Is Hill Tribe silver made in Bali? What's the difference between "Bali", and "Hill Tribe"?
Recently I read a bead store advertisement that said "Museum quality Vermeil". What is that all about? As I understand, vermeil is gold plated over silver; what would a museum care about it?? And, one more about vermeil, is it acceptable in nicer jewelry? For example, I wouldn't use basemetal beadcaps on a $40 lampworked pendant, but is vermeil ok for that sort of thing?
And, lastly, please forgive me if I've misspelled vermeil through this whole thing ;o) It doesn't look right ANY way I type it! LOL
Real Bali silver is made in Bali, is hand made, and features a style made up of dots and wire applied to silver beads (all sterling). "Bali-style silver" is the same style but made elsewhere. Some are handmade and just as good, some is cast and not nearly as good quality.
Hill Tribe Silver is hand made by the Hill Tribe, which I believe is in Cambodia. The style is quite different too, using sheets of metal and wire to make flowers, leaves, bugs, etc. Also the silver is often a little lower in silver content (90%) than Sterling).
Gold filled is a layer of gold (usually 14K to 18K so it's more durable), over brass.
Vermeil is a thicker than usual plating of gold, and it's over sterling silver. The gold is 14K to 24K; unfortunately the higher carat gold wears off faster. The plating is thicker than the usual layer of gold plating, but still just a fraction of the layer in gold filled.
I don't really know what "museum quality vermeil" means, but I would guess it means it has a higher carat gold plating.
I personally am unwilling to use vermeil. It's still just gold plate, and when it wears it shows the silver under it. Some people here use the little spacers between beads that are bigger so it won't be subject to wear.
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :
]Real Bali silver is made in Bali, is hand made, and features a style made up ]of dots and wire applied to silver beads (all sterling). "Bali-style silver" ]is the same style but made elsewhere. Some are handmade and just as good, ]some is cast and not nearly as good quality. ] ]Hill Tribe Silver is hand made by the Hill Tribe, which I believe is in ]Cambodia. The style is quite different too, using sheets of metal and wire ]to make flowers, leaves, bugs, etc. Also the silver is often a little lower ]in silver content (90%) than Sterling). ] ]Gold filled is a layer of gold (usually 14K to 18K so it's more durable), ]over brass. ] ]Vermeil is a thicker than usual plating of gold, and it's over sterling ]silver. The gold is 14K to 24K; unfortunately the higher carat gold wears ]off faster. The plating is thicker than the usual layer of gold plating, ]but still just a fraction of the layer in gold filled. ] ]I don't really know what "museum quality vermeil" means, but I would guess ]it means it has a higher carat gold plating.
VERY GOOD explanation, Tina, thanks! [it deserved repeating!]
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
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----------- It's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you; it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis
"Bali", and "Bali-style", are beads and such with applied design elements, like granulation and thin wire. Cheaper imitation Bali has a similar design appearance, but is generally made in molds rather than applied. With the hand made versions, one can see "undercuts" in the design elements; the molded versions do not have them.
"Hill Tribe" silver that I've seen comes from Thailand (the "Hill Tribe" people span more than one modern political territory, though). It appears to be made mostly of silver sheet, cut and hammered into shape. Besides the shaping, there are stamped design elements in many pieces. Kaytee "Simplexities" on
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