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Q&As since 1989


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NICKEL FREE ON JEWELRY

IN OUR SHOP WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET Ni FREE JEWELRY

WE USE A LAYER OF 2.5 MICRONS OF Ag OVER A Cu LAYER (WE JUST SKIP THE Ni LAYER AND INCREASE THE Ag LAYER)

IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO GET Ni FREE JEWELRY WITHOUT USING A Co , BRASS OR Pa LAYER ?, BECAUSE THOSE ARE SO EXPENSIVE

JOSE M ROA
- PERU
2000

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Instead of silver you should use an alloy of Sn-Cu on top of the acidic copper. This alloy looks much like nickel and was designed especially for nickel-free jewelry.

Sara Michaeli
Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel
2000

A white bronze consisting of copper:tin:zinc is a very good replacement as it also has leveling properties together with excellent corrosion resistance.

Karen Sant
- United Kingdom
2000

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Q. I would like to know if nickel copper zinc alloy imitation jewelry silver plated and then electrophoretic coating would manage to cover the nickel and test nickel free if tested

Rick Wency
- India
January 28, 2012

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Hi, Rick.

I don't think that's quite the right question. At some point the lacquer and silver will become sufficiently porous that the wearer of the jewelry may acquire a lifetime of nickel allergy from it. The tests exists for the purpose of ensuring that people will not be exposed to nickel, so they will probably be revised as necessary to prevent this. Isn't there a nickel-free alloy you can use? Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
January 30, 2012