Art of Jewelry

Gold

Gold is a noble metal that is exceptionally resistant to corrosion and tarnish. It is soft, malleable and ductile.

In Hong Kong, it is traditionally sold by the tael, which is equivalent to 37.429 grams. When used in creating jewellery, gold will either be pure (24K or “999.9 gold”) or alloyed to various purities (fineness). Gold, mixed with copper, silver or palladium gives birth to different alloys, commonly known as karat gold or K-Gold. The more prevalent alloys are 18K (75% pure gold) and 14K (58.5% pure gold). The hardness of karat gold makes it suitable for jewellery set with diamonds or sapphires.

The proportion and type of added metals can change the colour and hardness of the alloys. For example, a reddish alloy has a higher proportion of copper while a silvery alloy has a higher proportion of silver. In making “white gold”, no copper is used. White gold is still a form of karat gold, but the presence of silver and nickel or palladium creates a completely silvery appearance.

Do you remember in the old cowboy movies when the cowboy would “bite” a gold coin to see if it was real or fake? It seems that even back then clever counterfeiters were plying their trade. Nothing has changed since those times and if fact counterfeiters have become better at their craft if nothing else.

The truth of the matter, is that a fake gold coin could easily pass the “bite” test if it was made out of lead, plated with copper, so it could be then plated in nickel, so it could be then plated in 24K gold. Fake jewelry is nothing new but if you buy plated jewelry you want to do it willingly not by being sold something that is being passed off as being 14K or 18K.

Rule number one, is that if you aren’t buying a piece of solid gold jewelry from a legitimate source, assume it is fake until you have had a jeweler look at it. Just because it has a 14K or 18K stamp on it means nothing any more, because there is so much fake gold jewelry floating around now.

The same rule applies for any type of designer jewelry, because virtually any type of designer jewelry is now being counterfeited overseas. If you are approached on city street by someone that has an 18K gold chain that is still in the original jewelry box, virtually100% of the time it will be fake.

In the typical con it will even still have a price tag on it and they will say that a friend of theirs recently stole it. Another common item that is sold as the genuine article is fake Rolex watches. It too may come in a counterfeit box but these are easy to spot. This is because, the second hand on a real Rolex “sweeps” while the second hand on a fake will move with a “tick”.

Profit demands are reducing the sources for quality wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry manufacturers daily. Some now prefer to produce the more lucrative gold jewelry and most of the others will only accept very large orders. Samsoneinc.com is one of the few quality

wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry manufacturers that will produce small quantities of custom designs at a reasonable price.

Quality wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry manufacturing starts with good craftsmanship and materials. The basic information needed to create wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry are the designs, the volume of the order, the metal weight and, for the manufacturer to properly calculate silver weight and cost, the dimension of the jewelry and gemstones required must be given. Of these, the order volume will have the greatest impact on the final cost.

Once we receive this information and a sample of the design at Samsoneinc.com, there is an $80 charge for making the mold of the design and a minimum order quantity of 50 pieces per style with a required 50% deposit. Usually it takes us 4-6 weeks to manufacture custom sterling silver jewelry.

In cases where the order volume is very large, the charge for the mold can be waived.

If you are using gemstones and/or diamonds in your designs, take care to discuss the selection process beforehand. Be aware when you are choosing a manufacturer for your wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry that very often you will find manufacturers who use extremely low grade diamonds and gemstones, which can be effected by poor color, inclusions, cracks and other flaws to cut costs.

To produce quality wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry you need a certain metal weight. When you use a light weight of silver, the costs may be cheaper, but the result is jewelry that will bend or twist at the slightest impact. It will prevent your gemstones or diamonds from being firmly mounted, resulting in frequent repairs which is not the ideal for sterling silver jewelry.

Bear in mind that wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry manufacturing is a labour intensive process that requires skilled craftsmen, which are not easy to find and whose fees are quite substantial.

Although your wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry will be made by a mechanical casting process, it requires hand finishing by skilled craftsmen to be complete. Time is a factor in this process, but this is the best way to ensure good quality wholesale silver jewelry.

The good news is that re-orders of the same design will cost less than the initial one, because the mold is already made. Outside of this factor, remember that the cost of the silver and gemstones can vary and this will affect the total cost.

Samsoneinc.com can provide you with exquisite wholesale custom sterling silver jewelry pieces, which are perfect accessories for any occasion.