Sterling Silver Components Are Worth the World

I often lament that I am not in the medical field, researching cures for a contagious and deadly disease, or that I am not contributing more to society as Gandhi had. I've only recently realized how much happier I am that I did not become a lawyer, as I had aspired to be, and as most of my friends have become. Nonetheless, there are moments in the quiet hours of my evenings that I feel I have not contributed as much to society as I feel I possibly could. After all, jewellery making , and to a finer point, sterling silver components is often thought of as superfluous. The world of fashion is rather superficial, and I often wonder what evolutionary purpose does adorning oneself really serve? Are we not intelligent enough to see that outer appearance is not necessarily indicative of one's inner qualities? However, I oscillate between loathing all things physically beautiful and embracing them as things that make us feel good, and thus make us human, and therefore, important and necessary, and even desired.

I recently read an article about music and the possible purpose it serves as part of human mating rituals. It takes a great deal of time to master an instrument. So, it must serve an important purpose in our evolutionary selection. The researchers theorized that musical talent indicates vigorousness, coordination and health. I am tone deaf. But my saving grace is that I am artistic , i.e. super visual, great with colour and can remember a picture as clearly as....a picture. So, this is what I tell myself, and it's proven positive that my husband didn't just make a mistake, but rather I was selected by higher order.

I was a guest on the panel of specialists in Style by Jury, where a would-be jewelery designer was going through transformations. There was a therapist on board. He's done many talks and works with a number of Hollywood Stars. He mentioned that things that are commercially successful are things that make us feel good. It is human nature. For some reason what he said that night made a lot of sense, though as simple and commercial as it may seem. In its smallest denominator, I want beautiful and unique sterling silver components that speak to me and make jewelery designing easy and pleasurable. I want jewelery that I design make people feel good about themselves, removing them from the doldrums of the ordinary.

I recently realized that I am but a small cog in a large wheel. However, I do contribute in important ways. Someone at a tradeshow once said "Creativity is cheaper than therapy." This is very true, and we create happiness for many. Our sterling silver components create employment and livelihood for many people and their families. Our happiness as jewellery designers creates joy for those around us. We contribute in many small, and large, ways.

Although I still hope that one of my children end up in the medical field or decide to dedicate their lives to a more visible good of mankind, I'd be very happy if they were happy, doing whatever they can apply themselves doing. I'd be equally happy and proud if they decided to create beautiful jewellery to improve other people's moods and for people to admire as I would be if they became brain surgeons. I think I'd be very especially proud and touched if designed jewellery and when they come upon sterling silver components that I've designed, they think I've done a great job; for this is my life, and jewellery components is my passion. I have decided to contribute to this world the best way I know how, and to make a mark by touching someone's life and jewellery designs . I am living the life exactly how I want to, designing with pride, and enjoying every minute of it. And I am positive I'm contributing more to society than any of my lawyer friends.

Click here to browse through Stones and Findings' sterling silver components!

Metal Allergies -- Sterling Silver and Gold Karats

People are allergic to metals for 2 main reasons; nickel and, less often, from salts leaching out of copper. Nickel is the main concern with roughly 12% of all women and 6% of males are allergic to nickel. Furthermore, even people with no history of nickel allergies will develop them over time if their skin makes regular contact with nickel. Most metals used in jewellery making such as silver, gold, rhodium, platinum or palladium are not known to cause allergic reactions in their pure forms. However, these metals are commonly alloyed with other metals to reduce cost, to make the metal more durable or to make the metal easier to work with.



Semi-precious and fashion jewellery comes predominately in a gold or silver tone. For gold tones, it can be karat gold, gold-filled, or achieved with gold plating over a base of sterling silver- a process known as gold vermeil- or, simply brass coated with clear lacquer. Brass, even with lacquer coating, is never recommended for jewellery making because it tarnishes extremely quickly and discolours to a patina green or black and leave marks on the skin. Copper has a fairly good reputation among people with sensitive allergies, but it too can generate rashes on the skin of the wearer as a result of the salts that are gradually teased out of the metal, causing dermatitis with prolonged exposure.

While karat gold and gold-filled can be brought back to their original shine, plated metals can not, and more people tend to be allergic to plated jewellery. Plating is thin and comes off easily with wear, and also there is leaching of the base metal. For these reasons, is not recommended for better quality or hand crafted jewellery. It is most often used in imported and low-end mass market jewellery.




Since people aren't allergic to gold but rather the base metals it is alloyed with, high purity is ideal. The higher the karat, the more pure, the fewer people are allergic to it. Unfortunately a person with a strong sensitivity to nickel will find that even 18 karat gold may be totally unwearable- after all, it is still only 75% pure gold. The same holds true for gold-filled, which also has different levels of gold purity.



Silver tones in jewellery are most commonly achieved with sterling silver, nickel-plating over a base metal, or pewter with a lacquer coating. Pewter has a steel grey colour, which is not desirable for some markets. It is a popular casting metal, but it is also soft, making it a less favourable metal for findings such as earring hooks and clasps. Pewter has a remarkably clean allergy track record, and problems only arise when the metal is alloyed with, surprise surprise, nickel. Many manufacturers go out of their way to notify clientele that their pewter is nickel-free, and you shouldn't be shy about inquiring if you are ever unsure.

The same people who react to low-karat gold jewellery will almost certainly also react to cheap silver jewellery, a function of the same culprit: nickel. Silver-looking articles sold for bargain prices have been found to contain as much as 78% nickel, sometimes coated with a silver layer that unfortunately does little to protect the skin of the wearer. Even worse is nickel silver, or so-called German silver, which is 90% nickel and 10% tin. Nickel is incidentally also responsible for occasional allergic reactions to surgical grade stainless steel (8-12% nickel), which for that exact reason is rapidly being replaced by titanium for body implants and orthodontic work.

Sterling silver, finally, is also sometimes partly alloyed with nickel, but has rarely been known to cause breakouts or rashes. This is the case because sterling silver is still (by definition) 92.5% pure, with the remainder usually accounted for by copper, which in such small concentration has never been reported to cause skin maladies. In cases where nickel is used as well as copper to make up sterling silver's remaining 7.5%, the percentage is still far too low and inactive even to offend the skin of someone with strong nickel sensitivity.

When gift giving, you should always be sure how sensitive the intended recipient's skin is. When designing for resale, one should always be conscious of perceived value. Sterling silver and gold are much more popular and this value will translate into more sales. If time and effort is to be invested in a unique design and hand crafting, one should use only sterling and karat or gold-filled metals.

Sterling Silver Wire Hardness

Silver Wire is generally available in 4 grades of hardness: hard, half hard, soft, dead soft.

When to use Harder vs Softer Silver Wire

With thicker Silver Wire, it is better to work with soft or dead soft wire. Hard Silver Wire, in thicker gauges is very difficult to manipulate. For thinner Silver Wire, you have more flexibility. Depending on your project, you should select Silver Wire hardness accordingly. If you wire wrapping many little light weight pearls or beads, you should use soft or dead soft if the beads are very small. The harder the Silver Wire, the more difficult it is to manipulate, so if you're making many wraps, it will get tiring if the Silver Wire is hard. If what you're wrapping is heavier, and you need it to be more secure, use harder Silver Wire. It won't bend or unwind as easily. If the holes in the beads are larger, then you can use thicker Silver Wire that is soft. However, the Silver Wire will cost more.

How to make Silver Wire Harder or Softer

The process of making Silver Wire harder is called Tempering. You can do this yourself by hammering, or tumbling. The more you manipulate Silver Wire, the stiffer it becomes.

The process of making Silver Wire softer is called Annealing. This would be done by exposing the Silver Wire to high heat, such as a flame. This will re-align the molecules of the Silver Wire. Annealing is one of the basic techniques learned in a silver-smith class. It is essential to working with silver, and it is not as easy as tempering, and requires a lot more equipment. Fortunately, Silver Wirecan be ordered already soft.