There are two types of metal: "precious" metals and more "common" metals.
Within the precious metalsgold, silver and platinum. The common metals include brass, bronze, steel and titanium.
It's important to know the difference between metals and their properties when choosing a piece of jewelry.
A metal can be defined by various criteria. Here are the most important:
- its hardness
- its fragility
- its tenacity/resilience
- its malleability
- its density
- its solubility
- its fusibility
Thea offers a wide range of metals to create jewelry to satisfy every customer's desire: 14K gold, silver 925, brass.
- Silver
There are different types of silver: 800, 830, 895, 900 or 925 thousandths. The difference lies in the quality and the purity of the metal. 925 thousandths silver means that the metal is composed of 92,5% of pure silver, making it the most qualitative of all. The rest of the composition is made of other metals, mainly copper.
At Thea we offersilver 925 for jewelry creation.
Silver is a more malleable (=mou) que l’or, il peut donc se rayer ou se tordre assez facilement. L’argent a souvent tendance à noircir et à s’oxyder avec le temps s’il n’est pas bien entretenu. C’est donc un métal qui nécessite de l’attention et de l’entretien. Pour cela, nous vous recommandons le produit « Let it sparkle » de What Matters qui est super efficace.
Silver is a metal whose price is rather affordable compared to gold.
We therefore recommend wearing silver jewelry occasionally to make it last over time. If you intend to wear the jewel daily, we recommend white gold.
- Gold
There are also different types of gold: 24-carat (999 thousandths), 18-carat (750 thousandths), 14-carat (585 thousandths) and 9-carat (375 thousandths).
Once again, the difference is in the quality and the purity of the metal. 24-carat gold means that the metal is composed of 99,9% of pure gold, making it the most qualitative and the most expensive. The rest of gold's composition is made up of other metals.
At Thea we offer18-carat gold for jewelry creation.
Gold is an extremely hardvery resistant and therefore the most suitable for everyday use. It is a metal that excellent corrosion resistance that lasts over time.
Gold is a metal whose price rises quickly dear compared to silver or brass.
We therefore recommend wearing gold jewelry for the daily because it lasts the longest. If your budget doesn't allow for gold, you can choose an alternative: brass.
- Brass (temporarily unavailable)
Brass is a metal composed of copper combined with zinc. Differences in brass quality can be explained by the percentage of each metal in the composition.
Brass is a fairly malleable and fragile. Brass has a good corrosion resistance. It's a metal that can lose some of its shine due to the PH of the skin and friction.
The price of brass is quite affordable compared to gold.
We therefore recommend wearing brass in alternative to gold for jewelry from dailyBut it will need regular maintenance and special attention to ensure that it lasts over time.
- Vermeil
Vermeil is composed of a base in Silver 925 then covered with a layer of18-carat gold. Differences in vermeil quality can be explained by the types of silver and gold chosen for its composition.
The advantage of vermeil is that it is more light than gold, it oxidizes and does not rustor very little. Compared with silver, vermeil jewelry is generally quite resistant to knocks, scratches and rubbing, thanks to its gold covering.
We therefore recommend wearing vermeil in alternative to gold for jewelry from dailybut will require slightly less maintenance than brass.
Now that you know more about the various metals, you can créer votre bijou sur-mesure grâce à notre simulateur 3D !
