It can be confusing in the world of jewellery to know what metal is best for you and what it's made of, so we thought we'd break down the three metal types that we do.
Sterling silver is made from 92.5% silver, 7.5% will be another metal - usually copper. Why do we use sterling silver instead of pure silver (99.9%)? Pure silver is too soft for most jewellery, which is why the alloy is added to strengthen it! There will be a tiny 925 stamp on silver jewellery.
(pronounced ver-may)
The base is sterling silver, then it is plated over the top with 18ct Gold in layers. This will look like gold but have the 925 mark on it, because the base is sterling silver. We plate using 3 microns (microns are how the gold layers are measured) and don't use any nickel, cadmium or lead - these alloys can irritate the skin and cause reactions.
Gold has different purity depending on the carat, so 24ct gold is pure gold which is a very soft metal and not durable for jewellery. 9ct gold that we use is 37.5% gold, then 62.5% of a different metal such as copper or silver to strengthen it or give it colour - ours is all nickel, lead and cadmium free.
