Most jewelry shops tell you a piece is “gold.” Ours are made of six different things, and the difference decides whether a piece lasts three months or three years. Here is the honest version, material by material, with the counts from our own catalog.
The metals
925 sterling silver — 126 pieces
92.5% silver, 7.5% other metal (usually copper) for hardness. Pure silver is too soft to hold a shape. It tarnishes: silver reacts with sulfur in the air and goes dark, and that is chemistry, not a defect. A polishing cloth reverses it in seconds. It rarely turns skin green, because the copper content is too low. A good default if you react to cheap metal. See the sterling silver pieces.
18K and 14K gold-plated — 118 pieces
A microscopic layer of real gold bonded over a base metal. The gold is real; the question is what sits under it and how thick the layer is. Thin flash plating wears through in weeks of daily wear. Thicker plating lasts years. Anyone who tells you plating is permanent is selling you something — it is not, on any piece, at any price. What you can control is how fast it goes: water, perfume and friction are what strip it. See the gold-plated pieces.
Stainless steel — 47 pieces · Titanium steel — 15 pieces
The best base metal to have under plating, and fine on its own. It does not rust, does not oxidize against skin, and will not leave a green mark. When plating over steel wears through you get exposed steel — silver-colored and still perfectly wearable — rather than a reaction. If you want a piece you can wear daily without thinking about it, buy steel.
Copper — 54 pieces · Alloy — 48 pieces
The cheap-and-cheerful base metals, and the honest source of the green-finger problem. Copper oxidizes when it meets sweat and skin acids, and the oxide is green. It is cosmetic, it is harmless, it washes off, and it is why these pieces are priced the way they are. They are for statement pieces you wear occasionally, not for the chain you never take off.
Platinum-plated — 34 pieces
Usually over sterling silver. Platinum does not tarnish, so it buys the silver underneath a much longer life before it needs polishing. If you like silver but hate maintenance, this is the version to buy.
And the stones
Moissanite — 61 pieces
Silicon carbide, 9.25 on the Mohs hardness scale, just under diamond at 10. It throws more fire than a diamond — measurably more, which is how gemologists tell them apart. It does not cloud and it does not scratch in normal wear. See the moissanite pieces.
Cubic zirconia and zircon — 81 pieces
Around 8 to 8.5 on the same scale. Brilliant when new; it picks up micro-scratches over a few years and slowly loses sparkle. It costs a fraction of moissanite and it looks the part — just know it is the one that ages.
Pearl — 39 pieces
The softest thing we sell: roughly 2.5 to 4.5 on Mohs. Perfume, hairspray and acid all etch the surface permanently. Pearls go on last, after everything else, every time. See the pearl pieces.
The short version
| If you want | Buy |
|---|---|
| To wear it every day and never think about it | Stainless or titanium steel |
| Something safe for sensitive skin | Steel or 925 sterling silver |
| The silver look with no polishing | Platinum-plated |
| Maximum sparkle that lasts | Moissanite |
| A statement piece for occasions | Plated alloy or copper |
| Something that will never go green | Anything steel or silver |
Making any of it last
Last on, first off — after perfume, lotion and hairspray, before the shower and the gym. Wipe it with a soft cloth after wearing. Store it dry and separate, in the pouch it came in. That is most of it.
Every product page lists the material for that piece, and the five questions people actually ask before buying are answered underneath every description. Browse the jewelry.
