Our Materials
14K Solid Gold
14k gold means that there are 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts alloys like copper, silver and zinc, making it a stronger gold for everyday wear. Most people with metal sensitivies are able to wear 14k gold.
Care:
When worn regularly, your gold jewelry is exposed to skin oils, perspiration, dust, makeup, and more. To keep its shine, you should clean your jewelry regularly with a solution of 10-parts warm water and 2-parts dish soap.
Gold Vermeil
Gold Vermeil is a common type of gold plating, which uses sterling silver as the base metal. Vermeil is more hypoallergenic and has a thicker layer of gold than normal gold plating, which is why you'll see it in stores selling fine jewelry. However, with enough scuffs and scratches the plating can wear off.
Care:
To extend the life of your gold plated and vermeil jewelry, avoid wearing when washing hands, showering, applying lotion, using harsh cleaning supplies or working out. To clean, buff gently with a soft and dry 100% cotton cloth or a microfiber cloth. Do not use jewelry cleaner on gold plated jewelry.
925 Sterling Silver
Care:
Sterling silver will tarnish over time. Silver reacts to moisture and chemicals in the air such as sulphur (in the same way it can react to perfumes and lotions on our skin). It is a completely normal and natural reaction. Silver jewellery remains at its shiny best when worn daily or kept in a dry, air-tight box or bag. To clean any tarnishing, simply polish with your Edge Only silver cloth to regain a silver finish.
PVD, or physical vapor deposition, is another process for applying precious metals to jewelry, which is 10x durable than coatings and electro-plating. It's a process that consists of literally blasting a vaporized precious metal on top of a solid base metal to bond them together. When blasted, the vaporized metal first fills up the small cavities on the base metal, and then builds up around the rest of the metal base to protect the surface and prevent wear. Even though plating is more resistant to corrosion from say sea water or sweat, the metal plating can still be scratched. But the upside is that any wear can easily be fixed by replating, which is not expensive. Products with a PVD coating are in the mid to high price range.
Care:
Be aware of direct contact with chemicals such as chlorine in swimming pools, makeup products, body lotion, or hair spray. Do not spray on perfume or other sprays while wearing your gold-plated jewellery. You can spray your perfume 5 minutes before putting on your jewellery or let the lotion or perfume dry before putting on your jewellery. Storing your jewellery is one of the most important steps. Always store it in the dustbag provided by Blanche.
