Metals

• 925 silver

  92.5 percent silver, the rest copper. Bright white, the lowest price, and it tarnishes slowly: a cloth brings it back in a minute. Fine for every piece we sell.

• 14K yellow gold

  58.5 percent gold with silver and copper. The classic warm color, solid all the way through, no plating to wear off.

• 14K white gold

  Gold alloyed to a pale grey, then plated with rhodium for the bright white. The plating wears in one to two years and is re-plated at any jeweler for a small fee.

• 14K rose gold

  Gold alloyed with more copper, which gives the pink. Solid color, no plating, slightly harder than yellow gold.

Pure gold is 24 karat and too soft for a ring. 14K is 14 parts gold in 24, which is 58.5 percent, mixed with harder metals so prongs hold and bands keep their shape. We make our pieces in 14K, not 10K (less gold, can irritate sensitive skin) and not 18K (more gold, softer and dearer), because 14K is the karat that does daily wear well at a fair price. A handful of lab-grown diamond rings from an earlier line are 18K gold; their pages say so.

All white gold is plated. The rhodium layer is what makes it bright; under it the alloy is a warm grey. As the plating wears, usually first on the underside of a band, the ring looks slightly yellowish. Any jeweler re-plates it in a day. If you would rather never think about it, pick silver for the same bright look, or yellow or rose gold.

• Tarnish is a thin dark layer from sulfur in the air. A silver polishing cloth removes it. Storing the piece in its box slows it down.
• A dark or green mark on skin is the copper in the alloy reacting with sweat or lotion. It washes off and is not an allergy. Take the ring off for the gym and put lotion on before the ring goes on.
• Silver is soft: prongs on a silver ring need a check every year or two. That is covered by the warranty for the first year.

Yellow and rose gold warm up olive and darker skin; white metals suit cooler, pinker skin. That is a guideline, not a rule: the metal you already wear is the metal to match, and mixing is normal now.

A reaction to cheap jewelry is usually nickel. 925 silver is silver and copper. Some white gold alloys use nickel, so if you are allergic to it, pick yellow gold, rose gold or silver, or ask us before you order and we will tell you what the maker states for that piece.

The same design in 14K gold costs more than in silver because gold is bought by weight at the market price. Each product's metal cards show its full price in every metal it is made in, so you see the difference before you pick. Gold prices are quoted per design; a design shows only the metals it can be made in.