The metal accessory mounted on fashion luxury products is the detail that gives functionality and beauty. Style and sophistication. Versatility and identity. All these attributes are achieved when the quality of workmanship is at the highest level on multiple fronts. From technological innovation to sustainable research, from design to galvanic finishes: nothing can be left behind in order to aim for Luxury and true excellence. We talked about this with Legor, a company specializing in the transformation of metals into precious alloys, galvanic solutions and powders for the high jewelry and fashion accessories sector.
Legor has chosen a different approach to the market in 2024, choosing to no longer talk about alloys and galvanic solutions individually, but to always offer combinations of products, designed on the one hand for the jewelry industry, and on the other for the fashion industry, so as to comprehensively meet the needs of its target markets. For the fashion accessory sector, in particular, Legor has designed some ad hoc combinations, such as the combination of brass and bronze ECO ready to use with black ULTRABLACK finishes, for metal accessories characterized by an intense black.
The choice of black in the fashion world is associated with a concept of sobriety and refinement. Proposing it from the perspective of metal accessories means making a sophisticated statement, characterizing even more a Luxury product with elegant effects that can create interesting contrasts between the matte and the shiny, going beyond the classic “metal” finishes.
So far the concept is very beautiful and bold, but how do you achieve a true ULTRABLACK that combines aesthetics with functionality?
Technically speaking, black finishes can be achieved through several processes, including electroplating, painting, and PVD. Each methodology offers different results in terms of durability and resistance to corrosion and wear, as well as in terms of productivity. Among the different methods, galvanic deposition, for example, provides high strength, protecting and maintaining for a long time the original appearance of the metals from which the accessories are made, and also enabling higher productivity than other time-consuming processes.
Obtaining black deposits from metals of colors other than black requires considerable R&D efforts to find substances that are REACH compliant and provide intense black coloration with reliable hold. Legor's innovative decorative process ULTRABLACK, in addition to being based on 100 percent Ruthenium sourced from recycled sources, is safe for the environment and for the electroplating operator due to its arsenic-free formulation. From the point of view of its characteristics, it allows for one of the most intense blacks on the market and offers the possibility of tuning the different shades of black, among which the darkest one is the darkest ever. Finally, thanks to its salt and not liquid format, ULTRABLACK does not degrade over time.
