Precious Metals
Silver:
Like gold, pure silver is too soft for jewellery making. 925 (92.5%) sterling silver is widely used for fine jewellery.
Platinum:
Prized for its strength, platinum does not chip easily and is scratch-resistant. Because of its high purity, platinum is a good choice for people with allergies to other metals. It is also heavier than gold and is one of the world’s rarest precious metals, making it extremely valuable. 900 (90%) to 950 (95%) platinum is widely used in fine jewellery.
Gold:
Gold is prized for use in jewellery due to its unique qualities. While being resistant to rust, tarnish and corrosion, it is also a strong yet malleable metal. Because pure gold is too soft for use in jewellery, it is mixed with other alloys such as zinc, silver, copper or nickel for increased durability. “Karatage”, or “K” is used to measure the amount of gold in a piece of jewellery. The colour of gold depends on the type of alloys used and the percentage of each alloy.
- 24k: Karatage is measured in 24ths, hence 24k is the highest purity level for gold.
- 18k: Slightly softer than 14k gold, 18k (75%) gold has a deeper yellow colour.
- 14k: Highly resilient, 14k (58.3%) gold will maintain its look for a long time.
- 9k: 9k gold (37.5%) retains the look of gold while offering a more budget-friendly alternative.
Yellow Gold:
Yellow gold gets its warm hue from natural gold and certain alloys such as red hued copper and green hued silver.
White Gold:
White gold is popular due to its attractive silvery-white colour. This colour is achieved by combining white hued alloys and plating it with rhodium. Rhodium is an extremely durable element but will wear out naturally with time. Re-plating can help restore the colour to your jewellery.
Black Rhodium on White Gold:
Black rhodium is plated on white gold to create the famous “black gold” colour found in fine jewellery. Like white rhodium, black rhodium is extremely hardy but not invulnerable to normal wear. Re-plating can help restore its colour.
Rose Gold:
The gorgeous pink hue in rose gold is made using copper. The percentage of copper as an alloy is similar to yellow or white gold.
Rhodium:
Rhodium is silvery-white in colour and a member of the platinum group of metals. It is considered a rare and valuable metal. Its hardiness and corrosion resistance makes it ideal for use to plate gold or silver. When used as plating, it prevents the metal beneath from tarnishing, hence lengthening the metal’s lifespan.
