Understand the materials of the jewelry offered to us

Precious or semi-precious stones, gold-plated jewellery, 92.5% sterling silver… and why doesn't there exist a jewel made of 100% sterling silver?

Before I had my jewelry company, I myself didn't understand much about all these terms. Sometimes I even thought it was just promotional techniques. Here is what you need to know in order to make an informed choice when we are given information on jewelry materials.

sterling silver

To begin with, 100% sterling silver is pure silver and therefore liquid. For jewelry, you will understand that this is not ideal. It is therefore necessary to mix sterling silver with another material. The minimum required to have a solid material is a mixture of 92.5% sterling silver and 7.5% of another metal. There are also jewels with a lower quantity of sterling silver, which indicates that there is another metal of greater importance in the jewel and that it is, therefore, of lower quality.

stainless steel

The name says it, it's steel that is stainless. How? For what? Who discovered it? Well, I haven't studied enough chemistry and physics to explain it. On the other hand, I know that this metal is often used as a hypoallergenic option. To this day, I don't know anyone who is allergic to it. On the other hand, I know people who are allergic to sterling silver.
What is also useful with this material is that it can be dyed to give it the illusion of a jewel in rose gold, yellow gold or white gold. Also, and this is my favorite part, the color will never budge. Well, I agree, you should never say never, but it is very rare for a piece of stainless steel jewelry to change color, even if you wear it every day, even at the pool or at the beach. : two of the places where jewelry gets damaged the most.

The difference between precious stone and semi-precious stone

The difference is in the rarity of the stone. The rarer a stone, the more valuable it is. Conversely, the more a stone is accessible and available, it becomes semi-precious.

For example, a ruby ​​is a rare stone; it is therefore precious. In contrast, an opal is easier to find; it is therefore semi-precious.

Be careful not to associate the term semi-precious stone with poor quality or low-end! It is not the case at all.

Jewelry made of gold and gold-plated jewelry

The biggest difference is the amount applied to the jewelry. A gold-plated jewel is covered with a thin layer. Often, the jewel will be directly dipped in gold. While a jewel made mainly of gold will often be composed of a metal in the center covered with a gold plating.

For better understanding, here is a diagram:

Gold is a very flexible material. The greater the amount of gold in a jewel, namely 10 carat gold versus 18 carat gold; the more you have to avoid heavy work. The most used example is someone wearing a wedding ring. Remember to remove it when moving, otherwise it is possible that the initial round shape becomes oval by moving boxes and furniture. This can be annoying, because the ring will no longer fit the same way on the finger.

It goes without saying that there are other metal options. These are the most popular in luxury jewelry and I find it important to fully understand these terms before making a purchase, especially in the price category that this jewelry falls into.

Reviewed by MF Editorial

cover photo: Pexel