TAH Handcrafted Jewelry

.820 Silver: An alloy of silver containing 82% silver and 18% copper. This is an alloy that reticulates well.

Agate: A semiprecious stone, a variety of chalcedony with striped or clouded coloring. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs' scale.

Amethyst: A transparent purple form of quartz. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs' scale.

Bezel: A rim or flange of metal that surrounds a stone and holds it in place.

Black Onyx: A type of opaque chalcedony that occurs in various colors as well as black. Most often it is dyed black. It has a hardness of 6.5-7 on the Mohs' scale.

Brass: A yellow alloy of copper and zinc.

Bronze: A yellow alloy of copper and tin.

Brecciated: A stone that has formed from sharp cornered bits of fragments that have bonded together as solid stone.

Cast: To form molten metal into a particular shape by pouring it into a mold.

Chalcedony: A variety of quartz (silicon dioxide), often with some iron and aluminum. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs' scale.

Chrysoprase: A green chalcedony. It is often mistaken for jade. It has an hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs' scale.

Copper: A reddish-brown, malleable, ductile, metallic element.

Engrave: To cut letters or a design into a surface.

Fabricate: To construct using any combination of bending, forming, shaping, filing, sawing, soldering, fusing, etc.

Fine Gold: A term for pure Gold. Pure gold has a melting temperature of 1945 °F.

Fine Silver: A term for pure Silver. Pure silver has a melting temperature of 1762 °F.

Forged: The controlled shaping of metal with a hammer.

Garnet: A group of very closely related aluminum silicates (pyrope, almandine, and spessartine) and calcium silicates ( grossular, andradite, and uvarovite). It has a hardness of 6 1/2-7 1/2 on the Moh's scale.

Gauge: American Standard Wire Gauge is a unit of measure that is used to measure thickness of wire and sheet metal. See the table below for a listing of common gauges and the millimeter and inch equivalents.

Gold and it's Alloys: The fineness of a gold alloy is expressed in karat. 24 karat is pure gold also known as fine gold. 14 karat is 14/24 gold or 58.33% gold. 18 karat is 18/24 gold or 75% gold. Gold is alloyed with other metals to strengthen it and to alter it's color. Gold alloys are available in yellow, white, rose (Pink) and green.

Gorget: A piece of armor used to protect the throat. Also used as a sign of military office.

Inscribe: To engrave words or symbols on a surface.

Iridium: A dense and rare white metal with a slight yellowish cast. This brittle element is the most corrosion-resistant metal known. It is used in platinum alloys to harden it.

Jasper: A variety or microscopically crystallized quartz that is heavily pigmented with colorful minerals. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs' scale.

Lapis Lazuli: An Azure-blue, opaque, semiprecious stone. It is composed of lazurite, pyrite and calcite. It has a hardness of 5-6 on the Mohs' scale.

Malachite: This semiprecious green stone is a copper mineral that has a characteristic banding pattern. It has a hardness of 3.5-4 on the Mohs' scale.

Mohs' scale: [after Friedrich Mohs (1773-1839)] A scale used to indicate hardness, arranged in 10 ascending degrees.

Mokumé gane : Pronounced "Moe-koo-may Gah-nay" which translates to "Wood Grain Metal". The ancient Japanese process of laminating several alternating layers of two or more metals. The lamination is heated under pressure until they fuse together and become one solid mass called a billet. The billet can then be rolled out into sheet, forged or twisted to refine the pattern. Designs are then cut into it to create a pattern and then it can be worked again to continue developing the desired pattern.

Nickel: A hard white metallic element that is resistant to oxidation. It is used for it's color and alloying properties.

Opal: Considered a precious stone. It is a hydrated amorphous silica, of various colors, capable of refracting light and then reflecting it in a play of colors. It has a hardness of 5-6.5 on the Mohs' scale.

Overlay: A decorative layering technique in which a design is cut from a metal sheet and then soldered to a metal backing. The decorative layer can be of the same metal as the backing or it may be a different metal.

Platinum: A dense and rare gray-white, malleable, ductile metallic chemical element, highly resistant to corrosion. Platinum is one of the noble metals, so called because it is chemically non-reactive. It has a melting point of 3,216 °F. When used in jewelry it is often be alloyed with different metals to give it different working properties.

Pewter: A white metal alloy usually containing tin and other metals. Since pewter has a relatively low melting temperature, it can be cast directly in rubber molds thereby eliminating the need for an investment mold (see cast).

Quartz: Silicon Dioxide. White, colorless and in various shades depending on other minerals that may be present. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs' scale.

Reticulation: A process of texturing copper bearing alloys with heat. Works well with 14k yellow or red gold and 820 silver.

Shakudo: An alloy of copper and gold that was used by the ancient Japanese in the decoration of swords. The main ingredient of this alloy is copper with 1/2% to 4% gold. This light copper colored alloy is easily oxidized to a deep purple/brown or black. Sometimes antimony or cobalt are added as hardening agents.

Shibuichi: An Alloy of Copper and Silver that was used by the ancient Japanese in the decoration of swords. The main ingredient of this alloy is copper with 15% to 45% silver. This is a silver-pink alloy that reticulates well and can be oxidized to a color ranging from gray/green to a blue. Sometimes antimony or cobalt are added as hardening agents.

Stainless Steel: An alloy of steel with chromium and sometimes other elements that is resistant to rust and corrosion.

Sterling Silver: An Alloy of silver and copper containing 92.5% silver. Copper is added as a hardening agent. Jewelry made of this alloy can be marked "Sterling" or ".925".