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Alberti... i gioielli

Creazioni artigianali in oro

Handgefertigter Schmuck aus Italien
Handmade italian jewellery

Filigree-earrings in 18K gold
(not in our catalogue)

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18 Karat Gold
Lost wax casting
Filigree

18 Karat Gold

Because pure gold is very soft, in order to increase its hardness for the crafting of jewellery it is alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper, zinc, palladium and other elements.
The addition of these metals also changes the final hue of the gold alloy.
Gold jewellery with 750 fineness contains 750 parts pure gold and 250 parts alloying metal(s). The greater the fineness (i.e. purity), the higher the value of the jewel.
Jewels containing a lower percentage of pure gold (585 gold = 14 karat gold and 375 gold = 9 karat gold) tend to oxidise more easily and may trigger skin allergies. In Italy, gold jewellery is made exclusively with 750 gold (18 karat gold).
The various hues of 18 karat gold are:
Yellow gold: 750 parts pure gold and 250 parts silver, copper and zinc in equal proportions.
White gold: 750 parts pure gold and 250 parts copper and palladium, with a prevalence of palladium.
Pink (red) gold: 750 parts pure gold and 250 parts silver, copper and zinc, with a prevalence of copper.

Lost-wax casting

Most of the jewels of our collection (e.g.: the "Roses") are crafted using the hollow metal casting method called "lost-wax" method. This is the most ancient method used by man to manufacture jewels, in Italy dating back to the 7th century BC with the Etruscans and still used today. Lost-wax-1

The method consists in modelling the solid wax into the desired shape and then encasing it in refractory material (e.g.: gypsum). The molten gold poured into the gypsum cast melts the wax and replaces it. Lost-wax-2

Filigree

Filigree-1
Filigree is a very ancient form of decoration, developed in the 3rd millennium BC in the Middle East.
Many civilisations have used it intensively, such as in the late Roman empire, in the Middle Ages, in Baroque Sicily and Venice and at the end of the 19th century.

Filigree-2 The method consists in creating a gold model of the desired shape. Two very thin gold threads, twisted and flattened, are then used to create ovals, curls and circles. A sufficient number of these elements, of the same or of different size and shape, are then welded onto the metal model until it is filled in.
The result is a delicate lace-like ornament.

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Further information about our collections

For further information: Alberti... i gioielli®; Via Perini, 58; I-38100 Trento (TN)
Telefono e Fax: (++39)-0461-916850 P.I. 00213970221

Most of the jewels of our collection (e.g.: the "Roses") are crafted using the hollow metal casting method called "lost-wax" method. This is the most ancient method used by man to manufacture jewels, in Italy dating back to the 7th century BC with the Etruscans and still used today.
The method consists in modelling the solid wax into the desired shape and then encasing it in refractory material (e.g.: gypsum). The molten gold poured into the gypsum cast melts the wax and replaces it.

	Filigree is a very ancient form of decoration, developed in the 3rd millennium BC in the Middle East. Many civilisations have used it intensively, such as in the late Roman empire, in the Middle Ages, in Baroque Sicily and Venice and at the end of the 19th century.
	The method consists in creating a gold model of the desired shape. Two very thin gold threads, twisted and flattened, are then used to create ovals, curls and circles. A sufficient number of these elements, of the same or of different size and shape, are then welded onto the metal model until it is filled in. The result is a delicate lace-like ornament.