Stainless steel pendant
Infos about "Stainless steel pendant"
Stainless steel can be used for a variety of jewelry accessories.
The steel can be cast, milled, drawn or rolled.
Stainless steel is particularly popular for magnetic clasps, link chains and earrings.
But pendants are also made of stainless steel.
Stainless steel 304 has a light silver-gray color and offers a better shine.
Stainless steel 201 contains more manganese and therefore has a darkerand grayer surface.
The question cannot be answered across the board.
There is ferritic stainless steel with little or no nickel content. It belongs to the AISI 400 series. This stainless steel is magnetic. However, it is not usually used for jewelry.
Austenitic steel is used for jewelry. It is steel with more than 8% nickel content and therefore has good corrosion stability. This steel is not magnetic.
Stainless steel is an alloy that contains nickel, especially in high-grade and corrosion-resistant grades. Nickel provides acid resistance in stainless steel in particular. But nickel is firmly bound in these chromium-nickel-molybdenum steels and is not released when worn.
Stainless steel is protected by a layer of chromium oxide. If this layer is destroyed by friction, cosmetics or cleaning agents, rust can develop. This rust can be removed.
However, stainless steel has self-healing properties and through contact with oxygen the chromium oxide layer can form anew.
Why use stainless steel for jewelry?
Stainless steel is versatile and very resilient. So it sounds like an ideal material for jewelry! Here are a few advantages and properties of stainless steel:
Scratch resistance
Jewelry and jewelry accessories made of stainless steel is very hard and therefore more scratch-resistant than, for example, metal parts made of zamak or brass.
Protection against tarnishing
The main advantage of stainless steel is its corrosion resistance. This means that it does not oxidize, like jewelry parts galvanized with gold or silver. Stainless steel is therefore very easy to care for.
Protection from external influences
Stainless steel has another positive property: through contact with oxygen in air or water, a thin layer of chromium oxide is formed on the surface of the steel. This layer protects the steel underneath from further external influences. If this layer is damaged, it immediately forms again.
Different finish
Stainless steel typically has a gray-silver color. However, it can also be plated in a variety of colors: Black, light silver, rose gold or yellow gold. This coating is called plating. There are different techniques for this: Rolling on a fine foil of metal, dipping or the very durable ion plating. Plating changes the color of the surface and, in addition to the color change, increases wear resistance.
Stainless steel is classified in different material numbers. We use the AISI numbers in our store. AISI stands for American Iron and Steel Institute.
There are various designations for this stainless steel:
AISI Nomenclature: 201European
EN Standard: 1.4372
This is a chromium-nickel steel. Depending on the composition with a proportion of 16% - 18% chromium and a proportion of 3.5% - 5.5% nickel. In addition, a proportion of 5.5% - 7.5% manganese is added for strengthening. Stainless steel 201 can be rolled thinner due to the lack of nickel content, but has much lower corrosion resistance and only limited acid resistance.
There are several designations for this stainless steel:
AISI nomenclature: 304European
EN standard: 1.4301Stainless
steel 18/8 = 18% chromium, 8% nickel and 74% steel
It is a chromium-nickel steel with good corrosion resistance.
Stainless steel 304 is easy to work and weld. It has good corrosion resistance, heat resistance and strength. It is good for stamping and bending. It can also be polished well.
Stainless steel 304L is the low carbon version of stainless steel 304 and has even better corrosion resistance and heat resistance.
There are several designations for this stainless steel:
AISI nomenclature: 316European
EN standard: 1.4401Itis
a chromium-nickel-molybdenum steel with good resistance to non-oxidizing acids and chlorine-containing media.
Due to the chemical composition, 316 material and 316 L material has good corrosion resistance.
The stainless steel can also be polished well.
Stainless steel 316 stainless steel gets good corrosion resistance due to the addition of molybdenum. Stainless steel 316L is the low carbon version of stainless steel 316 with even better corrosion resistance.
You come into contact with stainless steel all the time in your everyday life: cutlery, pots, cooking utensils etc. But stainless steel is also a popular material for jewelry and jewelry accessories. Stainless steel is a collective term for alloyed steels with a special degree of purity. This means that various elements such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum and vanadium are added to the starting material steel. This gives stainless steel its typical properties:
Chromium ensures the improvement of the corrosion ability of stainless steel, i.e. the steel becomes stainless. Stainless steel can only be called "rust-free" when the chromium content is at least 13 percent.
Molybdenum also enhances the improvement of corrosion ability.
Nickel provides resistance to acids of stainless steel.
Vanadium increases the workability of stainless steel.
Stainless steel is easy to care for,
you can clean it with water, mild soap and a lint-free cloth. Finally, you can also polish the surface with absorbent cotton for an even more beautiful shine.
Stainless steel jewelry can also be cleaned in an ultrasonic device.