PROTECTIVE COATINGS

Click here for Ceramix coating tutorial

All ABQ Jewels jewelry has one to three layers of ANTI-TARNISH ANTI-WEAR COATINGS on every plated metal component. The coatings allow the gold, silver, or other metal plating to retain its attractiveness through many wearings.

There are 3 different coatings in use:

.............Everbrite Protectaclear, which is a colorless resin which is fantastic at protecting the many metal settings and findings that go into the manufacture of ABQ Jewels jewelry. The primary advantage of Protectaclear is that it does not affect the color of the metal. It also is self-leveling, so one doesn't have to deal with brush marks. For metal pieces except for chain, I now apply Protectaclear over the Kliar/Ceramix Coating. Some chain and findings cannot be coated with Ceramix, probably because there is a pre-existing coating. In that case, I carefully apply some Protectaclear, taking care to avoid where the links touch, so they do not stick together.

.............Ceramix Nano-Ceramic E-Coating, Transparent , a clear resin with ceramic beads. Ceramix is applied similarly to a plating, but using higher voltage. Ceramix is more complex to apply than Protectaclear, but has the advantage that it can coat fine jewelry chain without sticking the links together. . Because of the tiny ceramic beads, it is also tougher. The disadvantage is that Ceramix and its predecessor, Kliar Clear, sometimes changes the color of the chain during the oven cure. Silver-plated chain can turn pink, and gold colored chain can turn yellow. I have had to do many years of experiments to figure out the best ways to use Ceramix to get the desired color, and without cloudiness. Here is a link to a page which shows the coating process. Overcoating with Ceramix causes cloudiness and can stick chain links to each other, so I have learned to apply more sparingly. For everything but chain, I then apply a coat of Protectaclear.

.............Kliar Nano-Ceramic E-Coating, Gold has the same makeup as Ceramix but includes gold coloring. The final color depends on both the underlying metal color and the color of the tiny gold particles. I used this coating early in my career, but gave up on it because its shelf life is only about 6 months. Gold plating solution lasts for years, so I now use this along with the clear Ceramix.