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Tennessee • Storm • Chattanooga

2020-04-12T22:53:00.002-07:00

Sunday night storms damage utility pole near Dalton Mall, some roads closed through Monday morning

Walnut Avenue is closed between Lester Avenue and Airport Road near the Dalton Mall due to storm damage to a large utility pole, according to a news release sent before midnight Sunday.

Dalton police state Walnut Avenue will remain closed near the mall through the morning commute so drivers should plan alternate routes.
There was a threat of tornadoes in southeast Tennessee and North Georgia Sunday night in Grundy, Marion and Hamilton counties in Tennessee. There was also a threat of tornadoes in Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Chattooga, Gordon and Gilmer counties in Georgia and Jackson and DeKalb counties in Alabama, according to our news partner WRCB.

Dalton Police: Walnut Avenue closed until Monday morning due to storm damage

DALTON, Ga. — Dalton Police Department says Walnut Avenue is closed between Lester Avenue and Airport Road near the Dalton Mall due to storm damage to a large utility pole. Officials say the pole is unstable and needs to be replaced.
Dalton Police expect Walnut Avenue to remain closed near the mall through the morning commute so drivers should plan alternate routes.

Storm Causes Widespread Damage Across Tennessee Valley Sunday Night

Updated 1:23am
Danielle Moss reports from Shallowford Rd near Peterson Dr.

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Storms caused damage across much of the Tennessee Valley Sunday night. Multiple tornado warnings were also issued during the evening as the storms moved over the area. One tornado warning tracked from east Chattanooga area towards Ooltewah and Cleveland.
News 12 Now’s Angela Moryan provided this Facebook live coverage from the East Brainerd area showcasing the damage in the area.
The Electric Power Board also reported power outages across much of the area, especially the East Chattanooga Area.
Storm damage was also reported in the Dalton, Georgia area after a tornado warning was issued in that area. Dalton police said that Walnut Avenue is closed between Lester Avenue and Airport Road near the Dalton Mall.
Flash flooding remains to be a concern across much of the Tennessee Valley.

what to do after a tornado

2020-04-12T22:45:00.004-07:00

Stay Informed:Continue to listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay updated about tornado watches and warnings. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes are possible during severe weather outbreaks.
Contact Your Family and Loved Ones: Let your family and close friends know that you're okay so they can help spread the word. Text messages or social media are more reliable forms of communication than phone calls.
Assess the Damage: After the threat for tornadoes has ended, check to see if your property has been damaged. When walking through storm damage, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes. Contact local authorities if you see power lines down. Stay out of damaged buildings. Be aware of insurance scammers if your property has been damaged.
Help Your Neighbor: If you come across people that are injured and you are properly trained, provide first aid to victims if needed until emergency response teams arrive.

tornado watch vs warning vs emergency

2020-04-12T22:43:00.003-07:00

A tornado emergency is an enhanced version of a tornado warning, which is used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States during imminent, significant tornado occurrences in highly populated areas. Although it is not a new warning type from the NWS, issued instead within a severe weather statement or in the initial tornado warning, a tornado emergency generally means that significant, widespread damage is expected to occur and a high likelihood of numerous fatalities is expected with a large, strong to violent tornado.^[1]^[2]
These enhanced warnings are intended to convey the urgency of the weather situation to the general public, who are advised to take safety precautions immediately if they are in or near the projected path of a large tornado or its accompanying thunderstorm; tornado emergencies are usually identified following the preceding storm summary in the tornado warning product, which itself will denote visual or radar confirmation of "a large and extremely dangerous [or destructive] tornado" that is ongoing; precautionary action statements in the product also recommend that people in the storm's path find shelter in an underground shelter or safe room to protect themselves from the storm, if available.
While many tornadoes observed to be at or larger than ¼-mile in width have been documented to have produced catastrophic damage falling under the "strong" or "violent" categories (EF2–EF5) of the Enhanced Fujita Scale, there have been instances in which tornadoes of this intensity have resulted in very few to no fatalities and, occasionally, have produced damage corresponding to the Enhanced Fujita Scale's "weak" category (EF0–EF1).

How to Preparing for a Tornado

2020-04-12T22:39:00.002-07:00

What is StormAware?

Being StormAware means that you and your family not only know how to protect yourselves in the event of a tornado or severe weather, but that you are aware whenever the weather forecast calls for a chance of severe storms; that during those times you monitor weather for severe weather watches and warnings.
It means that you have planned in advance where you will take shelter at home, work and at other places that you and your family regularly visit.
Being StormAware means you have a NOAA weather radio in case of severe weather warnings in the middle of the night and that you have signed up for severe weather alerts by text message or other means.

Basic Tips

Don’t wait for severe weather to arrive to start thinking about keeping yourself and your family safe. Being StormAware means having a plan before severe weather strikes. The following tips can help you create a tornado-safety plan.

Quick Tornado Facts

Parents should make sure their children know:

What a tornado is
What tornado watches and warnings are
What county or parish they live in (warnings are issued by county or parish)
How to take shelter, whether at home or at school

Learn more tornado facts.

Create a plan for where you and your family will go in the event of a tornado — at home, at work and at relatives’ or friends’ homes that you visit frequently. Always be alert to changing weather conditions.
Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.
Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or to commercial radio or television newscasts for the latest information.
Check with your work and your children’s school and day care center regarding tornado emergency plans. Every building has different safe places. It is important to know where they are and how to get there in an emergency.
Make sure everyone understands how tornado siren warning systems work and if a warning system is installed in your area.
Mark clearly where your first-aid kit and fire extinguishers are located. Make sure the first-aid kit is properly stocked with medical supplies.
Teach your family how to administer basic first aid, how to use a fire extinguisher, and how and when to turn off water, gas, and electricity in your home.
Mark clearly where the utility switches or valves are located so they can be turned off – if time permits – in an emergency.
Learn the emergency dismissal policy for your child’s school.

Emergency Kit

Keep the following items in a container that can be easily carried.

Water and canned or dried food – families should set aside one gallon of water per person per day, to last three days, and a three-day supply of food per person. The food should be nonperishable items that don’t need to be cooked, such as tuna and crackers. Remember to include a manual can opener. If there’s an infant in the house, include formula and baby food.
Battery powered radio
Flashlight
Extra batteries for the radio and flashlight
Prescription medications
First-aid kit

Storing Important Documents

Store the following documents in a fire- and water-proof safe:

Birth certificates
Ownership certificates (autos, boats, etc.)
Social security cards
Insurance policies
Will
Household inventory:
1. List of contents of household; include serial numbers, if applicable
2. Photographs or videotape of contents of every room
3. Photographs of items of high values, such as jewelry, paintings, collection items

Tornado Safety - National Weather Service

2020-04-12T22:35:00.001-07:00

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles. Tornadoes can occur at any time of day or night and at any time of the year. Although tornadoes are most common in the Central Plains and the southeastern United States, they have been reported in all 50 states.

This website is designed to teach you how to stay safe when a tornado threatens. If you know what to do before, during and after a tornado, you will minimize your risk of injury and increase your chances of survival. You'll also find links to research, past events other topics of interest as well as downloadable safety handouts about thunderstorms, lightning, and tornadoes.

What is the return rate For Gold Forex?

2020-04-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

The return rate is 10-50%.
This rate is not fixed it depends on their trade. The more profit the company makes the higher the pay out rate.
>Let's proceed to typical examples running round through all the steps.
1.I registered then I choose a broker that accepts naira.I want to invest #36,000 the equivalent is $100 so I input $100 in the buy form and submit
> Instantly I see the brokers account details I pay to him and upload my proof.The broker is notified and I am credited by the broker.It takes 6hours for my trade to cancel if I don't upload my proof
>So try and upload your proof
>So I hv now completed my investment
> 7days after I get credited by the broker I will logging to my account look at the current pay out rate.If it is ok by me I click on claim
> Instantly my available balance for withdrawal will increase and then I can request fro withdrawal
> So let's assume the current pay out rate is 40% as of the day I claimed
> So my available balance if I assume it is my first investment will then be
36000*40%+36000=50,400
This calculation applies to bitcoins, usd and every other currency
>Now let's assume I instantly request for withdraw
>10% of my withdrawal will be kept pending
> It is called *held* balance
>You will see all these balances in your dashboard later
>The Wat I will then be paid is 90% of 50,400 dats #45,360
> And the currency I am paid depends on Wat I hv in my account menu
>So if you want to be paid in naira then fill only bank account details
> If you want to be paid in bitcoins fill only your Bitcoin address
> If you want to be paid randomly,the fill both your Bitcoin address and bank account details
> I hope the example is easy to understand
>Ok let's proceed

1.What is goldforex all about.
2.How do one get to be a part of it.
3.How do one invest.
4.What is the pay back period.
5.What is the return rate.

What is the pay back period For Gold Forex?

2020-04-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

The pay back period is 7days .
That is if you invest today, 7days from today your investment will be ripe for withdrawal
We will give time for catch up if you are late.Just hold on
> So if your investment is over 7days all you need do is click on claim.And instantly your interest will be calculated and credited to you using the pay out interest rate at the time you clicked on claim
> So be make sure you get the best from your investment. Wait for the right rate before withdrawal.
>Let's proceed

1.What is goldforex all about.
2.How do one get to be a part of it.
3.How do one invest.
4.What is the pay back period.
5.What is the return rate.

How do one invest in Gold Forex?

2020-04-09T15:38:00.001-07:00

To invest in goldforex you need to do so in bitcoins as of last year but as of resent investment in local currency in some selected countries of the world has been enabled.
This was based on the number of investors from each nation.
Nigeria is among the privileged countries to be selected for local bank transactions.
So it means you can invest in Naira or bitcoins or your local currency and Bitcoins if your country has a set of persons called brokers.
*Who are brokers* brokers are a selected group of individual who have gold deposited in the vault of the company in Dubai and most of them are early birds in goldforex.They where trained by the company.
They make more interest as they sell gold to the investors.
Now goldbrokers are from different parts of the world,the broker you see on your list depends on guy country. So if you are in Nigeria you see eligible Nigerian brokers and you also see the currency they accept.
So if you want to invest in bitcoins select a broker that accepts bitcoins and if you want to invest in Naira select a broker that accepts naira.
After that type the amount you want to pay in dollars.You can calculate the amount you want in naira with the calculator in the site so. you can know the amount in dollars to type.
After that the trade will be open and you will hv to make the payment to the account details displayed and upload your proof of payment
Instantly the broker will be notified of the payment and will credit you the amount of gold you bought.Now instantly your investment starts counting.After 7days you can then request or claim your investment. Now in claiming your investment you must be careful with the current payout rate
> The *payout rate* is the interest rate of the trade that was made a week before before the day your withdrawal is ripe.So if the rate is not ok for you,then wait and claim another day.So after claiming at the payout rate that is what will be used to calculate your earning
> And then you can then withdraw your investment
Note.10% of your withdrawal is kept as down payment by the company this is added to your next withdrawal
> Let's proceed to item 4 on our menu

1.What is goldforex all about.
2.How do one get to be a part of it.
3.How do one invest.
4.What is the pay back period.
5.What is the return rate.

How do one get to be a part of gold Forex?

2020-04-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

To be a part of Goldforex all you need to do is register.After registration you can then invest in the site.Membership is open to over 60 nations of the world.

1.What is goldforex all about.
2.How do one get to be a part of it.
3.How do one invest.
4.What is the pay back period.
5.What is the return rate.

What is goldforex all about?

2020-04-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Goldforex is a gold trading platform just like binance where members trade in cryptocurrencies like bitcoins.But goldforex is different bigger and better.Unlike binance and its like where investors trade at their own risk🧐
Goldforex gives you the gift of its trained experts
doing the trade for you.
So there is lesser likelihood if loss and higher chances of gain.
Goldforex originates from Dubai with brances in different parts of the world.
Goldforex in 2017 gave investors the ability to earn from its massive earning by investing in gold.In fact it pegs its rate with a minimum of 10% weekly and 50% maximum weekly.They make profit not just from increase in the value of gold but also from physical sales of gold to individuals and organizations thus goldforex.shop

1.What is goldforex all about.
2.How do one get to be a part of it.
3.How do one invest.
4.What is the pay back period.
5.What is the return rate.

Gold Forex

2020-04-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

1.What is goldforex all about.
2.How do one get to be a part of it.
3.How do one invest.
4.What is the pay back period.
5.What is the return rate.

Diamond Earing Design 2012 No 01

2012-07-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

Diamond Bangle Design 2012 No 03

2012-07-19T00:50:00.003-07:00

Diamond Bangle Design 2012 No 02

2012-07-19T00:49:00.005-07:00

Diamond Bangle Design 2012

2012-07-19T00:48:00.001-07:00

2011 Canadian Silver Maple Leafs

2011-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

Each year the Royal Canadian Mint strikes one of the world's most famous Silver Coins, the Silver Maple Leaf. These coins have been highly popular in recent years as the price of Silver has multiplied in value five-fold since 2001.

We're pleased to announce that the 2011 Canadian Silver Maple Leafs have just been minted and are now available at the Gold Information Network!

The Silver Maple Leaf coins are magnificently designed and minutely detailed by the craftsmen at the Royal Canadian Mint. Best of all, the Canadian Silver Maple Leafs are among the purest Silver and most unusually designed coins in the world.
Official Legal Tender
Canadian Maple Leaf Silver Dollars are genuine Bullion Silver Coins making them easy to sell or trade later anywhere in the world.
Gem Brilliant Uncirculated
We guarantee our 2011 Canadian Silver Maple Leafs are delivered to you in Gem Brilliant Uncirculated, Mint Condition with no signs of wear or handling.
$5 Guaranteed Face Value
The Canadian Silver Maple Leafs have one of the highest guaranteed face values in the world of all "Silver-Dollar-sized" coins– a full $5 face value.
99.9% Fine Silver
Each Silver Maple Leaf contains 1 troy ounce of pure Silver. There are none finer.

Canadian Silver Maple Leafs enjoy a double demand these days by investors putting away Silver and by coin collectors who love their unique designs, superb quality, and low mintages. Canadian Silver Maple Leafs annually have the lowest mintages of all North American Silver Bullion Coins.

For these and many other reasons, we highly recommend you put away a roll or two of these beautiful 2011 Canadian Silver Dollars today as we expect Silver Prices to rise again in the coming year.

2011 Canadian Maple Leafs

2011-12-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Admired throughout the world, Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Bullion Coins offer investors many advantages over Gold Bars and most other bullion coins.

Struck with the distinct Canadian "Maple Leaf" design these legal tender Gold Coins are known around the world for their unsurpassed quality.
Finest 99.99% Gold
As the world's first investment grade Gold Coins to achieve the heightened standard of 99.99% pure Gold, Canadian Gold Maple Leafs offer maximum liquidity, portability and value preservation. (By comparison, American Eagles are only 91.67% pure Gold)
Gov't Guaranteed Quality
The Government of Canada produces Gold Maple Leafs and guarantees their Gold content and purity. The Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins are "official legal tender" in a country well-known for its stability, independence and freedom.
Magnificent Coin Designs
Many people also enjoy collecting Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Bullion Coins for their beautiful designs. The legal tender status of this Gold Coin is embodied in the symbol of the country's famous maple leaf. The reverse features the bust of Queen Elizabeth II.

We know you'll feel safe and secure having 99.99% Canadian Gold in your portfolio. It's quick and easy to order Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins online from the Austin Gold Information Network.

Austrian Philharmonics Gold Coins

2011-12-17T10:43:00.001-08:00

Imagine owning an historic series of gold coins struck at one of the world's most famous mints!

Now you can own genuine, legal tender Austrian Philharmonic Gold Coins struck by the Austrian Mint, famous for striking gold coins since 1194. In its 800-year history, the Austrian Mint has created an unmatched reputation for striking high quality gold coins with unique designs.

Highest Quality 99.99% Fine Gold
The Austrian Philharmonics Gold Coins are another milestone in history, struck in 99.99% solid gold. Neither the luster of the gold nor its romance is dimmed by alloyed metals.
Highly Popular Worldwide
The Austrian Philharmonic series enjoys the reputation of being the best selling gold coins in the world both in 1992 and again in 1995. With these gold coins, you possess an international currency recognized around the world.
Harmonious Design
The musical instruments appearing on each gold coin honor the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The great organ in the Vienna Golden Concert Hall is the theme for the obverse side along with the face value in Austrian Schillings plus the weight, fineness and year of issue.
Extremely Limited Supply
We're pleased to have available an extremely limited quantity of one ounce Austrian Philharmonic gold coins which will be offered while they last to the American public. These genuine gold coins make a lovely addition to any coin collection of modern coins.

Krugerrand Gold Bullion Coins

2011-12-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Historically, one of the best selling world gold coins are the Krugerrand gold bullion coins. Over the decades, they've been among the most successful gold coins in the history of modern gold bullion coins.

Krugerrand gold coins are unique in that they have no "face value" and trade at a premium over the daily gold price. As low priced gold bullion coins, their outstanding benefits include:
Guaranteed Gold Content
Each Krugerrand gold coin in this release contains 1 troy ounce of pure gold.
Minted in 22 Carat Solid Gold
The Krugerrand gold coins are made of a durable 22 carat alloy, an exact amount of pure gold plus a little copper to reduce wear and scratches.
Beautiful Design Features
The reverse of Krugerrands depicts a Springbok, the national animal of South Africa, bears the date of mintage and the exact gold content.
Easy to Sell Anytime
The Kruggerand gold coin is the most highly recognizable form of gold bullion coinage and offers you instant liquidity worldwide when you're ready to sell.

2011 China Gold Panda Coins

2011-12-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

The Gold Panda Coins are here with a unique design for 2011. We love the always popular coins and can’t wait to see the new original release each year.

Minted in 99.99% fine gold, the gold Panda coins are very popular with both coin collectors and investors.
Gold Panda Coin Demand
Since they were first minted in 1982, the Chinese Panda Coins have been created for the demanding coin collector as a tribute to China's endangered Giant Panda Bears. The brand new 2011 design features a pair of Panda cubs sitting together in a field and eating bamboo. The combination of intricate detailing and the annual design changes make the China Panda Gold coins unique.
Panda Specialist
Our in-house Panda coin expert, Roxanne Byrd, is fond of saying, "A China Panda coin is like holding a miniature sculpture in the palm of your hand."

Each Gold Panda coin is individually sealed at the China Mint in a clear plastic holder to protect the 99.99% pure gold from the harmful effects of moisture and handling. Preserved in such a way, they make ideal gifts to be handed down to children, grandchildren, and generations to come

2011 Australian Kangaroo Gold Coins

2011-12-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Australian Kangaroo Gold Coins are one of our favorite investments and collectibles. They combine great features of being genuine legal tender Gold Coins, mintages that are strictly limited, and a design that changes every year.

Australian Gold Kangaroos offer the Gold Coin collector both the benefit of Gold price increases and the potential for numismatic appreciation based on collector appeal and rarity.
Gold Bullion Coins
Kangaroo Gold Coins are universally recognized as official legal tender Gold Bullion Coins and are backed by a major Gold producing country, Australia.
99.99% Gold Coins
Kangaroo Gold coins are guaranteed by the Australian Mint to be minted in 99.99% pure Gold. We love the deep rich Gold color of Australian coins that are very different from American Eagles minted in 90% fine Gold.
New Designs Each Year
Unlike most modern issues, the Kangaroo Gold Coin designs are changed annually which encourages collectors to save them from year to year.
Limited Mintages
Australian Kangaroo Gold Coins have dramatically lower mintages than other modern Gold Bullion Coins and restricted availability in the United States.

These coins are a prize to own for their beauty and pure Gold content. Keep some for yourself and give the others away as gifts to loved ones.

Due to an increase in Gold pricing and investor demand please expect a 2 week shipping delay on this product.

2011 "Year of the Rabbit" Gold Coins

2011-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

The Gold Information Network has just received the 2011 Year of the Rabbit Gold Coins from the Perth Mint. The Rabbit Gold Coins are struck in 99.99% Gold in several sizes and are guaranteed to be in Gem Brilliant Uncirculated condition.

99.99% Gold Coins
Year of the Rabbit Gold Coins are guaranteed by the Perth Mint to be minted in 99.99% pure Gold. Each coin has been carefully minted to the highest standards and then encapsulated in a protective acrylic capsules, at the mint to protective the delicate features and fine details of each coin.
New Designs Each Year
These Australian Lunar Gold Coins have a new design each year for the Ancient Chinese Lunar Calendar. Individuals born in the Year of the Rabbit include birth dates in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, and 2011. In Chinese tradition, Rabbits are people considered to be articulate, talented, and ambitious.
High Demand, Limited Supply
Gold Information Network will offer Year of the Rabbit Gold Coins in 2 oz, 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz sizes as they are available.
Magnificent Rabbit Designs
The Perth Mint has created an exceptional design for the Year of the Rabbit Gold series. An image of the Rabbit is finely detailed on the reverse. The Chinese character for “rabbit” appears above with an inscription “Year of the Rabbit” below. The "P" mint mark for the Perth Mint also appears.

The obverse of the coin features Queen Elizabeth II. The inscriptions read "Elizabeth II", "Australia", the date "2011", "9999 Gold", and the weight and denomination of the coin. Each coin is recognized as official legal tender of Australia.

Gold Allergy

2011-11-20T10:08:00.001-08:00

An allergy is a hypersensitivity to a substance that causes the body to react to any contact with that substance.
Do I have an allergy to gold?
Probably not, that is not gold itself. What people occasionally have is an allergy to the nickel content in gold alloys, usually in the alloy rich 9ct golds. 9ct alloys go dull or even black from the exposure to chemicals in the atmosphere and also may discolour from contact with perspiration, bleach, household chemicals and some fabrics.

Detergents and other chemicals lodge between rings and the skin causing problems, particularly hairspray, beauty and cleaning products. Antiperspirants exacerbate metal allergy problems. It has been suggested that the sweat of a healthy person after exercise contains 18 times the nickel content of blood. The antiperspirant reduces the bodies natural way of eliminating heavy metals and can lead to a build up in intensity, which causes a higher concentration in the sweat than is normal.

The most common type of allergy we encounter is a phantom allergy, caused by a noticeable desire to upgrade to 18ct or platinum!. As nickel and zinc are not used in 18ct alloy, just silver and copper, it is less likely to produce any kind of allergy related problems. What a good excuse!

Tarnishing of Gold
Possible causes include:

Perspiration (everyone's body chemistry is different, hence this is why some are more susceptible than others); for women, the time of the month can influence their body chemistry.
Perfume, hair or deodorant sprays,
Tarnishing during storage (storage boxes may contain organic sulphur compounds),
Leaching of acid/ cleaning solutions from surface microporosity from cast jewellery; this causes corrosion locally (such porosity may even trap perspiration during wear, causing local corrosion)
Preparation of vegetables such as onions and spices (many foodstuffs contain sulphur compounds and others are also acidic).

Another possible mechanism may be surface micro-porosity on the surface of investment (lost wax) cast items. This porosity may trap acids and other cleaning solutions, sprays, or perspiration and cause a local corrosion which 'creeps' over the surface of the item.

The tarnish films formed are generally harmless although unsightly and may lead to a black smudging of the skin. Such films can be easily polished off by a jeweller to restore the bright gold colour.

Possible solutions to the problem include:

Store jewellery in a pouch or bag in a dry atmosphere (unpolluted, e.g. by exhaust fumes, solvent vapours, where possible).
If stored in a box or pouch or plastic bag, ensure it is free of sulphur-containing compounds (from solvents, fabric treatments, adhesives, etc.).
Polish jewellery regularly with a soft cloth to remove any early tarnish films, perspiration and other contaminants (sprays, etc). Clean after wear and do not put on perfume, deodorants, sprays, etc whilst wearing the jewellery

Alternative white gold alloys

2011-11-20T10:07:00.001-08:00

In the European Union especially, there is a demand for cheaper alternatives to white golds than the palladium whites which are 'nickel-free'. Many new alloys are coming to market, most of which rely on manganese additions as the main whitener. Some are palladium-free and others are low palladium alloys. Chromium and iron are also be used as whiteners. They tend to be hard and more difficult to process. Many of these alloys are not a good white colour, requiring rhodium plating, and many suffer cracking problems and tarnishing.
We recently tried to anneal a batch of white gold from Italy. It was so unmalliable we had to contact the manufacturer, and whilst the solution was simple, a high street working jeweller would find the new metals difficult, if not impossible to process.

Platinum, chromium, cobalt, zinc, tin and silver are all used as whiteners. Silver has excellent working properties but is poor as a whitener. Copper is also added to improve the ductility of most white alloys.

Rhodium Plating
It is important to remember that even the best white gold alloy is actually grey, as is platinum. The white finish you are accustomed to is a rhodium plating, and whatever you are told, white golds are only available in caratages up to 21 carat. It is not possible to have a 22 ct white gold!

Resistance to Tarnish
18 carat and 22 carat gold alloys are almost completely resistant to chemical attack and 9ct alloys are much less resistant. Nine carat alloys can dull or even blacken from exposure to chemicals in the atmosphere, and might discolour in contact with household chemicals. 9ct chain is usually finished with a deeper yellow 18ct or 22ct coating by manufacturers, which is why the bright finish on a new 9ct chain gradually tones down to match other jewellery that you wear on a daily basis.
The original bright finish can usually be restored quite inexpensively by a working jeweller for little cost should your chain become chemically or mechanically damaged over the years.

Hardness

As well as affecting physical properties, alloying gold generally increases the strength and hardness, with some reduction in malleability / ductility. The silver atom is slightly larger than that of gold, so alloying gold with silver gives a moderate improvement in strength and hardness. The copper atom is significantly smaller than that of gold and so it has a greater effect on strengthening gold than silver, as it distorts the gold crystal lattice more. Thus reducing caratage from 24 carats through 22 ct down to 18 carat gold results in stronger and harder alloys, but alloying beyond 18 ct down to 9 carat does not have much further effect.

Palladium white golds

2011-11-20T10:06:00.002-08:00

Palladium is the next choice for use in white gold alloys and, apart from its high price and high melting point (1552 degrees celsius), is an ideal alloy.

Additions of about 10 -12% palladium to gold impart a good white colour. But palladium is an expensive metal and it is also a heavy metal. Thus jewellery in such palladium white golds will be more expensive than identical pieces in nickel whites for 2 reasons: firstly, the cost of the palladium and secondly, the impact of density - palladium white golds are denser and so such jewellery will be heavier. It is also more difficult to process as the melting temperatures are substantially higher.

Many commercial palladium white golds only contain about 6-8% palladium plus silver, zinc and copper. Some may even contain some nickel [so a palladium white gold is not necessarily nickel-free]. These may also have less than a good white colour and so may also be rhodium plated.

Palladium white golds tend to be softer and more ductile compared to nickel whites and so generally will not wear as well. However, despite its higher base cost and workshop recovery costs, making a more expensive product, the advantages of a non nickel alloy now out weigh these factors.