Jewelry enhances one’s beauty; chemicals enhance the beauty of the jewelry.
To enhance one’s beauty, the use of jewelry is widespread. Sometimes the economic aspect of an individual is reflected by the kind jewelry one wears. The use of jewelry is common in women, but men also use articles of jewelry to a greater extent. Not even in modern times, the use of jewelry is very common from ancient times. Historical evidence shows the extent of usage of jewelry in ancient times. In ancient Egypt, the poor farmers, as well as kings and queens, were also very fond of jewelry. In the Indian subcontinent, The Hindu gods and goddesses even imagined wearing jewelry.
As time passed, the standards of jewelry have changed. The metals like gold silver platinum etc. and the gems like diamond, Ruby, etc. are the same, but the types of modifications on these have changed from time to time. Even for a single metal or stone, we have many types of modifications available that represent the same article in different forms. Several chemicals and chemical techniques also used for that.
Various chemicals used in jewelry making are:
• Sulfuric acid
The metal surface contains many types of impurities, which may sometimes affect in various processes. So, to clean the metal surface, strong acid such as sulfuric acid is used. Sulphuric acid is highly reactive and generally used while pickling silver.
• Boric acid
Jewelers use Boric acid powder mixed with denatured alcohol in a glass alcohol cup to prevent oxidation of sterling silver during soldering.
• Saltpeter
It is commonly known as potassium nitrate, which used as an oxidant in jewelry making.
• Nitric acid
Nitric acid is when mixed with hydrochloric acid; it is called aqua regia. It mainly used to check whether the gold is real or a fake one.
• Borax
Borax and water are a flow flux used by jewelers. But it leaves a glassy coating on the jewelry, which is difficult to remove.
Apart from various chemicals, some chemical methods are also in the making of jewelry. A typical example is chemical etching. Chemical etching is a process of using baths of temperature-regulated etching chemicals to remove material to create an object with the desired shape. It is a very complex process, but it is of very much utility. In modern times this method is being very impactful in enhancing the look of the jewelry.