Punky Jane Jargon :: Additional Services from Punky Jane

Family Tribute Necklace with Angel Wing Charm

Today we are focusing on some of the ADDITIONAL SERVICES we offer at Punky Jane. 

Build Your Own :: Several of our collections are highly customizable, so much so that we let you start from scratch and 'Build Your Own'! You can wear all your charms at once or just a few...it's like getting several necklaces in one. If you get stuck, we offer popular combinations to help with ideas. 


In our Build Your Itty Bitty section, you start with a chain and add small discs, charms, and crystals to create your own necklace or bracelet.

In our Build Your Own Simply Charming section, you start with a chain and add pieces to create the perfect family necklace. 

In our Build Your Own Simply Charming Glass Locket section, you start with a glass locket and add message discs, charms, and crystals to create a personalized piece with a vintage feel.

Ready to Ship :: Because of the personalized nature of our pieces, normal production time is 2-3 weeks plus shipping. We know that sometimes our customers need a last minute gift, so we've curated a selection of handmade items that ship within two business days. Check it out, here. Also consider a Punky Jane Gift Certificate! 

Jewelry Tune-up :: While it's normal for sterling silver jewelry to show gentle wear and oxidation, if your Punky Jane piece is overly dirty and tarnished, we are more than happy to tune-up your piece. 

We will: clean and remove tarnish on all silver components [stamped pieces, jump rings, chains]; re-oxidize/blacken stamped characters; and polish and/or refinish your piece. Be sure to visit the Cleaning & Polishing section on our website for polishing pads and cloths to keep your piece bright and shiny!

Gold Filled vs. Gold Plated (and other Punky Jane Jargon Explained)

At Punky Jane, we only use high-quality materials. We use supplies made in the good old USA whenever possible, and only buy from trusted sources.

In today's post about Punky Jane Jargon, we're exploring some of the MATERIALS we use.

Gold Filled vs. Gold Plated :: Our gold filled pieces are made from high quality 14k/20k double clad sheet with a gold layer on both sides, NOT gold plated sheet.

Also known as "rolled gold" or "rolled gold plate", gold filled is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure to a base metal such as brass. Some high quality gold-filled pieces have the same appearance as 14 karat (58%) gold. In the USA the quality of gold filled is defined by the Federal Trade Commission. If the gold layer is 10 kt fineness the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/10 (10%) the weight of the total item. If the gold layer is 12 kt or higher the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 (5%) the weight of the total item.

Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper or silver (to make silver-gilt), by chemical or electrochemical plating.


Sterling Silver :: An alloy of fine silver that contains 92.5% fine silver mixed with other metals, usually copper. Mixing the other metal with the soft fine silver makes it stronger. You'll see many pieces marked with a ".925" to designate that it's sterling. Because of the additional metal mixed in, sterling will oxidize more quickly. Most of our designs are created with U.S.-sourced, reclaimed (recycled) or third-party certified to be ethically mined.


Fine Silver :: 99.9% pure silver. A much softer metal, fine silver isn't used for practical objects like silverware. You will often see fine silver pieces marked with a ".999" symbol. We use fine silver wire to create our Infinity and Gratitude Symbols.  


PMC aka Precious Metal Clay :: PMC is a recycled product. During photo processing, silver is recovered. That silver is mixed in with a binder making a clay-like material that can be worked, rolled, formed, stamped, etc. and then fired to create beautiful, fine silver pieces. Our Rustic Dragonfly necklace is an example.


Swarovski Crystals :: We carry three different types of Swarovski crystals: flatbacks, dangles, and channel sets. Our flatback Swarovski crystals are used to highlight your special date on our Mark Your Calendar Necklaces and Charms & Pins, as well as accents on other pieces. Our Swarovski crystal dangles hang on a sterling silver head pin and are added to necklaces as charms.   Our Swarovski channel set crystals are available in both silver and gold plated and are added to necklaces as charms.


All of our chains, clasps, and other components are U.S.A. made, with the exception of a couple of small components that are not available from U.S. suppliers 


Interested in learning more about some of the Techniques we use? Check out our previous post.

Stayed tuned...more to come!


  

Hand Stamped vs. Engraved (and other Punky Jane Jargon explained)

 

Mark Your Calendar® Cuff Links

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!