Metals

The fittings, chains and metal beads used to make my jewelry are made of either gold-plated or rhodium-plated brass, but also pure stainless steel as well as gold-plated or finely gold-plated stainless steel.

The accessories used (e.g. clasps, rings, domes, rings and pins) are of high quality and hypoallergenic. They come from trusted suppliers who comply with the European standard REACH CE No. 1907/2006 regarding nickel, lead and cadmium content.

The materials used for each piece of jewelry are indicated under “Product Description”.

Gold-plated elements

My suppliers guarantee a minimum coating thickness of 3 micrometers. The color and hardness of the coating depend on the purity of the gold, defined by the carat number, and the alloying elements present. Pure gold plating, i.e. gold plating with 24-carat gold, is relatively soft and has a more yellow color. To offer better abrasion resistance, I mainly use 14- and 18-carat gold plating with a gold content of 58% and 75% respectively for my chains, beads and accessories. For items that are subject to little mechanical stress, such as pendants, I occasionally use 24-carat gold plating.

The purity levels of the different elements used for each individual piece of jewelry can be found under “Product Description”.

When the thickness is less than 3 microns, it is called "fine gold-plated jewelry". It is important to stress that this thin layer is much less resistant than electroplating. Gold-plated jewelry is hypoallergenic.

rhodium-plated elements

Rhodium is a white metal and belongs to the platinum family. It is a precious metal, like gold, platinum or silver. It has good resistance to oxidation and does not lose its shine over time, unlike silver, which can darken. This explains the fact that silver or gold jewelry is rhodium-plated to correct its color or revive its shine.

The thickness of rhodium plating can vary from 0.1 microns to 25 microns, depending on the application of the part to be plated. The lower limit corresponds to the "flash" treatment, which aims to improve the aesthetics of a piece of jewelry. The upper limit is used, for example, when plating a steel watch. For the jewelry, chains and beads I use, suppliers guarantee a minimum thickness of 3 microns of plating. Rhodium-plated jewelry is hypoallergenic.

stainless steel elements

Stainless steel is an iron metal alloy that mainly contains chromium and carbon, as well as other additional elements such as nickel, silicon, titanium or molybdenum. The most common steel grades for jewelry are 316, 304 and 201. Stainless steel is very corrosion-resistant due to the presence of a protective oxide layer. Stainless steel jewelry can be worn underwater and is partially resistant to chemical attacks from cosmetic products and sweat.

Grade 316 is even resistant to chlorides found in sea and swimming pool water. Type 201 corrodes more easily, but has the advantage of not containing nickel.

In general, stainless steel has very good mechanical properties and is extremely scratch-resistant.

Although most stainless steels contain nickel, they release very small amounts and are therefore considered hypoallergenic. The nickel content released by the element when it comes into contact with the skin is subject to strict limits set by the European REACH standard and must not exceed 0.5 micrograms/cm ² .

brass elements

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It is malleable, hypoallergenic and has good mechanical properties.

I only use it as a base because on its own it has little corrosion resistance and forms verdigris, a coating that can discolor the skin.