Think back to when you made your very first daisy chain. We love to make and design jewellery, and have been doing so for thousands of years.
Our ancestors discovery of different materials and how to work with them was a breakthrough in the development of the art of jewellery.
We've listed the common, and not so common materials used in jewellery making along with a brief description and the pros and cons of using them in your jewellery designs.
1. Silver
Silver is a precious metal. It’s classified as one of the Metals of Antiquity: metals that humans identified and used in prehistoric times.
The major use of silver, besides being used for coinage throughout world history, was in the manufacture of jewellery and other general-use items. This is still the case today.
Silver is favourable for necklaces, bracelets, cuff links, belt buckles and body jewellery. It is perfect for fine jewellery, accessories and silverware.
The Hardness of Silver
Due to the softness of pure silver (2.5 to 3 on the Mohs Hardness scale) it is alloyed with copper.
In jewellery, sterling silver comprises of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.
For a more in depth look at Silver, read our article 'Silver: The precious Metal and Its Wonders'
Pure Gold is a bright reddish yellow precious metal rated in Karats (k). It is similar to silver in that it’s one of the Metals of Antiquity and was used for making coins, jewellery and even minted as a circulating currency (think Gold Standard as monetary policy pre 1971).
The world consumption of new gold consists of 50% in jewellery, 40% in investments, and 10% in industry.
Pure Gold (24k) is soft and rated 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs Hardness scale and therefore it's rare for it be used in it's pure form for jewellery.
Gold is alloyed with copper, silver, zinc, nickel, or palladium to produce a harder material for the jewellery trade.
Typical gold jewellery is usually 14k gold, 16k gold, 18k gold and 21k gold.
In the Alloy process, Yellow, White, Rose and Green Gold can be produced.
Much like a red lipstick - there is a tone or hue for everyone. For instance, Rose gold is warming and therefore favoured by those with paler skin.
In any of its variations, gold is a popular choice for wedding bands, rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces due to its stability and longevity.
Platinum is a silver-white, highly dense, and malleable precious metal.
It’s one of the rarest minerals in the world which may explain the kudos behind musicians receiving a Platinum disc, or getting a Platinum credit card, and has become synonymous with luxury and longevity.
Platinum is rated 4-4.5 on the Mohs Hardness scale and therefore less malleable than gold.
Because of its hardness, pure platinum is often mixed with other metals to make it more malleable. The most common metals paired with platinum are copper, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and titanium.
For example: the prongs holding the centre stone of a platinum engagement ring are less likely to break then those of a gold engagement ring.
The durability of Platinum makes it ideal for fine jewellery. As well as catalytic converters in the Automotive industry.
Favourites include: solitaire and engagement rings, wedding bands and cuffs, watches, bracelets and necklaces.
For a more indepth look at Platinum, read our article 'Platinum: A Noble Metal'
Titanium is a lustrous, high strength metal with a silver colour.
Titanium was discovered in Cornwall in 1791, and later named after the Titans of Greek mythology.
Titanium is rated 6 on the Mohs Hardness scale and has the highest strength-weight ratio of all the natural metals in the world.
Titanium and gold produce an alloy that is marketed and sold as 24-karat gold.
The resulting alloy is nearly the hardness of 14k gold and more durable than pure 24k gold – making it favourable for the jewellery trade.
Titanium is used for watch parts and watch cases. Diving watches inparticular as it is corrosion resistant.
Titanium is excellent for use in harsh environments so is often used for the hulls of submarines, oil rig supports, aircraft frames and jet engine components.
Due to how light Titanium is it is very commonly used in the sports industry for tennis racquets, bicycles and golf clubs.
Titanium is ideal for body-piercing jewellery, prosthetics, dental work and surgical implants, due to its hypoallergenic characteristics.
For a more indepth look at Titanium, take a look at our article 'Titanium'
The term ‘Base metal’ is one used in the jewellery industry for those metals that oxidise easily and tend to be mainly used for costume jewellery. These materials do not contain one of the noble or precious metals and are therefore significantly cheaper compared to the metals mentioned above. As well as Copper and Brass, Zinc and bronze are also used in jewellery making.
This is a reddish-orange metal that is most often used in alloys, electrical equipment and in Copper Findings for jewellery making.
Copper is soft and malleable and easily stretched.
Brass is an alloy of Copper and Zinc.
The colour of brass is a yellow-gold and is therefore used in jewellery to resemble gold. It is often used in steampunk jewellery.
Base metals are alloys and manufactured to produce different degrees of durability and malleability. Base metals can vary anywhere between 2 and 6 on the Mohs Hardness scale, depending on the alloy mixture.
Also known as inox steel, Stainless Steels are Iron alloys.
It is durable, rust-resistant, non-corrosive with no discolouration or oxidation. This makes it ideal for use in the jewellery making industry for items such as bead caps, earring findings and watches.
Many jewellery making tools are made from steel such as files, drill bits, saw blades, mandrels and hammers, to name but a few.
It is also commonly used for surgical instruments and for industrial purposes
A pearl is formed in the soft tissue of certain molluscs, oysters and mussels for example.
In nature this occurs very seldom and therefore 99% of all pearls today are cultured pearls.
Pearls are commonly the same colour as the inside of an oyster shell, white and cream but hues of yellow, black and grey are fairly common.
The value of pearls in jewellery is based on a mixture of the lustre, colour, size, lack of surface flaw, and symmetry.
Pearls are identified according to their variety - naturally occurring, or modern cultured pearls: seawater or freshwater cultured.
Concentric layers of deposited calcium carbonate make up a pearl, much like an onion.
Pearls are predominantly used for necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings and are commonly made into a string of pearls.
It is ranked 2.5-4.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, and is therefore relatively soft and so can be scratched or abraded.
Shell beads are one of the oldest forms of jewellery and over the years has seen it's popularity come and go with fashion trends such as Cameo rings, earrings and brooches back in the 1800's.
Popular types of Shells used for jewellery are Paua, Mother-of-Pearl, Cowrie, Oyster, Abalone and Puka, to name but a few.
The whole shell, or parts of the shell can be used in jewellery and adornments. Broken pieces found on the beach can be cut, filed and smoothed to suit your needs.
Never buy shells unless you know for sure they have been found and collected, rather than harvested. Furthermore, it can be illegal to take certain types of shells from particular beaches so never assume it's OK to do so. Check first.
Shell is approximately 3 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
Shells differ in shape and form and can therefore vary in hardness and brittleness and vary in how rough or how smooth they are.
From cameos to mosaics, earrings, rings and pendants, shell inlays on utensils, antiques, artifacts and furniture - artisans love to work with shell.
In the Victorian era, Mourning Jewellery was de rigueur. Whilst some may may deem it a little odd or macabre, what could be more eco-friendly than re-using the bones and hair from deceased animals - possibly your own beloved pets such as with Irish jewellery artist Daniela Cardillo.
For thousands of years seeds, nuts and the roots from plants have been used to adorn the body in various cultures across the World.
Popular choices of seeds and nuts for making beads or for using in jewellery making are: Tagua (Ivory Palm Nut), Betel, Bodhi, Rudraksha, Acai and Buri.
Wooden jewellery such as beads, bangles and pendants have been popular for thousands of years.
The necessity for using eco-friendly materials has re-popularised the use of salvaged, recycled or storm-felled wood in jewellery design.
Jewellery can be made out of any type of wood, hard woods being preferable, but the grain, colour and finish of the wood may determine which you use for your designs.
Semi precious, non-precious, and precious. Rock, slate, beach pebbles, brick and concrete. The vast array of stones, rocks and gemstones used in jewellery making is endless.
Some of the most desirable of gemstones used in jewellery making are Diamond, Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire.
The type of stone or gemstone you choose can depend on what the stone means to you (e.g. birthstone, heirloom) , how it looks (the grain, colour, shape), how it feels (the texture or energy it gives you), where you sourced it from, (found on a beach, recycled, a stone that is local to your area) or a special memory it gives you.
Glass beads, particularly Venetian, are historically one of the first glass jewellery objects to be made popular.
Today, we see various forms of glass in jewellery design such as Fused Glass (dichroic and art glass), Lampwork, Murano (Ventian and Millefiori) and Sea Glass.
Glass rods can be heated and shaped into beads such as in lampworking. Glass can be heated and fused. Cold glass can be engraved, cut, shaped, drilled, ground and polished. Or, glass can simply be used in it's natural form such as we see in sea glass (beach glass).
Enamel is a glass-like layer which is very hard and scratch resistant. It is made by fusing a glass powder at high temperatures onto metal.
Sometimes referred to as Vitreous enamel or Porcelain enamel, common techniques in enamelling are Cloissonne, Champleve, Baisse-Taille and Plique-A-Jour.
Acrylic beads are very affordable and therefore make a great starting point for a beginner jeweller who wishes to dabble in beading.
Resin is poured into a mold to form shapes. It cries out for things to be added into the resin whilst setting so is very versatile and fun to explore.
Ceramic beads can either be made in a mold to repeat the same shape over and over, or made by hand to create a more organic feel.
It is very on trend to make jewellery from broken pieces of china. This can be done by cutting shapes or circles out of china or porcelain plates, or by using found beach pottery which has been washed and smoothed by the sea and used in the organic form it has been found in.
In it's many forms and colours, Polymer clay is an affordable, versatile and durable material to work with when jewellery making.
Polymer clay is a good material for beginners as it is super easy to use and comes in an array of colours and sheens, as in the wide range of metal clay's available.