Gold remains one of the most precious metals on earth, a metal that many covet, and few possess. Other metals that enjoy this level of rarity include platinum and silver. Because of their luxurious appeal and splendid shimmer, artisans use these metals regularly to craft jewelry pieces.
Although they’re classical jewelry material, you may not like rose gold bangles or sterling silver rings. Perhaps you’re looking for pieces that are durable but elegant. In that case, you should consider jewelry made of base metals, such as titanium and stainless steel.
Titanium Jewelry
Titanium is a versatile metal. It’s the material of choice for aerospace projects because of its considerable durability and lightweight properties. Missiles, jet planes, and spacecraft have titanium frameworks that help them withstand the high speeds that propel them. Employees of state-of-the-art machine shops encounter the metal in cars and bicycles. It’s most commonly encountered as a pigment in house paints.
Aside from its lightweight property and strength, it also possesses other qualities that make it a unique jewelry material. A craftsman can coax beautiful colors out of the metal with precise heating, a property it shares with steel. Unlike steel, whose colors disappear after a while, the colorful hues of titanium are stable.
If a jeweler uses an electrical current to heat titanium, they can manipulate the location and the hue of the metal. Titanium turns yellow, green, bright blue, or dark blue, depending on the intensity of the temperature. You can even have jewelers make elaborate and complex color patterns on titanium by etching its surface prior to heating.
These properties make titanium jewelry considerably more colorful and many times stronger than gold; a fitting metal for a powerful but vibrant personality.
Stainless Steel Jewelry
Stainless steel is an alloy of titanium, chromium, and nickel, and it’s ubiquitous in modern life. You probably have knives, bowls, or even whole countertops in your kitchen that are of stainless steel. You may dismiss this metal as too pedestrian for jewelry, but the qualities that make it so useful in everyday life make it a great material for jewelry.
The metal has a layer of chromium molecules that makes it resistant to corrosion and oxidation. This means that you can wear stainless steel jewelry for extended periods and not worry about the metal degrading due to exposure. The material is ideal for rings and various body piercings. Taking care of stainless steel is also much easier than gold or silver.
Unlike precious metals, which sometimes require professional cleaning to sparkle and shine, just use water and dishwashing liquid to remove dirt from stainless steel. Then, apply some elbow grease, and your jewelry will be resplendent once more.
If you’re practical and forward-thinking, stainless steel jewelry can highlight your modern sensibilities better than gaudy golden trinkets.
Base metal jewelry combines the luster of precious metals with durability. When you wear jewelry made of titanium or stainless steel, you are rejecting the notion that beautiful things must also be fragile. Wear them with pride and in hope that you can embody both of those wonderful qualities.
