We thought it would be nice to explain some of the jargon we use, not only around the studio, but also in our product descriptions.
Today, we are focusing on TECHNIQUES:
Hand stamped vs. engraved :: Our pieces are hand stamped by striking individual steel stamps with a hammer. This creates pieces that are totally unique. Engraving can be done with a computer-aided machine.
Gauge :: The gauge of metal is simply a measurement of its thickness. In the United States (and jewelry making world), sheet metal is measured using the Brown and Sharpe Gauge. Oddly enough, the larger the gauge, the thinner the metal. For more information on gauge, see our blog post, here.
Soldering :: Soldering joins two or more metal items by melting and flowing a filler metal (with a lower melting point) into the joint. Because soldering does not melt the two items being joined it is different from welding. All of our cuff links feature a sterling silver cuff link soldered to a sterling silver hand stamped piece.
Oxidization :: Most of our pieces are oxidized (or blackened), meaning the letters, numbers, and other impressions are filled in. Sterling silver will continue to oxidize over time. For tips on keeping your piece clean, see our blog post, here.
Brushed vs. polished finish :: Customers are given a choice of a brushed or polished finish on many of our pieces. Our brushed finish is a less shiny, almost matte finish while our polished finish is quite shiny.
Stay tuned...we'll be posting more soon!
