Ounces or Troy ounces?? Everything except karat golds, platinum and palladium are measured by the troy ounce (ozt), which is approximately 10% more, by weight, than a regular avoirdupois ounce (oz). Karat golds, platinum and palladium are measured by the pennyweight (dwt) which is 1/20th of a troy ounce.
Cutting: Your orders will be processed in the order in which we receive them and will usually ship out 1-2 days after you order them. There are times when our turn-around time may be longer and we will try to update the What's New page to let you know when we are running behind due to order volume, waiting on wire, vacations/sickness, etc.
Rings: Our wire is wound using mandrels of the indicated diameter (i.e. 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm etc). The coils are hand cut with a high-powered saw, resulting in high-quality rings with a flat, flush cut. The rings are inspected visually and then tumbled to bring them to a beautiful bright shine and burr-free finish.
Special Orders: We welcome special orders! We can cut ring sizes from 2 mm to 7 mm in 0.25 mm increments and from 7 mm to 13 mm in 0.5 mm increments. Right now palladium, platinum, and karat golds are by special order only. These are sold by the pennyweight and a minimum order of 3 pennyweights per gauge is required.
Shipping: Presently, orders ship the day after they are cut. If you need your order more quickly, please let us know. We are happy to try to accomodate you. We ship within the US via USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation. International shipping is via USPS Priority International Mail. However, if you desire a different shipping method, please include it in the comments sections at checkout, or e-mail us. We can ship USPS Express, Fed Ex and UPS.
What is Argentium Sterling Silver? Argentium Sterling Silver is sterling silver and is guaranteed to be not less than 92.5% pure silver, the remainder of which is another alloy, usually copper. The difference is that Argentium Sterling Silver replaces a small percentage of the copper with germanium. It is this small quantity of germanium that gives it the tarnish resistant properties. When traditional sterling is heated in air, copper oxide is formed - this oxide penetrates below the surface of the material and causes a dark, disfiguring stain called firescale.
Argentium Sterling Silver is highly tarnish-resistant. It requires nothing more than a light dusting or an occasional wipe with a soft cloth to keep its long-lasting shine.
What is the difference between silver plated, sterling silver, Thai Hill Tribe silver, 999 fine silver and PMC? Silver plated is .15-.25 mils of silver plated to brass metal. Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other alloy, proportions fixed by law. Sterling will 'patina' in time (take on an 'antique' look).
Thai hill tribe silver is hand wrought, 94-95% pure silver.
999 fine silver is pure silver.
PMC (precious metal clay), developed by the Japanese, is reclaimed photographic emulsion silver in a clay-like form that becomes 999 fine silver when kiln fired.
What is the difference between gold plated, gold filled, vermeil and karat gold? Gold plated is .15-.25 mils of gold plated to brass metal.
Gold filled is a 14 karat layer on a base metal, usually brass, then rolled or drawn to the desired size. It has a long life and can be worn by most people without reaction or difficulty.
Vermeil (vur-may) is 14-18 karat gold over sterling silver.
Karat (kt) is the measure of fineness of gold.
24kt gold is pure gold; 14kt is 14 parts pure gold, the balance is alloy.
