About Precious Metal

GOLD

Pure gold is 24-karat gold, and it is 100% pure gold. The world gold standard is fixed to one Troy ounce (31.1034768 grams) and reported daily by the London Gold Fix. 22-karat gold is 91.70% pure gold. 18-karat gold is 75% pure gold (750). 14-karat gold is 58.3% pure gold (585).
As goldsmiths, we alloy our 22-karat gold and 18-karat gold in-house, or we cast it with our trusted casting house. The process of alloying gives the malleable gold more durability, plus it gives us the creative experience of making various colors in 22-karat gold. Our 22-karat gold alloy is 22 parts pure gold out of 24 parts; the other 2 parts are copper and fine silver.
Throughout history, gold has been treasured for its natural allure, depth of color, and rich yellow, like the sun.

SILVER

Pure silver, also referred to as fine silver, has an actual silver content of 99.9%. We use fine silver in all of our handmade silver chains. By hand forming, weaving, and tumbling the links, our fine silver chains are work hardened and become strengthened. Sterling silver is an alloy of fine silver and copper. Because of the high purity and fineness of pure silver, copper is added to make the silver even more durable while keeping the silver color. Our sterling silver is refined at a precious metal refinery in New York State. Sterling silver typically contains 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of copper. In the U.S., genuine sterling silver is labeled with markings like 925, .925, and 92.5. Jewelry with lower purity doesn’t meet U.S. sterling silver standards. However, in Europe and other regions silver with purity lower than 92.5% can still be labeled and sold as silver or sterling silver.

Because sterling silver is a precious metal, it is hypoallergenic and high quality.

VERMEIL

Vermeil is defined as 18-karat gold micron electroplated sterling silver, a high-quality plating that is not to be confused with “flash” plating commonly used in costume jewelry. In order to refer to a piece as “vermeil”, according to the jewelry standard, a minimum of 2 microns (1/1000mm) is required. Our vermeil electroplate is a minimum of 2.5 microns. Our sterling silver vermeil jewelry is crafted with the same quality standards as our solid gold pieces. We recommend micron plate pieces as an economical alternative to solid gold jewelry, however over time there is the risk of the gold fading which would require replating. This occurrence varies as metal reacts to each person’s skin alkaline differently. In some cases, micron plating lasts for decades. In the event of fading, the solid sterling silver base would become more apparent which also makes for a beautiful jewel as it would be sterling silver with gold patina. Gold plated brass or bronze is not vermeil.

Helpful tip for shoppers is to look carefully at the ingredients of the jewelry before you buy to assure that they are genuine precious metals.

About Non-Precious Metal

BRASS AND BRONZE

Brass is a type of metal that is typically composed of 67% copper and 33% zinc. Bronze consists of 88% copper and 12% tin.

Because of the high amount of copper in these pieces, they can react with the acids and moisture on your skin to form copper chloride, resulting in the development of the greenish hue. If you wear jewelry made of copper for a long time, your body may adjust and the green coloration will disappear. Brass and bronze are a beautiful alternative to precious metal when you’re looking for a more economical option. Brass and bronze can be polished to a beautiful golden shine.

One example is the Statue of Liberty, built in 1886. The copper statue has been exposed to the elements which caused the infamous green patina - copper oxide that is about the thickness of two pieces of paper. This is why you should store your jewelry in an air tight container or jewelry box to keep them from tarnishing.