Jewelry components at DaMa are made with an understanding that people are allergic to various things, including the different metals and alloys that are used by jewelry manufacturers. One of the most common allergies that people have in regards to metals is an allergy to nickel. If a person has a slight allergy to nickel, they might be able to wear surgical stainless steel for a few hours through the possibility of a day, but for some people that are very sensitive, trying to wear a watch or have buttons touch their skin is too much. There are other ways for people who have allergies to nickel - niobium, sterling silver, 14 karat, nickel free, or plastic.
Surgical stainless steel includes a small amount of nickel, usually areound 8% in jewelry, that is able to be worn by the majority of the population.
As mentioned above, there is a metal that can be used on jewelry components called nickel free. This term is a little confusing because items that are marked as nickel free can contain a very small amount of nickel. Although there currently is no standard in the U.S. as for what the amount of nickel allowed in a nickel free jewelry component is, there is a European standard that allows at most .05% nickel in the objects labeled as nickel free. Basically, this means that there cannot be more than 1 part out of 2000 in the piece of jewelry that is nickel. The UK also has a standard which is even more stringent than the European standard. In the UK, the standard is .01% nickel.
Recently, there has been some concern regarding the existance of lead in jewelry, especially in imported necklaces with pewter WWJD letters.
When dealing with jewelry components, we also have to look at the different colors of platings that are availible. You can get white, yellow, silver, and gold plate, although they are somewhat ambiguous terms when you are trying to decide what is right for you. Here are some fairly standard definitions for the jewelry industry.
White plating you will often see on costume jewelry and base metal findings and is a silver color.
Silver plate usually matches the color of sterling silver.
Surgical steel wires are a little more gran than white findings are although the difference is so slight that it is barely noticeable especially on finished jewelry. It does not do a very good job at matching sterling or silver plate.
Yellow is a little bit more brassy than gold plate but it typically is a long lasting finish and works especially well on clasps. Gold plate is similar to the color of 14 karat gold, although the color does not often stay for very long.
Raw brass, which is plain brass without a plating, is commonly the same color as yellow findings, but it can vary in color. Although raw brass looks best with yellow findings, it also is able to be used with gold plate.
Gunmetal is the name used for black nickel plating, which has an antiqued look.
Copper is a reddish orange colored metal that is soft and makes a good metal to use for wire wrappings. It is not very durable when made into lightweight charms and other findings.
jewelry components manufacturer gold supplies clasps findings