OCTOBER 2005 NEWSLETTER
“The past cannot be cured.” – Queen Elizabeth I, England
NEW “JEWEL”
“The striking color of these peridot earrings is irresistible.” – ce
Here, our Peridot is set in this minimal white gold square stud setting for greater impact. Bright! Colorful! Stunning! The green in Peridot is due to the presence of iron. It is rated as 6.5 on the Moh’s hardness scale. Sources of peridot include St. John’s Island (Egypt), China, Brazil, Norway, the USA, Australia and South Africa. It is said that the Crusaders brought peridot to Europe in the Middle Ages from St. John’s Island in the Red Sea, where it had been mined for over 3,500 years.
Resources: Smithsonian Gemstones
CED – News & Events
Events
October 8 (Sat 3pm-6pm) – YOU ARE INVITED to a Private Jewelry Show And Sale, featuring the designs of Claudia Endler & Tigre Sheets. Join us for an afternoon of wine, hors d’oeuvres and wonderful jewelry at the home of Tigre Sheets. 4707 Via Dolce, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, 310.822.7357. Friends and guests welcome! Please RSVP.
Tigre Sheets: An artist and trained metal smith for 30 years, Tigre’s jewelry is inspired by found treasures that determine the unique shape, form and movement of her one of a kind pieces.
November 19 (Sat) – Holiday Shopping Event – with Claudia Endler Designs and Real Stuff Productions – one of a kind mosaic arts. Details to follow in an upcoming newsletter.
ABOUT TOWN
Create Fixate – Lounge, Music and Art Show
October 8 (Sat 7pm-2am) – Join us at 7:30 pm for a discussion forum:Collecting or Collected: A Primer for Collectors and Artists. Spring Arts Tower : Downtown Los Angeles: Mezzanine Level 453 S. Spring St. (@ 5th St.) $10 Admission / Free Before 7pm. For more info: www.createfixate.com.
A Reception for Robert Lee Morris
October 11 (Tue 5pm-8pm) – There will be a private reception in honor of acclaimed designer Robert Lee Morris and his book, The Power of Jewelry. The exhibit will celebrate his one of a kind jewelry and sculpture (retrospective and contemporary). New collections, as well as the classics, will recreate three decades of iconic style with an innovative vision.SCULPTURE TO WEAR GALLERY, 808 11th Street (@ Montana Avenue), Santa Monica, CA 90403. Please RSVP to attend and reserve your book in advance, for the book signing by the artist. www.sculpturetowear.com or 310.260.1957.
OCTOBER’S FEATURE: Gold, Metal of the Gods and Mere Mortals – Part III
What does 24 Karat actually mean?
Pure gold
In this country, it is referred to as “24 karat”. “Karat” or “carat” is a unit of measure for the purity of gold, equal to 1/24 part. Pure gold is 24 karat; 12 karat gold is 50 percent pure. The word karat comes from old Greek “keration”, a weight.
Pure gold has a deep yellow color (an orange shade of yellow) and is soft and very malleable. The colored karat gold alloys range in gold content from 8 to 22 karats (33.3% – 91.6% gold) and can be obtained in a range of color shades: green (actually a green shade of yellow), pale yellow, yellow, deep yellow, pink/rose and red. There are also white golds and even unusual colored golds, such as ‘purple gold’. They all have different strengths, hardness and malleability (ductility). In the European System, 100% pure gold is considered “1000 fine”. When you see something stamped on the inside of a ring as 750, it refers to 75% gold content, the same as 18 karat gold. Fourteen karat gold is 58% pure gold.
ALLOY
An alloy is a mixture of two or more pure metals. Other metals are alloyed with gold to create different colors and properties. Almost all conventional, colored golds are based on gold-silver-copper alloys, often with minor alloying additions. All three metals have the same crystal structure.
COLOR
Adding copper to gold makes it redder and adding silver or zinc makes gold more pale. Thus, we can understand that lower karat golds can have a wider range of colors than the higher karat golds. The more alloys that are added to gold the less the karat purity.
WHITE GOLD
White golds for jewelry were developed in the 1920’s as a substitute for platinum. Additions of any white metal to gold tend to create a paler effect. In practice, nickel and palladium (and platinum) are strong ‘bleachers ‘ of gold, silver and zinc are moderate bleachers and all others are moderate to weak in effect.
This has given rise to 2 basic classes of white golds – the Nickel Whites and the Palladium Whites. Nickel alloying forms hard and strong white golds, up to 18 karat. They are difficult to work and susceptible to so-called, ‘firecracking’. Most commercial alloys are based on gold-nickel-silver-zinc alloys, with copper often added to improve malleability. This copper addition, of course, affects color. Such white gold alloys are a slight yellow/ brown tint, particularly if nickel content is also low. As a consequence, it is normally electroplated with rhodium (a platinum metal), which is tarnish resistant and imparts a good white color. Almost all jewelers rhodium plate their white golds.
Whatever your color preference, gold is a magnificent material and will continue to make its impression on history and the people who covet and wear it. Enjoy!
Resources: dictionary.reference.com, www.gold.org
FROM ONE OF OUR CLIENTS
I love my ring. I’m not really a ring wearer, you know – it’s lovely and I will cherish it. Thank you for taking the time. – Josh J., Writer
THE WAY OF CHIC: Assisting relief efforts in the wake of hurricane Katrina.www.redcross.org, national.unitedway.org, www.bushclintonkatrinafund.orgto name just a few.
STYLE RECOGNITION
Tucked away in the unassuming and up and coming Noho arts district is NOHO Modern, a wonderful gallery, of mid-century modern works of art, sculpture, furniture and decorative objects. The owners of NOHO Modern have a clear passion for their artists. Noho Modern has joined many in the hurricane relief effort. For more info, visit www.nohomodern.com. NOHO Modern, 11225 Magnolia Boulevard, N. Hollywood, CA 91601. 818.505.1297. Open 11 AM to 7 PM daily.
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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Thank you.
