Metal Guide
The Metal Guide
The metal truth,
always.
Every piece we sell tells you exactly what it is made of. What metal, what karat, what thickness. No mystery metals, no vague language, no “gold tone.”
We test what we sell. This year we returned an entire order to a supplier because the stamp read 18K gold filled and our own testing found otherwise.
That is why this page exists.
Solid gold
18K · 14K · 10K
Gold all the way through. Karat measures purity out of 24 parts: 18K is 75% gold, 14K is 58.3%, 10K is 41.7%. The rest is alloy, which is what gives gold its strength and its color. Solid gold does not wear off, because there is no layer to wear through. With reasonable care it outlives you.
Gold-filled
5% by weight, bonded
A layer of real gold mechanically bonded to a base metal, required to be at least 5% of the piece’s total weight. Far thicker and more durable than plating, and it can last decades with normal wear. Good gold-filled is honest value. We only sell it with supplier documentation stating the karat and the ratio.
Vermeil
10K+ at 2.5 microns
A sterling silver base with gold plating of at least 10K and at least 2.5 microns thick. Those numbers are the legal definition. A piece that misses either one is gold-plated sterling, not vermeil, and we will not call it vermeil.
Gold-plated
Ours: 14K at 0.20 microns
A thin gold coating over another metal. Ours is 14K gold at 0.20 microns over sterling silver, which we state on every plated product page. That is a decorative finish rather than a wear layer, so it suits earrings and pendants better than rings and bracelets. It will wear over time. We would rather tell you that than let you find out.
Sterling silver
.925 · 92.5% pure
92.5% pure silver, marked .925. The remaining 7.5% is alloy for strength, because pure silver is too soft to wear. Most of our sterling is rhodium finished. Rhodium is a platinum-family metal applied over silver to resist tarnish and hold its brightness, and it is a mark of quality rather than a shortcut.
At a glance
Stones
We say what a stone is. Natural diamond, lab-grown diamond, moissanite, or cubic zirconia. Moissanite is silicon carbide, a real gemstone with more fire than diamond. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic stone and we call it that. Where a piece has carat weight, we print it.
What we
do not do
We do not use the words gold tone, gold finish, or gold color.
We do not sell brass or nickel.
We do not claim a piece is hypoallergenic, waterproof, or tarnish proof, because those words mean less than they sound like.
We do not list a piece whose metal we cannot verify.
Caring
for it
Take jewelry off before showering, swimming, and sleeping. Put it on after perfume and lotion, not before. Store pieces separately so they do not scratch each other. Wipe with a soft cloth after wearing. Plated pieces need this most, solid wipe needs it least.