[Jewelry making - Article 00134] - Re: [Orchid] Hallmarking Two-tone metal

[Stephen Walker]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Hello Tammy,

    Marking mixed metals is a problem. In the UK and Europe, where the
    rules are very strict you can only apply marks of the "lesser" of the
    materials. So silver and gold gets marked silver. Under their
    hallmarking system the craftsman has no choice because the quality
    marks are done by a third party at the Assay Office and the craftsman
    is only allowed to mark very small objects independently. 

    In the US there are some who would argue that the same standards
    apply, but others take the practical approach that the material
    should be marked in a way that honestly discloses what the quality is
    in a way that cannot be misunderstood as an attempt to defraud. So if
    an object is 14K and sterling that both marks can be applied in a way
    that makes sense, meaning you don't do it in a way that hides the
    sterling mark so that someone might assume that it is two tone gold. 

    I do a lot of married metals and mokume work in silver and copper
    alloys. I don't use any material quality marks on these but describe
    them in writing on the care card. I also make some pieces that are
    assemblages of silver, gold and sometimes platinum. These I mark.
    When  I can I mark 14K on the gold parts and sterling on the silver
    parts, but if it won't fit I just put the marks side by side where
    they will fit. 

    The situations you specifically ask about are all things I do
    regularly. This is what I do: 

>         I've just begun making pieces of sterling silver with 14K gold.
>     How do I stamp them? Do they get .925 or 14K? 

    Both. 

>     What if I have fine and sterling silver in a piece. 

    Sterling. Using both marks would be confusing because the difference
    is not visually apparent. Also the addition of some fine silver is
    not going to affect the intrinsic value of the piece that much. 

>     What about married metal of sterling and nickel? 

    I don't mark these at all because I don't have a nickel-silver punch.
    If I did I would use both and try to mark in a place where each mark
    is on the metal it describes but near enough to each other that the
    observer would see both at the same time. 

>     I'm so confused! 

    I am sure there are some who do not approve of my marking policy, but
    I think that as long as we keep it honest and don't try to fool
    anybody into thinking they are getting something they are not, we can
    sleep OK. 

    I used to see someone at shows who made copper and silver pieces that
    were mostly copper. She marked them sterling, figuring that anyone
    could tell that the copper part was not silver. She didn't have a
    copper punch. This was not right. I told her so and she thought I was
    being awfully picky. If she had both marks that would be OK with me.
    She had no intention to defraud, but copper is not sterling.  A mixed
    metal piece should only be marked with the stamp of one material when
    the additional material is smaller detail and of a more valuable
    quality, like a gold detail on a predominantly silver piece, marked
    as silver. 

Stephen Walker
http://www.celtarts.com

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________