On Tue, 25 May 2010 21:16:39 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Janet_of_all_trades
Post by Janet_of_all_tradesAll,
I have a friend who is making jewelry out in Hawaii. I have answers
for some of her questions, but I would like your input. I told her to
join this group so she could tap into some of the best jeweler's
minds. Here are some of her questions.
Flattery will get you everywhere. But while some of the finest jewelers minds
might be found here, you will likely find a larger number of them on the Orchid
mail list from Ganoksin.com. Ask there, as well.
Post by Janet_of_all_tradesDo you know if Zinc alloy has nickel in it? I try to make my fashion
jewelry nickel free. I know currently some part of my jewelry used
Zinc alloy.
Most of the zinc alloys used for low temperature casting do not generally
contain nickel. Of much greater concern is that they may well contain lead, or
worse, cadmium. If you've followed recent news about recalls of childrens
jewelry made in China, these are low cost "white metal" castings, which
generally means zinc or tin based alloys. The recalled items have often high
levels of cadmium. Not good.
The low cost white metals used this way are distinguished not just by low cost,
but also by lower melting point, which allows them to be cast directly into
silicone rubber "spin casting" molds. This allows very high production rates at
low cost. This means a distincly different production process than that used
for fine jewelry, which generally is higher melting point metals which are then
lost wax cast in investment molds. More costly than spin castings.
Of the various white metal alloys used in spin casting, the highest quality
might be the tin based alloys, which means that basically, they are pewter, or
close relatives to it. Less expensive alloys are based on zinc, and even
cheaper still, those using higher amounts of cadmium. Lean is also sometimes
used. These white metal alloys might be just fine for the mechanical parts
inside some device, but those with cadmium or lead are poor choices for jewelry,
especially that which might get chewed on by children.
Post by Janet_of_all_tradesIs it difficult to use Zinc alloy to make good-quality fashion jewelry
because the work can't be very precise due to the feature of Zinc
Alloy?
The choise of alloys depends on the nature of the items being made. There are
many versions of these alloys, tuned to different types of object with varying
degrees of complexity or detail. In general, spin casting is capable of
producing very high accuracy to the molds, because you don't have the same
degree of issues with casting shrinkage that you get with lost wax casting, or
the shrinkage of wax models from the molds used. And white metal castings can
be produced, with the right alloy choice, with pretty fine surface finishes
right from the molds, needing less clean up that lost wax castings. Cleanup is
still needed, though, and generally various tumbling processes are used to
deburr and polish the pieces, followed usually by electroplating for the final
finish. The electroplated finishes used for jewelry are usually a bit thicker
than industrial parts, which does loose some fine detail. But high quality
fashion jewelry can be made. This is often the most used casting process for
fashion jewelry made in non-precious metal. But whether or not zinc alloys, or
which one, are the best choice, depends on the individual designs.
Post by Janet_of_all_tradesYou told me it's good to coat base metal with a thin layer of nickel
before gold plating to prevent tarnishing. Once the gold plating is
worn off people who are allergic to nickel will feel it. So this
method is good for people without reaction to nickel?
Nickel is a somewhat toxic metal for everyone, but much more of a problem for
those specifically allergic or sensative to it. As much as 10 percent or more,
or people will react, sometimes strongly, to nickel. It's a poor choice to
decide that nickel use is OK for people who don't react to it, because you don't
know who that is, and customers who purchase the product and then have bad
reactions to it, create not only bad marketing, but a potential liability for
the manufacturer. However, if the outer plating is done right, and thick
enough, well plated items might have a decent life before the plating wears
through. And although nickel may be a common undercoat, it's not the only
choice. Professional electroplating shops can offer a number of options for a
plated finish. Note that the type of electroplating used for white metal
castings is generally beyond the scope of what many small manufacturers will
want to do in-house. Pieces are often barrel plated for the intial coats, and
sometimes subsequent ones too. Not cheap equipment. And the more complex
electroplating baths that don't need to use just a plain nickel undercoat, also
require prefessional level electroplating equipment and expertise.
Post by Janet_of_all_tradesWhen selling to high-end stores like Neiman Marcus, what would my
wholesale price would be if the suggested retail price is $180 for
instance?
Wrong order of the pricing process. You make the stuff and decide, as a
business, what price you need to charge to make the profit margin you wish or
need in order to profitably make the things. Neiman, or other stores, can mark
up up as little or much as they like. So you'd start with your own price, not
the retailers. You can then work with retailers to find the appropriate SRP if
you wish to do your own price marking. Or just leave it up to the retailer to
price and mark as they wish. That's their decision. The wholesale price is
yours. Markups on costume or fashion jewelry vary a lot, depending on the type
of retailer and the type of item. If you go to a K mart and see a rack of
costume earrings being sold for a dollar or five dollars a pair, you can bet
that price is likely about a ten time markup, or more. The more costly items
might be much less. Probably not less than a three time markup for inexpensive
fashion jewelry, but as I said, it can vary a lot.
Now go to the Orchid mail list and see if they agree with me.
Peter Rowe