US Patent 7153586 Article with scandium compound decorative coating

An article of manufacture includes a decorative coating that comprises scandium nitride or other scandium-containing compounds such as scandium-alloy nitrides. Scandium nitride coatings have a color very similar to that of pure copper. Scandium-alloy nitrides and other scandium-containing compounds comprising nitrogen, oxygen, and/or carbon can provide a range of colors generally intermediate or between that of scandium nitride and that of the alloying metal compound. The coatings are decorative and can also exhibit advantageous physical characteristics, such as abrasion, wear, chemical, and corrosion resistance.