Fossil Bluff uses authentic materials of all types for its handmade pieces. Any anomalies or defects in natural material such as leather or gemstones will be noted on your order. These variations in material integrity must be considered synonymous with authenticity.

Gold-NuggetGold
Gold has always been the symbol of wealth recognized by the widest variety of peoples, the basic element of any jewel, and is a highly malleable material. The combination of pure gold and other metals is at the heart of the four types of gold used in jewelry: yellow, white, red and black gold. A precious mixture which also infers the timeless value and elegance.

Swarovski Crystal
swarovski-crystal-stonesSwarovski crystals are made of the finest quality materials and are considered by some to be the finest crystal today. What makes these crystals different from all others is that the lead oxide level is a minimum of thirty two percent which makes the crystals transparency very clear. Highly skilled craftsmen then create prisms and add radiant colors in layers. There is no other crystal that can compare to a Swarovski crystal. Daniel Swarovski was born in Bohemia in 1862 and founded the Swarovski Company.He was fascinated by the industrial era to which he was born. After experimenting with electricity and glass blowing, Swarovski then built a machine that was able to cut and polish glass mechanically. He patented this machine and went into mass production. This machine gave the Swarovski Company a great advantage over their competitors.

Crushed Velvet (Acrylic Acetate)
acrylic_acetateWell known to collectors round the world for its stability, and versatility, infusion with the most varied range of colors, Crushed Velvet is an extremely modern and ecologically friendly material which imitates the classic Cellulose Acetate and Acrylic Acetate pens of the 1930’s. It cannot be injected through dies, like modern thermoplastics, it can only be worked manually by lathing the crude bars piece by piece.

Brass
Brass_IngotA noble metal alloy made from Copper and Zinc, has a smooth surface with a shiny color, near to gold in its tonality. Characterized by a high degree of malleability, it can be easily melted, forged, rolled, pressed, and is most commonly used in the production of musical instruments and other prized objects.

Plating Explainations

CHROME: Chrome is very popular style of metal plating. Chrome is an excellent choice and moderately priced as a plating surface. It is durable and wears well. Chrome has a brilliant, durable, shine and compliments any wood or acrylic pen material.

GOLD-24k: Gold plating may be somewhat thick and well done but will eventually wear, showing the base metal underneath. The base metal is often a brass alloy. Brassing occurs when the gold eventually wears away exposing brass through the gold.

GOLD-22k and 10k: This plating alloy is made of gold and other metals.  While it is more durable, eventually some brassing may occur.

Many gold plated pen parts are covered with an epoxy coating which makes the gold plating more durable and wearable. But remember, gold plating will wear away with time.

TITANIUM GOLD: One of the most durable finishes available is Titanium. In fact, it may well be the hardest of all metal finishes on pens.  The process uses what is called PVD (particle vapor deposition). Titanium gold is a cost effective alternative to real gold. Titanium  and zirconium nitride is matched to the color of real gold and is molecularly bonded to the pen parts, 24k gold is bonded (sputtered) on the parts to achieve a color match to  gold and parts are again re-plated after this step.  The final result is a lustrous bright gold finish that will virtually never show wear.

BLACK TITANIUM: This finish is very durable and is one of our favorites. The black titanium finish has a similar process as the gold titanium process. But instead of a gold layer, a black layer is bonded between the titanium and zirconium nitride layers. Black titanium can take on several different looks depending how light is reflected. The color can be various shades of black, grey, gunmetal or chorme. We typically use a gunmetal shade.

PLATINUM AND RHODIUM: These two metals are closely related and are chrome or silver in color. They are both very durable and will give many many years of trouble free service. Platinum and rhodium are elegant and rich looking finish.

STERLING SILVER: The plating is “silverware” quality and is, on average, 20 microns in thickness. Sterling silver will give many many years of quality service, just like your real silverware utensils.

A FINAL WORD ON PLATING: There is no way to give a quantitative answer as to how long these plating’s will last. Wear-ability will be largely determined by the usage, the environment where the product is used, the body chemistry of the owner, and the care with which the product is given. Except for the 10k, 23k, and 24k, the plating’s used will give several years of faithful service.

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