What do you call this rainbow metal jewelry?

March 23, 2011 8:41 PM

What do you call this rainbow metal style of jewelry?

I remember seeing earrings like these (the rainbow triangles) in science museum gift shops in the '80s and '90s. I really like the soft frosted/matte color gradation, and would like to get jewelry made from this material as a gift for a relative ... but I don't know what to search for. Any suggestions? Extra props if you know where I can find this sort of thing.

posted by ladypants to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

Best answer: Search for anodized.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:46 PM on March 23, 2011

Best answer: Yep, it's anodized metal, probably titanium or niobium. (Aluminum is also frequently anodized but the the colors, at least in the pieces I've seen, are brighter and without gradation.)
posted by bettafish at 8:53 PM on March 23, 2011

Best answer: Titanium jewelry
posted by hortense at 8:53 PM on March 23, 2011

Best answer: With airplanes!
posted by kmennie at 8:54 PM on March 23, 2011

Best answer: Niobium! That's the thing I couldn't think of when I was trying to think of what went with anodized besides titanium and aluminium.

There's a ton of stuff on Etsy, if you want to get your shop on.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:56 PM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Anodized! Niobium! Those are the magic words! Previously I was just getting a bunch of shiny bodypiercing rings. Thanks guys!
posted by ladypants at 9:01 PM on March 23, 2011

Best answer: Totally niobium! There is a company who makes this sort of thing in my hometown, and I remember some science related fair day in grade school where they brought blanks and let us anodize our own keychains. So amazing to my 10 year old self!
posted by mollymayhem at 9:04 PM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

You can do this to titanium at home, via Theo Gray.
posted by Marky at 10:48 PM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]