- January 8, 2021
- Posted by: AQI Service
- Category: Inspection standards
Imitation jewelry refers to small wearable items, such as rings, bracelets (excluding watch bands), collars, earrings, chain buckles, which contain no precious metals or metal clad with precious metal jewelry (except electroplating or small accessories). Imitation jewelry is made of base metal and non-metallic materials.
The requirements for different types of imitation jewelry inspection vary to a certain extent due to the differences in styles and craftsmanship. In the following two articles, we will introduce and share the quality inspection of imitation jewelry as below. Supplements to any errors or omissions are welcome.
Types of Imitation Jewelry
a. Classified according to the production process
a.1 Electroplated product:
Gold plating, silver plating, copper plating, and black-gold-plating are common.
a.2 Non-electroplated products:
Mainly ornaments processed and assembled with plastic, shells, and glass.
b. Classified according to the wearing position and style
b.1 Necklaces, Bracelets, and Anklets
These are usually composed of the main chain, tail chain, various small connecting pieces (such as lobster clip, snap buckle, eye pin, head pin, etc.), and pendants (castings) inlaid with gems. The other types of bracelets are Bangles, Beaded Bracelet, Slap Bracelet, etc.,
b.2 Earrings
It can be categorized into pierced earrings and clip earrings. There are different styles of pierced earrings such as fishhook earrings, lever back earrings, surgical earrings, etc. and there are different types of earrings including Stud Earrings, Hoop Earrings, Dangle Earrings, Huggy Earrings, etc.,
b.3 Brooch
The brooch can be categorized into a pin-style brooch and the US military-style brooch according to different styles.
b.4 Finger rings
Rings are the most used jewelry today because it is one of the traditions it brings in society. Rings have similar styles but come in different designs, compositions, and values. It can be categorized into fixed-size rings and adjustable-size rings.,
Difference Between Imitation Jewelry and Artificial Jewelry
The main difference between imitation jewelry and artificial jewelry is that imitation jewelry is a replica of original gold jewelry and artificial jewelry is fake jewelry. (Check the artificial jewelry on Amazon)
Imitation Jewelry vs. Artificial Jewelry
However, these two words, imitation and artificial, are the same things, but there is a slight difference between them. Word imitation refers to the copy or duplicates the original. Word artificial refers to fake or unreal. Imitation jewelry is better in quality. Artificial jewelry is low in quality as compared to imitation jewelry. Although metals used in both types of jewelry is inexpensive. But the quantity of used metals in imitation jewelry is higher, and the quantity of used metals in artificial jewelry is lower. In imitation jewelry copy of precious stones are mostly used. In artificial jewelry, mirror beads, crystal beads, etc. are used instead of diamonds. You can wear imitation jewelry on traditional occasions or wedding parties. You can wear artificial jewelry in your daily routine.
Imitation Jewelry Production Technological Process
Generally, the imitation jewelry production process includes casting, adhesive dispensing, electroplating, spraying, and other processes.
a. Casting
There are seven major steps in casting. It starts from a Cantonese sculpture to produce a casting rough embryo by a CNC machine tool, and the trimmed casting rough embryo is ground and polished to produce the finished product.
b. Adhesive dispensing
RBC glue is commonly used in adhesive dispensing glue, which includes typing A and typing B. It requires to match them based on weight when using; the product after adhesive dispensing will be put in the oven for drying.
c. Electroplating
Electroplating refers to the process of plating a thin layer of some metals or alloys on the surface of some metals according to the electrolysis principle, which can prevent corrosion, improve wear resistance, electrical conductivity, reflectivity, and enhance aesthetics by attaching a layer of the metal film to the surface of metal or other materials under electrolytic action.
The basic process of electroplating includes: (grinding→ polishing) → racking → degreasing and oil-removing → rinsing→ (electrolytic polishing or chemical polishing) → acid cleaning activation → (pre-plating) → electroplating → rinsing→ (postprocessing) → rinsing→ drying → taking down → inspecting and packaging.
d. Coating
Because copper-plated and silver-plated imitation jewelry is easily oxidized, a layer of varnish is generally sprayed on the surface for air isolation to avoid oxidation.
The coating process includes: dispense coating liquid → clean the surface of the coated object → put the coated object into the spray tank → spray on the coated object with a spray gun in a certain order → dry.
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Author: AQI Service as a professional quality control service company in China specialized in providing a complete range of quality inspection and testing certification services in China & Asia for global importers, buyers, retailers, and sellers.
