Since I design birthstone jewelry I want to please my clients and sometimes I’m in a quandary about the exact gemstone or color to use in their jewelry. June is especially a problem. It is pearl in the traditional birthstone chart.  Pearl is very pretty but it doesn’t work well with other stones in mother’s jewelry.  So one could use alexandrite from the modern birthstone chart, do you know what color alexandrite is?  Most birthstones that resemble alexandrite are a pinkish lavender. But it can be many other colors. Do a Google image search of alexandrite. There it is, surely there is a color you would like. Now I couldn’t afford most of those gemstones but who cares. There are wonderful manmade, lab stones and cz’s that are the colors of alexandrite. After all, what we are really looking for is a gemstone color that we like to wear.

Non-traditional grandmothr's pendant.

I’ll be giving you some ideas about finding the right gemstone for you. Like choosing a stone that represents the day you were born!

For the Heart of My Heart

Valentine’s day will soon be here and we will each celebrate it showing our affection to those we love with our own traditions.  According to Wikipedia it is “traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as ‘valentines’).”   This day in which love is celebrated with symbols such as hearts and cupids has a long turbulent history.  It began in 500 A.D. when Pope Gelasius I named the day after a Christian martyr named Valentine.  But exactly who that person was has long been forgotten, for there were at least three men named Valentine who were martyred.  In 1969 the feast day of Saint Valentine that we celebrate on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar by Pope Paul VI.  Though it is no longer an official feast day it is still celebrated all over the world.

What began with handwritten love letters to one’s lover has evolved to mass-produced greeting cards with hearts and scantily clothed cupids to generic greetings from characters such as Bob Square Pants.  Now valentines and gifts are not only given to a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife but to one’s children, grandchildren, friends and everybody in one’s class at elementary school (except that boy “who always picks on me” who is secretly hoping he’ll get a special valentine from her).

How and why the day is celebrated and what is given as gifts has evolved over the years and from country to country.  I particularly like the tradition  begun in the second half of the 20th century in the United States, the practice of exchanging cards and a great variety of gifts, including roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. What an idea…a gift that doesn’t add inches to our waistline or wilt in a week but forever says, “I love you.”

You can find all sorts of jewelry for that someone special in you life at www.bburkett.com or www.artfire.com/users/bburkettjewelry.com.  Now B.Burkett jewelry can also be purchased at Beefore It’s a Quilt and Gifts at 119 E. Main Street in Port Lavaca, Texas.

Source

Valentine’s Day. (2011, January 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:26, January 28, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valentine%27s_Day&oldid=410472659

Pure silver or fine silver, 99.9% silver content, is usually used to make bullion bars for international commerce.  In jewelry it is used only for special purposes because it’s soft.  Jewelry wouldn’t be stable and would have scratches and dents in the surface if it were made entirely of fine silver. It is stamped with “999 FS.” An example of fine silver that I use is the wire that I mill by hand to use in Russian Filigree.  Two pieces of wire are twisted together very tightly then rolled through a mill (much like an old washing machine ringer, only much smaller) that flattens it.  This process makes it strong yet flexible enough to make the curled filler wires that are soldered into the sterling silver frame.  The jewelry in the banner at the top of my blog has fine silver filler wires.

Filigree Sand Dollar Pendant

Sterling silver must contain at least 92.5% pure silver, the remaining 7.5% is usually copper.  It is marked “Sterling” or “925.”  This is the metal I usually use to make soldered jewelry.  In the Sand Dollar Pendant, pictured left, I used sterling silver filigree wire which is hard enough to be used without a frame.

Romans called silver “argentum” and I suppose that’s the reason for the name “Argentium Silver” that was invented in 1996.   This new flavor of silver is the same as sterling except that the copper is partially replaced by metalloid germanium.  Tarnish (oxidation) is almost completely prevented in Argentium sterling silver.  Two stamps are used on this metal, one is for the silver content and the other features a flying unicorn which signifies that the piece is Argentium sterling.

Platinum is the rarest metal used to make jewelry, 10 tons of ore is mined to get one ounce of metal.  It was thought by Spanish conquistadors to be useless hence its name “platina” which means “little silver.”  Platinum will be stamped with a number and “Plat” depending on how much alloy is in it.

Silver plated jewelry is electroplated with a thin coating of silver chemically deposited on base metal.  The layer of silver is so thin that it wears off quickly with use.  Jewelry made of silver plate is inexpensive but the silver finish is only temporary.

Mexican silver is a term used for several different grades of silver.  It may be 92.5% silver, the same as sterling silver or even more pure with 95% silver and 5% copper.  Look for the stamp “925″ or “950″ respectively, on the jewelry made with these grades of silver. A  cheaper, poorer quality silver may be sold in some parts of Mexico.  It could be silver plated and is also known as alpaca, nickel or German silver. 

Britannia silver, has a silver content of at least 95.84%. It has been used as a standard in Britain since 1697.  It will be stamped with “958″ to indicate its silver content.

Hill tribe silver is made by different tribes of Thailand.  It may vary from 95% to 99% silver depending on which tribe it comes from.  Their handcrafted products are carved beads and components used in jewelry.  Because these items are so small they probably won’t have a quality stamp.

Bali beads are handcrafted on the island of Bali, Indonesia.  They are sterling silver beads antiqued with a black patina.  Beware of beads made in other countries that look like Bali beads.  Sometimes called “Bali-style” beads,  they may be made of a silver plated base metal.

The stamps that you find on jewelry are most often on commercially manufactured jewelry.   Many individuals who make handcrafted jewelry do not mark their jewelry with a quality (or hallmark) stamp.  Always buy from a dealer that you can trust.  And beware of anyone who tries to sell you jewelry that is an unbelievable bargain.

There are even more silver flavored metals used to make costume jewelry that I’ll write about later.

Sources

Argentium sterling silver. (2010, July 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:47, January 24, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Argentium_sterling_silver&oldid=373790734

Silver. (2011, January 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:53, January 24, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silver&oldid=409623511

History and Types of Jewelry.  The Silver Gallery.  Retrieved January 24, 2011, from http://www.silvergallery.com/history-sterling-silver.html

The Mettle of a Metal. Handcrafted-Jewelry.net.   Retrieved January 24,2011
http://www.handcrafted-jewelry.net/metals.asp

About Metals. Rings and Things.  Retrieved. January 24, 2011  http://www.rings-things.com/METALS.HTM

Copper Necklace With Etched Butterfly Image

Copper is probably the oldest flavor of metal and is 99.9% pure when used alone.  It has been used for at least 10,000 years by some of the oldest civilization known. In its original state copper could be beat into small tools, weapons and ornaments.  In what is now Iraq, a copper pendant was found that dates to 8700 BC.

Beads and earrings made of copper were the earliest items found in America.  About the time copper was being mined in Egypt, Native Americans were making copper pendants and earrings with hammered and etched surface decorations.  They traded copper bracelets with Europeans.

Copper is most likely, of all the metals I’ve discussed, to be alloyed with other metals.  Its used to make them stronger, change their color or make them less expensive.

Bronze was the first alloy known.  It was made about 3500 BC of copper and arsenic.  Later tin was used in place of the arsenic.  Today it is made of 92% copper and 8 % tin.

Brass a mixture of copper and zinc is said to he have been discovered by accident.  Zinc looks similar to tin, and it was located near where tin was being mined.  They both were accidentally alloyed to the copper.  The color of brass can be manipulated by the amount of copper used in the alloy mixture.  Less copper makes it more yellow while more copper can make it similar to the color of gold.  The golden color of brass is called names like red gold, Nu Gold and Dixgold.  I expect it to be used more as the price of gold rises.

Sterling silver filigree heart with Mookaite bead accents.

Silver, which is found in most parts of the world, is the most abundant of all the precious metals.  Silver is therefore the easiest to buy and the lowest in price.  Silver used for jewelry is usually an alloy of silver and copper.  Fine silver ( .999% silver) is very soft and is reserved for special uses.

Gold is one of the most sought after metals for jewelry.  It does not rust or tarnish like other metals used for jewelry.  Jewelry dating from 4000 BC has been dug up by archaeologists near Varna, Bulgaria.  It was a soft metal easily beaten into thin sheets or drawn into fine wires without breaking.  Gold is now alloyed with another metal, usually copper, to make it harder and less expensive.  Yellow gold contains about equal amount of copper and silver alloyed with enough gold to retain its gold color.  White gold  is an alloy of gold, with less copper, along with silver, nickel, palladium and zinc.

There are many other combinations of alloyed metals that are used to reduce the cost of  jewelry.  Some of the combinations create wonderful, juicy juice flavors while others change the juice to flavored water.  In another edition of B. Burkett Jewelry Blog I’ll tell you more about the recipes for these fruit punches.  You’ll learn which recipes are used to make wearable works of art that are passed on from generation to generation and others that are used to make jewelry for their short-term use and then discarded.

Sources

How Brass Is Made http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Brass.html

Silver Source  http://www.silversource.com/article.php?article_id=989
The World Book Encyclopedia 1996 Edition: Alloys, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, Jewelry, Silver

I’ve been making jewelry for about 4 years, it all began when my daughter gave me some tools for Christmas in 2006.  Back then I used nylon coated stainless steel wire which is great for stringing beads.  The price of silver and gold didn’t affect the price of my jewelry except for clasps and findings that were added to the strands of beads.  About 2007 I began to make wire wrapped jewelry which required that I buy lots of  sterling silver wire.  I bought Argentium sterling which cost $20.14 for a one ounce roll.  I thought it was very expensive.  Gradually the price began to go down; in August of 2008 I paid $16.19 for an ounce.   THANKFULLY, about that time I began to stock up on wire, both sterling silver and gold filled wire.  By October it was at the lowest price, $12.35 for an ounce roll!  I was thrilled but at the same time scolding myself for not waiting till it was really cheap.  Eventually it inched up and had hovered just below $20 an ounce on the World Spot Silver Market for a good while.  As I’ve used more and more of that cheap wire I’ve been waiting for it to go back down to around $18 an ounce, to stock up again.  But the silver market kept going up until it finally broke the $20 barrier.  I just knew it would quickly fall below $20…well today its $30.40!!!!

How has that affected the prices of my jewelry?  Not a bit! I’m still selling my jewelry at the prices I paid for sterling silver when I bought it back when it was CHEAP.  You can find the biggest bargains in my shops to be the jewelry that has the most silver and gold filled wire in them.  It’s really on a great sale even though the price tags have not been changed.

Necklace made by B.Burkett, inspired by Marie Christine turorial availabe at www.JewelryLessons.com

Working on a filigree ring.

I’m Posting every week in 2011!
I’ve decided I want to blog more. Rather than just thinking about doing it, I’m starting right now.  I will be posting on this blog once a week for all of 2011.  If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.
There are several things I want to do during the new year…work/play more regularly on my jewelry, paint more, work in our church library more and read my Bible more AND go to bed earlier.  I’m not sure what “more” and “earlier” means, we’ll see.
Check back weekly and I’ll keep you posted on what I’m working on in my jewelry shed and maybe I’ll figure out what “more” and “earlier” means in my life, if I do I’ll let you know!

A custom made pendant by B.Burkett

This is a pendant I cutom made for my grandaughter to give to her friend.  My customer’s come up with the most creative ideas.  I love to figure out ways to make their ideas come to life.

If you’re looking for something special for Mom or Grandma for Christmas look at the birthstone jewelry displayed on my websites.  Email me if you like and we’ll collaborate on a custom made gift that will be treasured for a lifetime. 

bburkett@tisd.net