What is my necklace made of?

Jewelry metals can take many forms as makers and designers are constantly experimenting with new mediums to express their ideas.  It’s always a good idea to read the description when viewing jewelry online as that is usually where you will find information on the material of construction.  This is important as an informed consumer because you want to know how to care for your jewelry item.  Yellow gold jewelry is by far the easiest to care for and usually only requires gentle cleaning, but white gold and rose gold are a different story and we talk about that in a future post.  Sterling silver jewelry will require routine cleaning as well, although this is very simple and only requires the use of a silver cleaning and polishing cloth.  We have a quick video on silver cleaning posted here. Things started to get a bit more complicated when dealing with more fashion forward jewelry.

A large amount of branded jewelry like Kendra Scott and Alex and Ani are made of brass, or sometimes gold-plated brass.  Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.  An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals that in combination give a more attractive set of physical properties for manufacturers to work with in making the jewelry.  Copper is a pretty reactive metal, so brass jewelry items will sometimes have a coating applied to protect against tarnishing.  This is a temporary fix however, as any metal that contains copper will develop a patina over time.  There are various substances marketed to restore brass, but the results are not guaranteed.  The price point of this jewelry gives us a hint that it’s not intended to last forever, so enjoy it, try to clean it if you can, but once it’s really tarnished, just let it go.

Fine jewelry will have a quality mark indicating the gold karatage of the piece.  You can learn more about the common karat golds here.  Any item marketed as gold jewelry must have a quality mark or else you cannot trust that the item is actually gold. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides guidelines for consumers that you can reference here.  Additionally, you will sometimes see the designers or manufacturers trademark on the piece.  These identifiers are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark office and are unique and not transferable.  Trademarks on jewelry can be small, but if you are able to locate one it’s a sure way to identify the manufacturer of the item which can in turn help you determine the material of construction.  This can be useful then buying estate or antique jewelry.  Some examples of quality marks and trademarks are shown below. 

No matter what your necklace is made of, proper care and maintenance is important to ensure years of enjoyment.  For fashion jewelry, it’s best to follow the manufacturers care instructions as many times the metals that they use are proprietary, meaning unique to their company, and they know best how to handle them.  For questions on your fine jewelry, feel free to email us, or stop by your local independent jewelry store.