stainless steel earring post

[LLoydsJewelry]

I plan to do some stud earrings using stainless steel cup post findings. Stainless is good for sensitive skin. and tarnish free. Sounds great, but I'd welcome some notes from the forum on whether this is a good idea?

Any recommendations of best type of ear nuts (bullet type, tension type, or flat disk type would also be very helpful.

Lloyd
Gemologist GIA Certified
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LloydsJewelry?ref=pr_shop

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you could use nickel-free steel, that would be best.

I like tension type ear nuts, dislike the bullets and disks.
Whatever you use, let it be large enough to manipulate without fumbling and dropping. There is nothing more annoying than teeny tiny ear nuts.

 

[pearlescence]

Non-nickel free can't be sold anywhere in Europe under EU law


(yes I know that n-free isn't strictly accurate but it gets the message of a need to compy with a strict law over. Amazed you can still have nickel in jewellery in the USA. Must be some itchy and sore people over there)

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

Lloyd, Are you using stainless steel to lower the cost of the item or for some other reason? Honora has changed many of the items they sell at QVC to stainless steel, bronze and sterling silver. They have been dumbing down their line for years and I don't see that it's for the better. I guess the question is, what does your customer base want?

 

[LLoydsJewelry]

Lloyd, Are you using stainless steel to lower the cost of the item or for some other reason? Honora has changed many of the items they sell at QVC to stainless steel, bronze and sterling silver. They have been dumbing down their line for years and I don't see that it's for the better. I guess the question is, what does your customer base want?

I have been using sterling. I figure with earrings it would allow customers to not have to clean tarnish from the sterling. It will also lower customer costs.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you are just trying to reduce tarnishing, how about Argentium findings? They would be a bit nicer than sterling silver -- instead of reducing the value of your items with the use of base metal, you'd be adding value.

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

I haven't had good luck with Argentium findings and tarnish reduction.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Interesting...my husband uses Argentium in jewelry he makes and likes the results. (He is a hobbyist, not in the trade.) He's used sheets of it though, not findings.

 

[Lulu]

I'm interested to hear about experiences with Argentium findings as well.

In my hobbyist's experience, I've had truly mixed experiences with non-karat gold findings so that now I only use sterling silver on clasps (because it is easier to polish when tarnished, than spacer beads), and prefer karat gold for anything else. "Rolled gold" or gold-filled is supposedly pretty durable, but I have had such pieces look terrible after only a year or two. With vermeil, it can vary so much between producers. Some pieces I bought off Etsy tarnished within weeks, while others (like Nina Designs or Care Ehret) have held up very well.

I wonder if in general there isn't as much transparency (or, ahem, honesty) in labeling as consumers expect and assume?

 

[Sea Urchin]

I would greatly prefer stainless steel earring posts and backs over the other white metal choices (I don't know anything about argentium).

- Stainless steel is permanent, as opposed to a coating that will wear off sooner or later.

- Sterling tarnishes. Major pain!

- Gold has gotten over-the-top expensive. I guess (?) that's why gold posts are thin and the backs are tiny. Any size at all to the earring and it droops, the back is not large enough to hold it up properly. You don't have the option of using your other, larger, non-precious metal backs instead, because the real gold post is so thin. The other backs are meant for the thicker silver posts, and have bigger holes. They slide right off. It's very nice when the backs that come with the earrings are sufficient to hold the earrings up.

- If cost savings is passed along, that's even better.

 

[pearlescence]

I've seen some platinum plating on silver (though I haven't as yet got any) that would solve the tarnish problem. Plating silver with white gold would do that too. And realistically you aren't going to get a lot of wear with earrings. So should be durable
The vermeil I've had has lasted very well. Clasps I've had on my own pearls have lasted without any sign of wear for several years.

 

[LLoydsJewelry]

Thanks everyone for your help. I will try the stainless steel, It is of course hypo - alergenic for sensitive skin, and nickle free. White gold plating is a misnomer slightly, and means rhodium plated. Rhodium is is the plattinum metals group, and is bright and shinney. Rhodium plated is great, slightly expensive.

Lloyd
Gemologist GIA C ertfied

 

[LLoydsJewelry]

Well thanks for everyone's input. My stainless steel idea didn't work out. They came in inexpensive like 144 ear nuts for about $7. Stainless steel had tipical stainless coloring of very slightly greyish. Not a problem in a stud ear post since it is not seen. However, where the bend was made to make the wings on the nut a tiny sharp point was produced at the 4 corners of turn down that likely would be uncomfortable. I returned them unused and will go back to sterling for my freshwater stud pearls.

Lloyd Patterson
Gemologist GIA Certified.

http://www.zibbet.com/LloydsJewelry

 

[Sea Urchin]

That's too bad, Lloyd. I think it was a great idea.

 

[Pearls JR]

Just keep in mind, that no stainless steel is truly nickel free, it will contain high amounts of nickel, but if you are using 304 or 316, it should not release nickel (although will contain over 8% nickel)

Thanks everyone for your help. I will try the stainless steel, It is of course hypo - alergenic for sensitive skin, and nickle free. White gold plating is a misnomer slightly, and means rhodium plated. Rhodium is is the plattinum metals group, and is bright and shinney. Rhodium plated is great, slightly expensive.

Lloyd
Gemologist GIA C ertfied

 

[Pearls JR]

YOu should be able to do much better on pricing of these stainless steel posts. The problem is there are a lot of cheaper stainless steel out there, including low nickel stainless steel that is of a poorer quality. They should only cost about .02 per piece for the post you described (not including the nut), its important to specify the grade you want 304 or 316 are the most common for posts.

Lloyd Patterson
Gemologist GIA Certified.