There are two types of metal: so-called "precious" metals and more "everyday" metals.
Within the precious metalsThese include gold, 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 jewellery.
A metal can be defined by different criteria. Here are the most important:
- its hardness
- its fragility
- its tenacity/resilience
- its malleability
- its density
- its solubility
- its fusibility
Thea offers a range of different metals to create jewellery to satisfy all her customers' desires: 14K gold, silver 925, brass.
- Silver
There are different types of silver: 800, 830, 895, 900 and 925 thousandths. The difference concerns 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 up of other metals, mainly copper.
At Thea we offersilver 925 to create the jewellery.
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 with gold.
We therefore recommend wearing silver jewellery occasionally to make it last over time. If you want to wear the jewel every day, we recommend white gold.
- Gold
There are also different types of gold: 24 carats (999 thousandths), 18 carats (750 thousandths), 14 carats (585 thousandths) and 9 carats (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 to create the jewellery.
Gold is an extremely hardvery resistant and therefore the most suitable for withstanding the shocks of everyday life. It is a metal that highly resistant to corrosion and that lasts over time.
Gold is a metal whose price rises quickly dear compared to silver or brass.
We therefore recommend wearing gold jewellery 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 strong alloy malleable and fragile. Brass has a good corrosion resistance. It is 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 jewellery from dailyBut it will need regular maintenance and special care to ensure it lasts over time.
- Vermeil
Vermeil consists of a base in Silver 925 then covered with a layer of18-carat gold. Differences in the quality of vermeil 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 does not oxidise or rustor very little. Compared with silver, vermeil jewellery is generally quite resistant to knocks, scratches and rubbing thanks to its gold covering.
We therefore recommend wearing vermeil in alternative to gold for jewellery from dailybut it will require slightly less maintenance than brass.
Now that you know more about different metals, you can créer votre bijou sur-mesure grâce à notre simulateur 3D !
