Glossary  Metals |
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Silver
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In pure air or in pure water, whether hot or cold, silver is unchanged, under normal and ordinary conditions it does oxidize, but does not wear and tear like other metals such as, for example, iron which rusts to the point of total destruction. Silver possesses an integrity, flexibility and malleability and it is a good conductor of heat and electricity. For these properties it is considered as a precious metal. The craftsman defines silver as pure when the purity is at the highest level of commercial use. The chemist, on the other hand, emphasizes the title which is measured in thousandths. The purity of silver in business terms is presently guaranteed when expressed as 925°/oo or 800°/oo. Therefore the presence of solid silver in an object can be valued manually. The metal is white and shiny, it offers a rich brilliance, that over the course of time enriches the surface of the object with a "patina". Silver jewelry, cutlery and silverware are all marked with a stamp that identifies the title and the origin, guaranteeing the purity and the quality of the object.
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Gold
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Gold is a precious metal by excellence in that it is stabile, a good conductor of heat and under normal conditions it does not wear and tear. It has been used in the field of goldsmithery since forever, and thanks to its properties, also in various sectors of aerospace industry and electronics. Extremely pure gold is too soft and malleable to maintain any decoration on jewelry. For this reason it is joined with silver and copper in alloys measured in thousandths. The most common title used are 750°/oo or 18 carats (kt) in which there is 75% pure gold with the remaining 25% being of other metals. The heat of gold is characteristic and uniform so much so that ancient alchemists defined it as being like a 'ray of sun condensed into a metal'.
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White gold
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What 'our white gold' is, is a product from the XVIII century. In ancient goldsmitheries what was meant as 'white gold' was a mix of AU AG (silver - gold). What the goldsmith had at his disposal to make white gold was platinum or silver; unfortunately silver had a limited freshness and then oxidized in air. This explains why white gold was asserted and widespread even though it was quite difficult to work. Nowadays, in business, white gold is pure to 75% that is with the title of 750°/oo joined to other metals. To reduce to the minimum the possibility of an allergy reaction, little or even no quantity of nickel is used as an alloy helping the palladium with or without silver.
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