Blog – Precious Metal Info

Stainless steel is a steel that contains at least 10 percent chromium. Chromium is a chemical element on the periodic table Stainless steel will take a high polish and it strengthens other materials and helps them to prevent rusting. There are other elements that can be added to steel to help deter the rusting process. Elements such as titanium, aluminum, nickel, and copper can all be added to steel. There are over 100 different grades of stainless steel as well. Stainless steel is a popular material in many items ranging from household appliances to jewelry. One of the great things about stainless steel is that it is easy to clean. It will also hold up over years of frequent cleaning which makes it perfect for household appliances that are used multiple times in a day or jewelry that is worn often. Stainless steel is also a recyclable material so it is better for our environment. Stainless steel can also come in a wide variety of appearances. You can find stainless steel that has a matte finish and stainless steel that is bright colored. Gold colored stainless steel is treated on the surface so that it will have that coloring. At its core it is still just stainless steel however, it will look a bit different. Some gold-colored stainless steels could have a plating that is causing the gold color while others are treated with a metallic vapor on the surface creating the rich gold tones of the steel. If your item of jewelry says that it is gold plated then that means that the surface of your stainless steel item is covered in a thin layer of gold. If it says it is gold toned stainless steel that means the surface of your stainless steel was infused with other materials that are giving it the gold tone but that your item is still 100 percent stainless steel. When wanting to know if gold colored stainless steel will fade you first need to know what is giving the stainless steel the gold coloring. While stainless steel that is infused with a gold coloring will not fade, if you have a jewelry item that is gold plated stainless steel the gold plating can certainly be chipped off of the item. Gold plating can often be pounded so thin that it will easily chip off of the jewelry that it is supposed to be covering. This will also happen faster in hot and humid climates where the jewelry item will come into contact with more sweat. This will speed up the chipping process of a gold plating. If you have titanium 316L stainless steel you have found a very durable gold colored stainless steel. This stainless steel is infused with titanium which will give it that rich gold tone. This gold toned stainless steel will not chip off when it comes into contact with sweat as gold plated stainless steels will. In fact, you can even use cleaners to clean this gold toned stainless steel with no worries of if it will cause the gold coloring to fade over time.To see some of the most popular pieces of jewelry that are gold toned just click here. Does Gold Over Stainless Steel Last? Both gold and stainless steel are materials that are high quality. Of course you would think that a gold plated stainless steel piece of jewelry would last for quite awhile. Gold plating does not simply mean that the material was dipped into a pot of liquid gold in the same manner that one might cover a truffle with melted chocolate. Instead, a gold plating is applied in a more scientific manner. It is actually electrically infused to the material that it is covering. Gold plated stainless steel is a piece of jewelry made of stainless steel that is then covered in a thin layer of gold. Purchasing pure gold jewelry can be costly while stainless steel jewelry is more affordable. Buying gold plated stainless steel will give you the appearance of gold jewelry without the added cost. But how well does gold over stainless steel actually hold up? Gold plated jewelry has a thin layer of gold covering it, and is comparable to a layer of paint. Given time paint will chip and so will your gold-plated jewelry. Although the gold plating is unlikely to chip for a few years it will eventually happen. Exactly how long it will last before it begins to chip will depend on how well you take care of it, where you live, and also how often you wear it. There are some things that you can do to help preserve your gold plated jewelry though. You will not want to wear your gold-plated jewelry all the time, especially to bed. If you live in a hot climate you might want to keep these pieces of jewelry for special occasions or occasions when you are in air-conditioned places. The sweat and oils from your body will cause the gold plating to break down. Tossing and turning in your sleep will also cause wear and tear damage to the gold plating on your piece so make sure that you take it off before you go to bed. When you remove the jewelry, you will need to wipe it down before you put it in your jewelry box. With a clean cloth you will want to wipe your jewelry to get all of the oils and sweat that your body produces off of the piece. If dirt and oil is left on your piece of jewelry it will begin to break down the gold plating faster. You should also remove the jewelry before you shower or do dishes. Even if you are using a gentle soap or cleanser you will need to remove it before you get into the shower and before you wash the dishes. Doing so will protect your piece of jewelry and help it to last longer. The water and soap will begin to wear down the gold plating on your jewelry and the chemicals in the soap could react poorly to it as well causing it to break down faster or to bring on a tarnished appearance. Just as you do not want to wear your piece of jewelry while showering you will not want to wear it while you are cleaning the house either. The household chemicals that you use to do your daily chores will cause damage to your gold plated jewelry. The chemicals in your household cleaners will cause the gold plating to break down more quickly than it would on its own. Plus, the friction that cleaning produces can also cause damage. You will also want to make sure that you remove your gold-plated stainless steel jewelry before you go swimming. The chlorine in the pool will eat away at the gold plating in your jewelry. You will want to save your gold-plated stainless steel for special occasions where it will not be exposed to water or chemicals. This is the best way to preserve your piece of jewelry and to keep it looking like new.