Metals

Metals are shiny, malleable and ductile solids with characteristic high melting points and densities. These properties make gold, sterling silver, platinum and palladium the perfect materials for jewellery. The different tones of these metals can be used to define details on jewellery and add highlights; it’s a matter of fashion and personal taste and it can also enhance the colours of the precious stones.

Gold, Au, short for the Latin word 'Aurum', was one of the first known metals.
Gold won't tarnish, rust, or corrode, and though it's very strong, it is also the most malleable of all metals. In its purest form it is too soft for most jewellery purposes and must be mixed or alloyed with other metals to increase its strength and durability.

These alloys can be silver, copper, nickel, zinc - a high concentration of nickel or palladium creates white gold, while a high percentage of copper will produce rose or pink gold. Additionally, gold’s shiny white color occurs when it is plated with rhodium, a metal belonging to the platinum family.

The proportion of gold in jewellery is measured on the karat scale. Karat (appearing as “k”) refers to the purity of metals, whereas Carat (appearing as “c”) indicates the weight of a diamond or other gemstone.

• Pure gold is designated 24 carat and is too soft for jewellery
• 18 carat gold is defined as 75% pure
• 14 karat has 58.5 % gold

Both 14 and 18 carat gold are recommended for fine jewellery. When comparing gold jewellery, remember that the higher the number of karats, the greater the gold value.

To enhance the whiteness, white gold is plated with rhodium, a shiny, white metal which is extremely hard. Depending on the amount of wear to a piece of jewellery, over time this rhodium plating may wear off, revealing the original metal colour. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done to restore your jewellery's whiteness if needed.

Thirty times rarer and heavier than gold, platinum is tarnish-free and hypoallergenic. While it is the strongest of jewellery metals, it can scratch and develop a patina of wear and will need to be polished by a jeweller to bring back the original reflective finish. Platinum is more valuable than gold because annually it is produced in much smaller quantities than gold and to obtain just 1 ounce of platinum 10 tons of ore must be mined.

The proportion of platinum is usually 90 to 95 percent pure. It is frequently alloyed with gold, nickel, iridium, palladium, rhodium, or ruthenium. Platinum jewellery that meets the established standards is marked 900Pt, 950 Plat or Plat.

Platinum’s natural white lustre enhances a diamond’s radiance.

Derived from the Latin for “white and shining,” silver, like gold, is too soft in its purest form to be used in jewellery. Copper is the most frequently used alloy, Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5 percent pure silver and 7.5 percent copper thus stamped with the mark 925.

The price of gold jewellery is dependent upon the purity of the gold used or karat weight, as well as the design and construction of the piece of jewellery.

Always look for the karat mark or “k”, the sterling silver mark “925” and the Platinum mark (900Pt, 950 Plat, or Plat) on the back of the jewellery to determine the precious metal content.