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Wire/Attribute |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
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Sterling Silver
More Info. |
- Jewelry made in sterling silver is perceived to have value
- Sterling silver can be purchased in soft or 1/2 hard
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- Sterling Silver Tarnishes easily in the presence of sulfur compounds
like those found in air pollution.
- Sterling Silver is expensive.
- It is harder to take pictures of sterling silver jewelry.
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Gold
More Info. |
- Jewelry made in solid gold has very high perceived value.
- Gold can be purchased in soft or 1/2 hard.
- Gold is naturally tarnish resistant.
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- Solid gold is very, very expensive. It is considerably more
expensive than sterling silver.
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Anti-Tarnish Sterling Silver
(Argentium)
More Info. |
- Jewelry made in sterling silver is perceived to have value
- Sterling silver can be purchased in soft or 1/2 hard
- Argentium sterling silver has a natural tarnish resistance.
- Argentium sterling silver when tarnished, the tarnish is a light yellow
color and can be washed off with soap and water.
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- Argentium Sterling Silver is more expensive than ordinary sterling
silver but is far less expensive than solid gold.
- It is harder to take pictures of sterling silver jewelry.
- Argentium Sterling Silver comes from the manufacturer with a light
coating of tarnish. It is recommended that you wash this wire with
soap and water before you use it to make jewelry components.
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Gold-Filled
More Info. |
- Gold-filled wire appears and wears exactly like solid gold.
- Gold-filled wire is slightly stronger than solid gold.
- Gold-filled wire can be purchased in soft or 1/2 hard.
- Gold-filled wire has the same natural tarnish resistance as solid gold.
- Gold-filled wire has 5% gold alloy squeezed around a gold colored metal
core. For this reason the gold on the wire can not be scratched off by
normal wear and tear.
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- Gold-filled wire costs more than sterling silver, but much, much less
than solid gold.
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Silver-Plate |
- Silver-plated wire is inexpensive.
- Silver-plated wire appears like sterling silver for jewelry items that
receive limited abrasion like earrings.
- Some silver plated wire has an anti-tarnish enamel coating.
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- The silver plating is 1-2 molecules of silver thick and can be scratched
off by normal wear and tear.
- Silver-plated wire can tarnish.
- Silver-plated wire is only available as soft wire.
- Most silver-plated wire contains traces of nickel.
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Gold-Plate
More Info. |
- Gold-plated wire is inexpensive.
- Gold-plated wire appears like 24 kt gold and is suitable for jewelry items that receive
limited abrasion like earrings.
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- Gold-plated wire appears like 24 kt gold and can be hard to match to
jewelry components made of other gold alloys.
- The gold plating is 1-2 molecules of gold thick and can be scratched off
by normal wear and tear.
- Most gold-plated wire contains traces of nickel.
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