In jewelry, an alloy is a base metal that has had precious metal added to it to make it more malleable and improve its overall properties. Since precious metals, such as gold and silver, are too soft to work with, they are made stronger and more durable by adding a base metal. The resulting mix of metals is called an alloy. For example, to make sterling silver, copper is added to sterling silver to make a stronger metal, more suitable for jewelry making. 14 karat gold, on the other hand, is usually alloyed with nickel, copper or zinc.
