Our precious metals

925 sterling silver metal what is composition about nz new zealand

 

925 Sterling Silver

Silver is a relatively common precious metal that is used in a multitude of fields. Much more widespread than gold, it is used in tableware, the famous silverware, for coins, for electrical or electronic applications and even in the manufacture of musical instruments, the plating of some guitar strings.

Discovered in antiquity, it has long been coveted by Egyptian and Greek civilizations, to name a few, because of its white colour with grey reflections. While for a long time, the most popular medium of exchange was bartering for goods or services, the first coins minted were silver (and also gold).

Its brilliant reflections have enabled silver to establish itself among the precious metals frequently used in gold and jewellery for millennia.

Our whole collection of silver jewellery is made from 925/1000 silver, it is solid silver.
The silver 925 corresponds to the quantity of silver contained in the jewel, that is to say:

• 92.5% pure silver
• supplemented by 7.5% other metals, most often copper.

Unlike gold, silver is particularly soft and tender. It cannot be used 100% pure for jewellery. Its properties, colour and the fact that it is non-allergenic make silver the ideal candidate for shaping jewellery.

Vermeil

Vermeil is therefore considered a precious metal

Vermeil is a term that defines high-end jewellery quality. A piece of jewellery is in vermeil when its body is 925 sterling silver, plated with a thin layer of gold.

In jewellery, vermeil is the best quality of jewellery you can get, unless you buy solid 18k gold. 

The benefits of Vermeil plating :

  • precious finish
  • excellent quality
  • doesn’t tarnish
  • hypoallergenic
what is rhodium plated nz new zealand gem june birth stone 5

Rhodium Plating

Rhodium is a noble and very precious metal from the platinum family. It is characterized by its high durability, low electrical and thermal conductivity and hardness.

Rhodium plating is a technique used to deposit a thin layer of liquid metal, rhodium, on the base of the metal and thus give it this characteristic white color.

Rhodium will certainly give the final color to the metal, but also act as a shield to protect it.

When a thin layer of rhodium covers sterling silver – also called 925 silver – it protects it from hasty oxidation which tarnishes the jewel.