Calistiana - Construction and Materials

Construction and Materials

Construction

We use three different methods in the construction of our rosaries and artisan jewelry pieces.

wire wrapping - each bead is triple wrapped using Sterling Silver or Bronze wire. It takes approximately 10 hours to complete a 5-decade rosary using this method.
stringing - beads are strung using professional grade, nylon coated multi strand stainless steel cable, or flex wire, with a test strength of 26 pounds
beadwork - seed beads are woven into intricate designs using polymer beading thread

Traditional loop/hook construction can pull apart with frequent use. Wire wrapped pieces will not pull apart and wire wrapping actually adds to the beauty of the finished piece. Our designs feature wire wrapped beads and connectors.

Flex-wire is strong, flexible and resists kinking. Flex-wire designs are lovely and durable yet relatively inexpensive.

We use the finest quality polymer beading threads for our woven jewelry pieces.

Materials

We hand select the finest materials and components for our pieces. Our designs incorporate real and man made gemstones, crystals, precious metals and glass beads. We also work with lead-free metals and alloys such as copper, bronze and lead-free brass.

We do not use pewter or base metal components such as zinc or pewter because they can contain small amounts of lead.
We do use lead crystals, such as Swarovski crystals, which contain 24-32% lead oxide to maximize refraction, however none of our children's items contain lead crystal.
We do not use plated metals in our designs because the plating wears off over time due to wear or exposure to pollution.

We strive to provide a wide range of rosary styles and materials that will appeal to every taste. Are you looking for a particular gemstone? Contact us at [email protected].

Lead

Lead toxicity occurs when lead is inhaled or ingested. Lead is a very soft metal so handling lead containing metal without proper hand washing can result in ingestion of lead.

Why do we use copper, bronze and brass but restrict the use of other base metals?

Calistiana is committed to providing products that are beautiful, lead safe and affordable. In 2007, we decided to offer a small selection of lead-free base metal products to provide lower cost options for the budget minded consumer.

Base metal can refer to any number of metals and alloys including nickel, brass, copper, steel, copper clad steel, zinc, tin/lead alloy or tin based pewter alloy. Base metals do not always contain lead, however, lead is often added to base metal to improve the properties of a given alloy. Lead can also exist as an impurity in certain metals. Base metals corrode easily, therefore any lead present in a given sample is likely to leach out.

We carefully select the metals we use to ensure that they are lead-free. We use two different bronze alloys, both of which are lead-free. In addition, we periodically offer items containing copper. This copper is 99.9% pure and also lead-free. As of 2009, we now offer lead-free brass. Some brass on the market contains lead. We are careful to purchase only lead-free brass items. Lead-free brass as defined by California Assembly Bill AB 1953 contains "not more than 0.25 percent lead content".

Is Lead Crystal Safe?

Lead leaches from Lead crystal in the presence of acid or alcohol. Due to the fact that lead does not readily leach from Lead crystal, we feel that Lead crystal is safe to use and wear for most consumers. We do not, however, use lead crystal in any of our children's items.

For more information on Lead toxicity please visit the following sites.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html

http://orgs.unca.edu/eqi/LPP/index.html

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