Metals & Guide
What is Sterling Silver?
Sterling Silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Silver is commonly combined with other alloys to make it stronger and more durable. Copper has proven to be the best companion to silver improving the hardness and durability of the silver without affecting the silver color. Pure silver tends to be soft and very malleable.
Sterling Silver is a perfect choice for jewelry lovers. Sterling Silver jewelry is beautiful and affordable. Creative and innovative designs are easy to create with this affordable and malleable metal.
All of our sterling silver jewelry is marked with “925” to note the silver content in the item.
How to do I care for my Sterling Silver Jewelry?
Sterling Silver jewelry will last a lifetime with proper care. Store your sterling silver jewelry in a separate compartment of your jewelry box or in a cloth pouch. This will help minimize scratches and other damage to the finish. Avoid household chemicals when cleaning especially bleach and ammonia as these chemicals will damage sterling silver.
Silver will tarnish (a dulling film that occurs when silver reacts with sulfur) over time. To prevent silver tarnish, there are silver polishes, solutions or silver cloths that can be used to remove the tarnish. The best way to prevent tarnish is regular ware of your sterling silver jewelry. Regular cleaning will prevent tarnish and keep your sterling silver jewelry shiny and new.
What is Gold?
Gold will not tarnish, rust or corrode. Gold is a very strong metal that is also the most malleable. Pure gold is too soft for every-day wear so it is mixed with metals like copper, nickel, silver and zinc to give it strength and more durability.
Karatage or Karat is noted by a number followed by "K" to indicate the purity of the gold. The Karatage is defined in in 24ths, making 24K gold 100% gold. The color of gold is determined by two factors: The type of metal alloys included in it & The percentage of each metal alloy.
24 Karat = 100% gold
Too soft for jewelry
22 Karat = 91.7% gold
Very soft — not recommended for jewelry
18 Karat = 75.0% gold
Recommended for fine jewelry
14 Karat = 58.3% gold
Recommended for jewelry
10 Karat = 41.7% gold
The legal karat limit considered as real gold in the United States
Yellow Gold
14K gold is composed of 58.3% gold and 41.7% other metals that give it strength. 14K gold is most common gold for jewelry.
White Gold
White gold was originally made to imitate platinum. White gold usually contains 25% nickel and zinc. To enhance the whiteness of white gold, almost all white gold pieces are plated with rhodium, a shiny, white metal which is extremely hard. Depending on the amount of wear to a piece of jewelry, over time this rhodium plating may wear off, revealing the original metal color. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done to restore your jewelry's whiteness if needed.
Rose Gold
Rose gold gets its color from a larger proportion of copper in the metal alloy. This gives the gold a beautiful pink color.
How to do I care for my Gold Jewelry?
Keep your jewelry away from harsh chemicals. This will reduce daily abrasions and prolong gold's luster. Don’t pile your jewelry on top of each other, ideally keep each wrapped separately. To clean jewelry, use a solution of warm water and detergent-free soap and wash gold gently with a soft-bristled brush.