FunAlpaca: What is it, what is its use in...

Alpaca: What is it, what is its use in jewelry and how much does it cost?

Having gold jewelery implies having jewels of great value, but so are silver jewelery, although the latter can easily be “substituted” by nickel silver, which is in fact one of the most commonly used materials in jewelery and that although It may seem that it is real silver, the truth is that it is not so, so we must be very careful. We are now talking about alpaca: What is it, what is its use in jewelry and how much does it cost?

Alpaca: What is it, what is its use in jewelry and how much does it cost?

Although it is also known by the name “German silver”, nickel silver is not actually silver. Specifically, it is a metal alloy that contains mainly copper (50-65%), zinc (20-30%) and nickel (10-30%).

The origin of the alpaca

The patent for the nickel silver alloy was filed on June 5, 1827 by the two French metallurgists from Lyon who developed it, Maillet and Chorier (which is why it is also known as maillechort).

However, alpaca already existed in China, before it was also imitated in Germany (hence the names of German silver).

However, it was not until the first half of the 19th century that alpaca quickly entered the world of musical instruments due to the invention of Maillet and Chorier. The French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume began to use nickel silver instead of steel for the construction of violin bows, as it rusted much more slowly; furthermore, this alloy was much cheaper than silver.

Applications

Alpaca has a remarkable resistance to chemical agents and since the past it has been used in the manufacture of cutlery, household utensils (cutlery), spectacle frames, ornamental and religious objects (rosaries), as well as household appliances for sanitary purposes, surgical instruments. , coins, rivets and screws , and also of course, the aforementioned musical instruments (transverse flute, guitar keys, violin bows). Even some portions of alpaca have been used in the armament sector (small arms).

In the specific field of jewelry , alpaca has also triumphed given that thanks to its almost whitish tone it has caused countless jewels to be made imitating those that are made of real silver, but that are closer to jewelery due to their price.

In fact, alpaca is not an expensive material at all and it hardly has any value . However, it is possible to find jewelry or cutlery made of alpaca in ancient times that fetch high prices , but because they have been well preserved and for the time that it has been since they were manufactured , and not because the material is really expensive.

Technical characteristics

This alloy is generally harder and more elastic than silver, has low electrical conductivity, and is excellent for cold work. Its hot formability is limited.

It offers good resistance to atmospheric corrosion , organic compounds and neutral and alkaline saline solutions. However, it is not very resistant to oxidizing acids, but the stress corrosion sensitivity of this alloy is much lower than that of brass.

On the other hand, when nickel silver contains nickel above a certain percentage, they have a high degree of resistance to handling, as well as good elasticity and hardness. Unlike silver, it can lose its shine , but they never blacken although it does oxidize before silver and in fact with time (and poor conservation), it is easy for it to turn a slightly greenish tone.

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