
18kt Yellow |
115 - 160 |
|
Pure Gold |
30 |
|
Sterling Silver |
66-120 |
|
Continuum |
97-150 |
Chart C
|
YI(Yellowness index) |
|
Alloy |
Yellowness |
|
10kt White |
23 - 19 |
|
14kt White |
21 - <14 |
|
18kt White |
26 -<17 |
|
Sterling Silver |
10 |
YID <19 Very White
YID 19-25 White
YID 25-32 Off White
YID 32 + Not White
Gold, Platinum and Silver are the most popular metals in the jewlery industry,
with newcomers like titanium, tungston and stainless steel. Gold is sold in Karets,
which designates the percentage of gold mixed with alloys(chart A).
Karets is a measurment of finenss. 24kt is pure gold and 14kt is 14/24ths,
fine gold or 58.5% gold. Gold is commonly weighted in pennyweights (DWTS).
Twenty DWTS equals 1oz or 31.1g.
Gold filled is a joining of gold and another metal not mixed like Karet gold but
rolled to a base layer. The total content of gold is usually 5% of the
weight and stamped 1/20 GF. The gold layer can be 14kt or 12kt.
Electroplated gold is a very thin, (0.175 to 2.5microns) even layer of gold electrically deposited on
base metal. Most white gold is electroplated with rhodium to give the slight
yellow color of white gold a nice white finish.
Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Coin silver is 90% silver and 10%
copper. Commercial silver is 99.9% silver or higher. Nickel and
german silver contains NO silver. It is a mixture of nickel, copper, and
zinc.
Continuum
An exceptional white at less then 19 yellowness (chart
C) index and the hardest sterling silver currently available. Continuum offers the possibility of diamond setting with the security of up to 150 HV ( Vickers Pyramid Number)
(chart B). The hardness is needed to keep stones tight and keep stone loss to a minimum. Softer Silvers didn't make diamond setting practical do to possible stone loss. The added benefits of cast ability and workability makes this new silver exceptional for jewelry. Continuum contains no nickel, reducing allergic reactions.