Product Care
All of our jewelry is handcrafted in 14k gold filled with the option for 14k solid gold if desired. In terms of quality, gold fill is second to only solid gold and serves as the best combination of price, durability, and longevity. As we know 14k solid gold can be expensive more times than not. 14k gold fill jewelry serves as a great alternative by having the same shiny appearance but not costing nearly as much. 14k gold fill has a much higher tarnish resistance than other forms of gold such as vermeil or gold plated.
What is gold fill and what makes it different from real/solid gold?
Any time you look at gold jewelry you always see a number followed by a letter. This combination refers to the purity of the gold. An example would be 14k gold or 10k gold. 24k gold is the purest form of gold that exists and is usually referred to as “pure” gold. 24k gold is typically too soft to use for jewelry making. To counter this, pure gold is mixed with other metals to increase the strength and durability of the gold. This gold alloy or mixture of metals is what we call “solid” gold. The numbers in front of the “k” refer to the proportion of gold to other metals. The higher the gold concentration is, the higher the karats will be, up to 24k. Most gold jewelry is either 10k, 14k, or 18k. Solid gold will not tarnish or wear away and can always be melted down ad reused again. This is not the case for any other type of gold.
Gold filled jewelry is different from solid gold in a few ways. The main difference is that it is not created by a mixture of metals. Gold filled gold is made by “bonding” a layer of (10k, 14k, and 18k) gold to a base metal (usually brass) to give it the outer appearance of solid gold. The process of bonding requires a great deal of heat and pressure to ensure that there is no way the two layers of metal will ever separate. Gold filled pieces are stronger than gold plated and can last quite a long time when given the right care. Eventually the outer layer of gold filled jewelry wears away and will expose the base metal underneath. This is called tarnishing. All gold-filled jewelry will eventually tarnish at some point, however, caring for the jewelry can prolong how long the piece takes to tarnish. When compared to gold plated and vermeil always side with gold-filled. Gold plated and vermeil have a small fraction of the gold that gold-filled has, meaning it will tarnish that much quicker.
How to care for your gold.
Knowing what causes your jewelry to tarnish is a key step in keeping your jewelry looking shiny and new for as long as possible. One thing that causes tarnishing that you may not even realize is your own body chemistry. This is the hardest factor to counter due to everyone’s body and body chemistry being different. Things such as the pH of your skin or sweat can chemically interact with the metal and gradually wear on the jewelry. Lotions, body creams and perfumes in the area of the jewelry could also slowly damage the jewelry as well. To help with this the owner should try to avoid putting anything of this nature in the exact spot where the jewelry will be worn. Exposing the pieces to harsh environments such as hot tubs, “bleachy” dish water, pools and beaches are all things that you should be mindful of when caring for your gold. It is best for the jewelry to be removed before being introduced to any of these type of environments to preserve the appearance of the gold. A good tip for day- to-day maintenance of you jewelry is remove excess make-up and oils from that the jewelry may have picked up from your skin and wipe it off with a soft cloth to clean the jewelry. You can also rinse the piece in lukewarm water and dry if off with a soft cloth. For a deeper clean, you can get a bowl of warm water and a small amount of mild soap, let the piece soak for roughly a minute, scrub lightly with a very soft toothbrush, rinse it in lukewarm water again to make sure all the soap is off, and finally dry it off with a soft cloth.