Skip to main content

Steel in jewelry nichel-free surface treatments

Fulvio Sinisi

Recently, the jewelry sector has also started to consistently employ steel, which represents a more economical but high-quality alternative to the precious alloys traditionally used in jewelry production. To achieve the same finishes already available on common jewelry alloys, surface treatments are necessary, which, however, can affect the steel’s structure, introducing corrosion phenomena and nickel release. This paper describes the current state of the art in galvanic and PVD finishing processes performed on steel, from surface activation to the types of finishes commonly used. In the second part, it also describes a case study on how galvanic cycles have been optimized to minimize and in some cases completely eliminate nickel release from treated steels.

Bio

Fulvio Sinisi

Fulvio Sinisi has been working at Legor since 2016 after obtaining a degree in materials science from the University of Padua with a study on the surfaces of metallic oxides. At Legor, he holds the position of R&D and technical support manager for the plating division and is responsible for formulating new galvanic solutions, improving pre-existing processes, and their industrialization and specific application at customers’ sites. He also handles all the technical support for the commercial area of Legor’s plating division, interacting with clients worldwide.