More to metal than silver and gold
One of our Jewellery Design and Business Diploma students recently had a wax carved ring cast and plated in a variety of metals and when we looked at the results a number of the London Jewellery School staff agreed that the version plated in black rhodium was particularly striking.
This, of course, got us thinking. For jewellery metal, we often think about just two main metals, gold and silver, and two main colours “yellow” and “white”. So for our latest inspirations post here are some pieces in different metals.
Black rhodium
A black rhodium finish can bring out the facets of a geometric piece such as with this black rhodium-plated Silver Jagged Knuckle Ring by Lynn Ban…
Or provide a striking contract to stones as in this pink sapphire and silver ring from Gabriel Kabirski
Brass
Brass is often used as a base metal to plate but you could leave it to shine on its own as with this fun ring from September Room on Etsy
Bronze
Bronze is a very ancient metal alloy – think back to your history lessons. It is much harder than copper and is great for texture and patination Much harder than copper. This cuff by Ute Decker shows off the interesting effects that can be achieved.
Coloured gold
And of course gold doesn’t have to be yellow. Rose gold is becoming increasingly popular. It brings a lot of warmth to a piece and is summery metal because it looks great against a light tan. Feather cuff by Blue Fly
Or if pink is not your colour how about green gold. This is another ancient alloy, known as electrum, a naturally-occurring alloy of silver and gold. 18K green gold, such as in this ring by Brien Thomas, is about 75% gold and 25% silver.
If you are making jewellery in metals other than standard silver or gold why not let us know by sharing a link below