Metals
Sterling Silver: Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.
14K Gold-Filled: We all know that gold is not inexpensive, and these days the spot price is going upwards of $500 an ounce. So 14 karat gold filled is an economical alternative that keeps a solid layer of 14 karat gold in contact with your eyes and skin! By law, it has 1/20th by weight layer of 14 karat gold permanently bonded over a core of base metal. It has far more gold than the few microns coating of gold in gold plate, a hundred or more times the amount of gold, actually. Under normal wear with reasonable care that you would give any precious metal jewelry, 14KGF jewelry will not peel or flake and can be treasured as heirloom pieces. It is tarnish-resistant like solid 14 karat gold and is safe for most people with sensitive skin who can wear solid 14 karat gold jewelry. So all in all, 14K gold filled jewelry is a long lasting, economical way to enjoy the luster of gold without the big price tag!
Vermeil: It is standard practice in the Fashion Press to refer to gold plate over sterling as Vermeil, to distinguish it from gold plate over base metal. This is a useful distinction. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines Vermeil as 100 micro inches (2.5 microns) of plating over sterling silver. Most gold plated jewelry has a thin wash of as little as 1 micro inch. Our gold plate is 40 TIMES as thick, at 40 micro inches (1 micron). We find this thickness extremely durable and more affordable than the 100 micro inches mandated by the FTC to legally label products Vermeil. Therefore, we will refer to our products as Vermeil Style instead of Vermeil.
Precious Metal Clay/Fine Silver: PMC or Art Clay Silver is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of precious metals (such as silver, gold or platinum) mixed with an organic binder and water. Metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using moulds. After drying, it can be fired in a variety of ways including in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or on a gas stove. The binder burns away, leaving the pure, sintered metal. Silver metal clay results in objects containing .999 pure silver - aka fine silver.
