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Jewelry Myths
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Word count/read time: 337 words; 1-1/2 minutes

1. Diamonds are forever. They are an unstable allotrope of carbon that will return to dust eventually.

2a. Stainless steel won't rust, discolor, and is immune to oxidation. Many stainless steel alloys will rust and discolor, just not as bad as regular steel.

2b. Aluminum won't tarnish or discolor. All aluminum alloys will oxidize over time and crumble into dust no matter if they're painted, anodized, or powdercoated.

2c. Anodized aluminum won't fade. It does and it will, guaranteed.

2d. Pure silver doesn't tarnish. I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you....

3. Stainless steel is hypo-allergenic. Most people don't react to most stainless alloys but making a blanket statement like this is wrong.

4. Pure silver and pure gold are too soft for jewelry. It depends on the type of jewelry and how the metal has been formed.

5. The lower the karat value of gold, the harder and more durable it is. While this has some truth, it depends on many factors.

 
Quality is determined by nothing other than quality.
 
6. Gold can be many different colors. Pure gold is the only element that is colored gold. The white, green, rose, pink, and yellow golds used in jewelry are alloys.

7. Gold-filled is as good as real good, won't flake away, is resistant to tarnish, just as durable, and is less expensive. Only the last statement is true.

8. Titanium is a light metal. OK, maybe it is in some applications.

9. Quality is proportional to how long someone has been doing it. Quality is determined by nothing other than quality.

10. Small manufacturers are exempt from following precious metal labeling, marketing, and hallmarking laws or any laws related to selling their goods.

11. Most jewelry labeled as handmade meets the legal definition of handmade. About 99% of claimed handmade jewelry isn't.

12. "You have to see it to believe it!" or "Pictures don't do it justice!" Regarding chainmaille, out of the tens of thousands of chains I've seen, only a handful have merited either statement and most are mine.


Posted by M: July 30, 2015


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