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What is Sterling silver?
Sterling silver is a term used in the industry for high quality silver. "Fine" or "pure" silver is much too soft to use in most jewellery applications so it is combined with other metals/alloys to add strength and durability. The most popular and widely used alloy is copper, 7.5% is added and hence you get 92.5% of fine silver. This is why you often see .925 marked on your jewellery, .925 silver is nickel free. To the best of our knowledge, all of our silver jewellery is .925 unless specifically stated otherwise.
Caring for your silver jewellery
Silver is a precious metal that can and will tarnish. Most, but not all, modern silver jewellery is rhodium plated and this usually helps prevent tarnishing. You should however, expect a certain amount of tarnish as normal. Chains especially, are susceptible to tarnish. Tarnish starts off as a dull yellowish tinge and ends up black.
To help prevent tarnish you should keep your jewellery carefully protected when you are not wearing it, perhaps in the packaging in which it is supplied and in as dry an environment as possible. If cleaning does become necessary and the tarnish is light, try warm water and a soap solution and a soft toothbrush. Be sure to rinse and dry the item thoroughly. Chains are most easily cleaned by dipping in a proprietary silver dip. Again, rinse and dry thoroughly. Be sure to read the instructions carefully as some stones should not be exposed to chemical cleaners. NEVER dip pearls.
Follow these simple rules and your jewellery should give you years of pleasure.
Metal allergies.
A surprising number of people these days seem to suffer from allergies. One of these allergies is an allergy to metal in some jewellery. In fact, in most cases, this is actually an allergy to Nickel. Nickel is a base metal commonly used in cheap or costume jewellery. If a nickel allergy affects you, you will not have any problems with .925 sterling silver; gold or surgical steel. We offer a limited number of earrings on surgical steel posts or hooks and this really is your safest option if you suspect more than nickel for your troubles.
If you do have a nickel allergy we would not recommend plated items (either gold or silver) as the underlying metal will almost certainly have a high nickel content which may become exposed as the silver or gold plate wears with age. We would also not advise white gold items. This is because white gold is actually an alloy formed by mixing gold with other metals. Commonly nickel is used as the other metal in white gold although not always, palladium is also frequently used. You can find more information on white gold by clicking the link above.
If white gold is your "must have" item and you are allergic to nickel, we suggest you buy your jewellery from a reputable source who can guarantee your white gold is nickel free. Regrettably, we cannot give such a guarantee on any of our white gold items.
Dichroic Glass.
“Dichroic” refers to the property of having more than one colour when viewed from different angles. In a lengthy and costly procedure, thin layers of metallic oxides are deposited on the surface of the glass giving an extraordinary selection of vivid colours. Glass artists have only recently begun to exploit these amazing properties. The glass used in the jewellery is cut, layered, then kiln fired repeatedly in extreme heat to produce the desired stunning textures, colours & shapes. All of our glass products are created by artists in the UK resulting in beautiful, unique pieces of jewellery. All of the fittings are sterling silver.
In order to provide you with greater flexibility, our dichroic glass pendants are priced without a chain. If you already own a suitable chain there is no need to buy one. If you require a chain, please go to our chain selection and choose the one you prefer.
