Materials Glossary

Silver:

Silver is very soft so it is often mixed with other materials to increase its strength.

The major components of most of our jewellery is 925.

925 is the percentage (92.5%) of pure silver used in an alloy that used other materials such as copper, zinc or platinum.

Agate:

Agate is a stone that comes in a range of colors, natural and dyed.

Amethyst:

Amethyst is a form of quartz which can range in colour.

Base Metal:

Base metal is a metal that is not a precious metal such a silver or gold-usually steel, brass, copper, aluminum.

Carnelian:

Carnelian is a form of chalcedony that gets its orange color from iron.

Cubic Zirconia:

Cubic zirconia are created by treating minerals under extremely high temperatures. Cubic zirconia have a very similar structure to natural diamonds. Different color cubic zirconia can be created.

Enamel:

Enamel is a type of exposy resin applied to silver jewellery by hand and then warmed over a period of time to make the enamel set.

Freshwater pearl:

Fresh water pearls are formed by inserting a plastic or shell nucleus inside a mollusk. The mollusk secretes a solution which forms around the nucleus and develops into a pearl.

Gamuza:

Gamuza is a synthetic suede cord.

Marcasite:

Marcasite is a mineral known as white iron pyrite or iron sulfide.

Onyx:

Onyx I a form of quartz, black onyx is natural color.

Resin:

Resin is acoal tar and petroleum that can be colored and have objects embedded on it.

Stabilized turquoise, hematite, coral etc:

A stabilized, or reconstructed, stone is a mixture of crushed natural stones with a strong acrylic resin.

Stainless steel:

Stainless steel is a rust resistant iron-carbon alloy. Due to its hard metal state it cannot be resized.

Tourmaline:

Tourmaline is a form of quartz containing inclusions of tourmaline (black colored specks or needles). Green in color.

Turquoise:

Turquoise is a blue/green opaque stone copper contributes to its blue color and iron for its green color.