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Glossary Bali Silver
Made in Bali by master
silver smiths, Bali silver is sterling silver with a very unique styling
and great respect and appeal.
Base
Metal
Meaning a metal that is not precious like gold or
silver. It may be copper, pewter, silver plated or some other alloy.
Chainmaille
Originated in use for armour, and the term chainmaille is fairly recent and used to be simply called mail. It is the weaving and interlocking of rings in various weaves to create many varied and beautiful designs that are now very often used in jewellery
Chinese Crystal
These beads are
made with a low level of lead making them shine better than plain glass
beads. They do not have quite the sparkle of full lead crystal such as
Swarovski.
Coated Wire
This
is copper (or other base metal) wire that has a plastic-like coating to
give the wire a colour and to prevent it from tarnishing.
Czech Glass
Czech glass beads have a
good reputation for quality and workmanship.
Fire Polished Glass
Glass beads are
sometimes heated in a kiln after they are made. These are often termed
Fire polished. It tempers the glass making it shine, but more
importantly makes it more resistant to chipping.
Freshwater Pearl
Cultured pearls
grown in freshwater molluscs. These are often dyed to obtain a preferred
colour and are usually very colourfast.
Glass pearls
Made from glass and
coated with a lovely pearlescent finish these look a lot like pearls and
are very uniform in shape. They come in a good range of colours.
Mother-of-Pearl
The pearly inside
of shells found in some molluscs that is often used in making jewellery
as beads, cameos, pendants and other items.
Niobium
This is an extremely pure metal that is inert and therefore hypoallergenic. Most people with metal allergies can wear it. The colouration of niobium is a permanent colour that will not fade, though it can be scratched if not treated with care. The colours available are those found in the interference spectrum, so you won't find red and black, though there are some shades of blue, green, purple, pink and bronze.
Permanently Coloured Wire
this wire
is usually copper wire that has a permanent colour on it's surface, and is usually enamelled. The
colour can be scratched off, and may wear slightly with constant wear,
but with care will last a very long time.
Rolled Gold
Also known as gold-filled in the USA.
This is not gold-plated but rather a material containing 50x more gold
than gold plating. The gold is bonded to a base metal core (something
like jeweller's brass or other). It wears like solid gold and can be
worn by people with allergies to base metals. Cared for, rolled gold
lasts a lifetime of wear for a price comparable to that of sterling
silver.
Shell Pearls
Made
from mother of pearl, these are carved and drilled into pearl shaped
and dyed to look like pearls. They feel like pearls but are often much
more uniform in shape at a fraction of the price of top quality pearls.
Sterling Silver
This is 92.5% pure
silver and is a standard within the jewellery industry. It is used in
place of pure silver as the ally makes it stronger and better able to
keep it's shape.
Swarovski
Crystal
This is the trade name of a very reputable crystal
manufacturer in Austria. The bead are made with full lead content of
approximately 32%, making the beads sparkle spectacularly. The beads are
also masterfully cut, making these beads some of the finest available
on the market.
Titanium
This is an extremely pure
metal that is very inert and therefore hypoallergenic. Most people with metal allergies can wear
it. It is very strong and
lightweight. The colouration of titanium is a permanent colour that will not
fade, though it can be scratched if not treated with care. The colours
available are those found in the interference spectrum, so you won't
find red and black, though there are some shades of blue, green, purple,
pink and bronze.
Wire Wrap
This
is also known as wire sculpture, and is a very unique art. All items of
jewellery made this way are always unique as no two can ever be
identical. |
