What is .925 Sterling Silver?

(Source: http://www.aboutgems.org/Silver.php).
Fine silver, which comes in a 99 percent natural state, is too soft to use as jewelry, so most silver jewelry comes in the form of Sterling silver, an alloy with a silver content of 92.5 percent.
Items can also be silver plated, which is when another metal is simply coated with an outside layer of silver. In order to be called Sterling silver, the silver content must be at least 92.5%, or .925 silver.

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What is 14k Gold-filled - Gold vermeil - Gold plated over pewter?

14k gold-filled is a process where a layer of gold is mechanically bonded with heat and pressure to a base metal, such as Sterling silver, then rolled to a given thickness. We use beads designated as "14K/20," which means that 20% of the total weight of the bead is 14K gold.
Gold-filled is superior to gold-plated products, which have a very thin layer (seven-millionths of an inch) of gold. Gold-filled items will remain gold for a lifetime if cared for properly. The occasional silver spot is from solder holding joints together. Unless you are using harsh chemicals or abrasives, the gold layer will stay gold for years to come!



Gold Vermeil, pronounced "vermay," is a French word describing Sterling silver that has been electroplated with at least 100 millionths of an inch of karat gold. Our supplier uses gold vermeil is 22kt gold over Sterling silver.


Gold-plated over pewter
Gold-plated products have a very thin layer (seven-millionths of an inch) of gold.

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What are freshwater pearls?

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Freshwater pearls are a kind of pearl that comes from freshwater mussels. They are produced in Japan, China, and the United States, and were formerly produced in Scotland. Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of white, black, pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple, and tangerine, depending on the type of mussel.

A single mussel can produce up to 50 pearls. While saltwater pearl-bearing oysters are nucleated in a small organ known as the gonad, freshwater mussels are nucleated in the actual mantle tissue. Each side of this bivalve can handle up to 25 nucleations at one time.

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What are Swarovski pearls?

We only use the finest, most magnificent manufactured pearls in all the world.
Swarovski crystal pearls 5810 are perfect imitations of natural pearls. They have the heart of an actual crystal bead that has been finished with layer of highly luminous pearlescence, ensuring a flawless surface and exact curves.
As with natural pearls, these pearls adjust to skin temperature, are abrasion-proof, resistant to perfume, perspiration, the sun's rays, electroplating, UV light and scratches. They can be washed and dry cleaned.

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What are Bali beads?

"Bali silver" refers to a classification of hand-made silver beads that are produced by individuals on the island of Bali, although many Bali beads are crafted in other regions of the Indonesian archipelago, some are produced in India, Turkey and other countries. Bali beads are known for their beautiful, intricate designs, and since each bead is hand made -- not mass produced -- there will be slight variations among each bead.

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