by: Jill Renee
White gold jewelry (http://www.danforthdiamond.com/jewelry/index.php) can cause allergic reactions in some people. This is due to the fact that the majority of white gold jewelry is manufactured using alloys containing nickel as the bleaching agent and a percentage of the population is allergic to nickel. For these individuals, contact with nickel can result in dermatological problems that range from a mild skin rash to severe open sores and permanent scaring. In Europe, there are laws governing the use of nickel in jewelry. The European law is known as "The Nickel Directive" and states that no nickel can be used in a material that sits in an open wound, such as after piercing, until healing is complete.
What is a jewelry buyer to do when faced with this information? First of all relax, most people do not have severe reactions to nickel. And jewelers are starting to use alloys that contain less nickel to develop white gold jewelry.
Some nickel-free white gold alloys were originally developed in the 1920s using palladium as the primary bleaching agent. Palladium is part of the platinum group of metals. It is a steel-white metal, does not tarnish in air, and is the least dense and lowest melting of the platinum group metals. Palladium has very good corrosion and tarnish resistance, and it mixes well with gold, offering almost complete homogenization throughout the range of gold-palladium compositions. All these factors make it a good choice for white gold jewelry manufacturing. It also yields alloys with excellent mechanical properties superior in many respects to the nickel-whites which can be difficult to work with and contain pockets of gold and nickel because the two metals don't like to be mixed. Jewelry made from a palladium/gold alloy will not result in allergic reactions.
You might be asking: "If palladium is so much better than nickel to make white gold, why don't all jewelers use it?" The answer is cost. Palladium is a bit more expensive to use. The cost of an ounce of palladium is around $300 currently and consumers don't like paying higher prices for what appears to be the same jewelry product. However, once people know the facts about nickel white gold and the allergic risks it presents many are willing to pay a little more.
Another white metal on the horizon is 950 Palladium. Some jewelry manufacturers are making product from new palladium alloys that can be cast into jewelry. This is a wonderful metal because it is a bright white color, very similar to platinum, but has a much lower price. It is still relatively new so jewelers are still learning how to work best with this metal. Keep your eyes open though, because you will soon be seeing more of this product, especially with the cost of platinum currently above $1,000 an ounce.
About The Author
Jill Renee, president of Danforth Diamond, a jewelry store offering platinum, white gold and yellow gold jewelry at http://www.danforthdiamond.com/jewelry/index.php. The Danforth family created the site to help you find the best value in quality jewelry.
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How to Safely Buy a Diamond Online ? Part 3 of 3
How to Safely Buy a Diamond Online ? Part 3 of 3
by: Michael Bradley
It is now possible to save 40% to 60% by purchasing a diamond engagement ring from an online diamond retailer, rather than from a bricks-n-mortar High Street jeweller. Online diamond retailers don?t have retail shops, sales staff, large diamond inventories and other associated operating expenses and are therefore able to pass on the cost savings to consumers.
Of course, a diamond might be one of the largest one-off purchases made in one?s lifetime and so it is understandable that many people may be uncomfortable paying for a diamond before it has been seen and examined.
However, as long as the correct research and precautions are taken there should be no reason to be fearful about buying diamonds from Internet diamond merchants.
The three most important aspects of the pre-purchase checks that must be carried out are:
1. Assurance that the diamond business is...
How to Safely Buy a Diamond Online ? Part 3 of 3
Buying Jewelry For Your Business Part 2 Buying Sterling Silver Jewelry
by: Sam Serio
Whether you presently own a retail or web based business and are looking for an additional profit center or you are thinking of starting a business, jewelry is a ?no-brainer? choice for a proven product category. The buying public, (particularly women) never tires of jewelry as the choices in color, materials, finishes and styles are endless and innovations are continual. Every generation reinvents jewelry for itself in much the same way that it reinvents music and fashion. Styles change but the basic facts remain the same. If you are a seasoned professional, please consider the following a refresher course. To the new comer, use this information as a foundation for your ongoing jewelry education.
The Facts About Sterling Silver Jewelry
Sterling silver jewelry is enjoying an unprecedented popularity with today?s fashion conscious public. You know how beautiful...
Buying Jewelry For Your Business Part 2 Buying Sterling Silver Jewelry
Online Retail Sales: Online Loyalty Equals Retail Gold
by: Joseph Pratt
As an employee of an online advertising agency, ICMediaDirect.com, I?ve got a sweet vantage for observing the latest online retail numbers tumble in - and they?re spectacular.
Third Quarter online retail sales were up almost 27% from the same period last year, while these first 20 days of January were up 33% from the same period in 2005.
This surge is neither cyclical nor an aberration, but indicative of the continuing and permanent shift of retail consumers to ecommerce instead.
Naturally this is great news for online advertisers and retailers.
But it?s important to remember that ecommerce has outgrown its infancy.
The big players in online retail have established themselves and seem to know what they?re doing.
It is important for advertising agencies and marketers to...
The Gold is in the Opt-in List
by: Kathleen Gage
When I consult with small and home based business owners, more times than not one of the greatest concerns they have is how to increase reach to a targeted market while keeping costs down. Hands down, effectively using the power of the Internet is the cornerstone to achieving this outcome. More times than not, companies are not using their Internet presence as effectively as they can.
I often see a company that has a website that looks great from a design perspective, yet from a marketing and sales perspective the site is not working. Many people are under the mistaken belief that if a potential customer or client visits their site they will be so impressed they will automatically return time and again. Fact is, this is not what happens in the real world of the Internet. Chances are within minutes most visitors have forgotten sites they looked at unless there was something that encouraged them...
The Gold is in the Opt-in List
Choosing Your Diamond Shape
by: Keith Thompson
Choosing the shape of your diamond jewelry is one of the key elements in determining the overall appearance of your ring or other diamond jewelry. There are many shapes and variations from which to choose, but first off do not confuse "shape" with "cut". A diamond's shape is just that: the outward appearance of the stone, whether it is round, oval etc.; while the cut refers to how the diamond itself is fashioned, how many facets and so on. Below I'll examine the various diamond shapes and tell a little about each of them, in order to help you make that all-important choice.
Round Brilliant Diamonds - By far the most popular, accounting for more than 75% of diamonds purchased today, they are also the most expensive. Most coveted as an engagement ring, they also find their way into earrings and pendants. Round Brilliant Diamonds are noted for their fire and brilliance.
Oval Diamonds - A perfectly...
Choosing Your Diamond Shape
E Gold Investments: Investing Smartly With E-Currency Exchange
by: Charles Cruz
Investors are now starting to move their investments to the most recent investment trend: Making money with E-gold.
When you make an investment in E gold is a all about a profitable system that allows you to capitalize from the money that is moved through online transactions everyday. The process that is going on when you are trading e-Gold (or e-currencies) is providing the support for online cash. But let me back up the cassette. What am I trying to say by "support for online cash"?
A cash flow exists for all of the cash that is managed all over the internet every day. Nevertheless, all of this cashflow has, for every single cent that goes through a movement, a tangible support of that cent.
I'm providing a superficial explanation about how the dxgold formula operates, but to be more direct about it, to profit from it, it's not neccessary to know entirely...
E Gold Investments: Investing Smartly With E-Currency Exchange
Twelve Tips for Greater Enjoyment of your Gold and Silver Jewelry
by: Sam Serio
Jewelry can be beautiful to look at, fun to buy, and can make bold and revealing statements about you. Hear are some tips for greater enjoyment of your favorite gold and silver jewelry.
1. Never swim in a chlorinated pool while wearing gold and silver jewelry.
2. Always apply make-up, perfumes, oils or colognes before you put on your gold and silver jewelry
3. Keep both your skin and your gold and silver jewelry clean and free of oil.
4. Using an absorbent, abrasive-free body powder on areas that your gold and silver jewelry touches your skin can help with skin discoloration.
5. If you do have any skin discoloration you may need to move to a higher gold content. Say, from 14K gold jewelry to 18K jewelry.
6. Are your gold and silver chains all tied-up in knots? If so, here?s a nifty little trick for straightening them out. Dust your chain...
Twelve Tips for Greater Enjoyment of your Gold and Silver Jewelry