Ever since the very onset of civilization, physical appearances and adornment have been part and parcel of social activities. Body adornment basically involves the extensive use of fabric and a show of jewelry. They have both always complimented one another.
While creating jewelry and other precious belongings, usually precious metals are part of the settings and designs. The metals used in jewelry making are alloys of nearly every metal known. While bronze, silver and gold were used in jewelry in the earlier times, the modern jewelry available now includes white gold, platinum and palladium, in addition to the all time favorites, gold and silver.
Most gold jewelery is made of an alloy of gold and copper and the purity of the metal is measured in carats. The purity of gold is different in different countries . While in America gold jewelry must be of ten carats, the requirement in England is usually nine carats. Alloys do not have high purity levels. For example, those with twenty two carats and twenty four carats are considered too soft for use as metals in jewelry making in America and Europe.
However, the high purity alloys are popularly used in the Orient and Africa. The alloys of platinum are within the range of nine hundred to nine hundred and fifty. In the case of silver jewelry, the silver used is usually 'sterling silver'.
There had been a number of other materials used in the art of jewelry making earlier. We have on record the use of glass, enamel, wood, shells and ivory. Today even plastic is popularly used and widely accepted within the hip-hop and junk jewelry categories. Still, the use of metals in jewelry making has had a long history. The ethnic look metal jewelry offers is not comparable to that of the other materials.
Metals are used to set mirror, glass and gemstones in jewelry. The jewelry made and marketed today include bracelets, amulets, necklaces, rings, bangles, earrings, belts and anklets. The metals are used in varying proportions and in accordance with the standard that jewelers are expected to adhere to. However, now there is a choice of plated jewelry and artificial jewelry. The alloys of various cheap metals are also plated to look like the real ones. This kind of mixing is most often seen in markets that cater to those with a limited budget, like in the case of teenagers and children and the dance and drama troupes.
In the case of jewelry made from real metals-gold and silver and platinum-the latest "woven" style with intricate designs is in vogue. The popular designs created by exquisite handwork during the Victorian era is witnessing a come back within the modern jewelry making industry.
The metal jewelry available today is created through advanced techniques developed within the industry. The goldsmiths and silversmiths of today use enhanced methods of casting, forging, soldering, cutting, carving and cold-joining. These enable the skilled workers to assemble parts of the jewelry, to accommodate gemstones, beads or the designs themselves, with the use of graded adhesives or rivets or special staples.
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