Metal Beads @ Jewel Info 4 U
Metal and Plated Metal Beads
By Bina Shaji Kurup
Metals beads are extremely popular
in creating beaded jewellery. They
can be segregated into precious
metals - gold, platinum and silver
and the cheaper non-precious metals
like brass, copper and pewter or
cast. Although the beads themselves
can be plain, carved, with inlay
work and in myriad shapes, the metal
beads can be either hollow or solid
and plated or non-plated beads.
Nickel- silver, also called German
silver is one of the metals utilized
in making metal beaded jewellery.
This metal does not have any silver
but has the shine of silver, when
new, thus the name nickel-silver.
This alloy of zinc, copper and
nickel tends to blacken over time
but is polished effortlessly even at
home. Nickel-silver beads look like
silver but are economical.
Another silver look-alike is Pewter
- an alloy of tin, antimony and
copper. It has a resemblance to dull
sterling silver when it is pure
(pewter is sometimes mixed with lead
also) and appears as silver-gray
giving the beads a vintage look. The
higher the content of lead, the
darker the pewter beads appear and
the more difficult it is to polish
them to their original color once
they get tarnished. Pewter beads are
very easy to carve and cut therefore
they are available in many different
shapes from letters, animals to
pewter beads with inlay work of
enamel, steel on them. Steel,
another alloy too contains nickel in
small quantities but steel beads are
not often used to create jewellery.
 Other metals like Niobium, Titanium
gunmetal, stainless or surgical
steel, aluminum, iron etc. can also
be made into beads but Brass and
Copper beads are more popular in
creating beaded jewellery. Cheaper
than the precious metals and
available in several finished, brass
and copper have gained acceptance -
especially for their ethnic look in
beaded jewellery.
Copper beads are a beautiful
organic gold. They can be bright or
dull depending on the look required.
These beads will become black or
green as oxidization takes place
over a period of time, but a just a
little bit of polishing will restore
them to their original color. Copper
can be mixed with other metals and
the color of copper will vary
depending on the metal mixed into
it. Copper beaded jewellery is
durable and this metal takes a
longer time to tarnish, making it
popular choice. It is inexpensive
and combined with colored stone or
translucent glass beads can make for
attractive jewellery.
When copper is mixed with zinc, the
metal created is called Brass. Brass
has the look of gold - bright or
dull yellow - some brass is even
white. More zinc means a brighter
yellow and a higher percentage of
copper will make Brass reddish.
Brass beads are a great substitute
for expensive gold beads. These
pretty yellow beads, like most
non-precious metal beaded jewellery
blacken with age but can be polished
like copper beads.
Both Brass and Copper beads are
available in several finishes -
bright, matte, dull, and slightly
tarnished for a rustic effect.
Varnish is applied to metal beads to
give them an antique, oxidized look.
Base metals are cheaper than the
precious metals and have a distinct
look of their own. Electroplating,
gilting, and other techniques are
often applied to coat the base-metal
beads with gold and silver. Some
base metals are able to take
coatings easier than the other and
although plated beads are cheaper
than the pure gold or silver beads,
knowing what metal is under the
plating will help you make a
decision whether you want to buy
nickel-silver gold plated beads or
pewter gilted beads. Each metal has
its unique appeal and it is better
to buy beads which are plated with a
metal matching the color of the base
bead, so when some beads lose their
coating sooner than the other beads
in the strand only close examination
will show the difference.
Beads are mostly electroplated with
gold or silver. The thickness of the
plating determines the price of the
bead and the plating thickness is
measured in mils. Gold or silver
overlay (also called Filling) work
is also used to coat the beads. This
is normally a thicker layer than
plating and uses 14 karat or lesser
gold for coating. Gilting is a
process where gold polish or gold
color is applied like paint onto the
metal bead leaving a very thin layer
of gold color on the bead..
Plated beads are cheaper than
regular precious metal beads but
their life is shorter and plating
are never permanent. Most plated
beads lose their color after a while
and some even turn black due to the
oxidization of the base metal bead.
Brass, Copper and pewter take on
coatings easily whereas nickel,
steel, aluminum do not take on the
coatings very well - meaning that a
nickel bead which is gold plated
will lose its shine faster than a
Brass gold plated bead.
A little care in choosing beads can
help your metal beaded jewellery
last a little longer. For example, a
brass gold-plated bead will not look
too bad even after the gold plating
wears off since the metal under the
gold is a bright yellow. Similarly,
a silver coated pewter bead will
look like tarnished silver since
pewter has a silvery color.
Another exciting metal plated
jewellery option is the attractive
Cloisonné beads - metal coated with
glass or enamel and sometimes coated
again with gold. These pretty beads
are available as transparent,
opaque, matte and several other
finishes.
Plated bead jewellery looks genuine
but needs care. Pewter, Brass,
Copper, Silver with the exception of
gold - all metals tarnish and
blacken over time and the
environmental conditions contribute
to a faster or slower oxidization
process. Care should be taken while
polishing too since a rough hand can
remove or chip the plating or gilt.
And ammonia can dull the finish of
plated beads. Metal beads are great
for the antique look and
manufacturers often darken parts of
the bead to give an authentic look.
Brass, copper and pewter allow for
even plating unlike the other metals
which maybe left with a patchy
surface (that shows up in natural
and sometimes artificial light) and
these beads will lose their gold or
silver appearance faster. Some
plated beads are coated with varnish
which slows the tarnish process
considerably.
Be sure to check all the beads on
your plated beaded jewellery
regularly as some beads may lose
their shine, be chipped or show the
tarnish after a period of time. Most
important, if you are allergic to
metals like nickel then it is best
to stay away from plated or metal
beaded jewellery since most
non-precious metal beaded jewellery
contains some amount of nickel or
make sure you inform the
manufacturer of the allergy and buy
products that are safe for you to
use.
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