White Metal
- Antiqued or Oxidized Silver Jewelry
Tarnishes easily.
Markings: 925 or Sterling How to Clean Antiqued or Oxidized Silver Jewelry →
Very popular set with Turquoise
Or semi precious stones.
May be Oxidized or Antiqued - Palladium
Whiter and lighter weight than Platinum. Does not tarnish. Hypoallergenic. A good material for earrings due to its properties.
How to Clean Palladium → - Platinum
Extremely durable, does scratch easy.
How to Clean Platinum →
White color does not need plating.
Can be 2x as expensive as gold. - Silver
Tarnishes easily.
Markings: 925 or Sterling How to Clean Silver →
Very popular set with Turquoise
Or semi precious stones.
May be Oxidized or Antiqued - Silver Plate
Tarnishes easily.
Markings: SP, EPS, or EP. How to Clean Silver Plate →
May eventually wear to expose inner metal. - White Gold
Same as yellow gold but the alloy has a greater amount of white metals. Usually plated with rhodium to make it whiter, may eventually wear to a warmer color. Does not tarnish.
Markings: 10kt, 10K, 416, 417 = 10kt gold (41.7% pure gold) 14kt, 14K, 585 = 14kt gold (58.5% pure gold) 18K, 750, 18kt = 18kt gold (75% pure gold) How to Clean White Gold →
Yellow Metal
- Brass
Very durable and inexpensive metal.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 3 Color Range: Gold or Reddish Gold How to Clean Brass →
Tarnishes quickly and will leave stains when exposed to skin. - Filled Gold Jewelry
Has a much thicker layer of gold than gold plate, giving it more ability to resist wear and tear.
Markings: GF How to Clean Filled Gold Jewelry → - Gold
Does not tarnish
Markings: 10kt, 10K, 416, 417 = 10kt gold (41.7% pure gold) 14kt, 14K, 585 = 14kt gold (58.5% pure gold) 18K, 750, 18kt = 18kt gold (75% pure gold) How to Clean Gold → - Gold Plate
Will appear and feel just like gold but may eventually wear to expose inner metal which is a lower quality metal like copper or brass.
Markings: GP, GEP, HGE How to Clean Gold Plate → - Gold Vermeil
Similar to gold plate but the inner metal is silver making it closer to fine jewelry.
Markings: 925. How to Clean Gold Vermeil →
Pink Metal
- Copper
A popular and inexpensive metal for cuffs, pendants and rings. Often paired with leather, or other metals such as silver or gold. Tarnishes and will develop a green patina and will stain skin.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 3 Color Range: Pinkish-Orange Color How to Clean Copper → - Rose Gold
Also known as pink gold or red gold in the jewelry industry, rose gold owes its blushing color to the inclusion of copper alloy. Most gold used in jewelry is mixed with other metals to achieve strength and durability, because “pure” 24-karat gold (99 percent or more gold) is too soft on its own.
Markings: 10kt, 10K, 416, 417 = 10kt gold (41.7% pure gold) 14kt, 14K, 585 = 14kt gold (58.5% pure gold) 18K, 750, 18kt = 18kt gold (75% pure gold) How to Clean Rose Gold →
Gray Metal
- Stainless Steel
A very hard and durable metal. Scratch resistant. Heavier than Titanium. Does not tarnish or rust. Jewelry is not molded but cut from a solid piece with no seams. Used mostly in men's jewelry.
How to Clean Stainless Steel → - Titanium
The hardest natural known metal. Scratch resistant. Light weight. Easily colored and may come in different non natural hues.
How to Clean Titanium → - Tungsten
A very hard and durable and heavy metal. Highest Scratch resistance.
How to Clean Tungsten →
Does not tarnish or rust. Always looks shiny and new.
Precious Gemstones
Diamonds Does not fog up. Sinks in water.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 10 Color Range: Usually clear but can be yellow, pink, blue, brown and gray. How to Clean Diamonds →
Will be set in an expensive metal
such as gold or platinum. Highly refractive.
Emerald Does not sparkle, shines with a dull fire. Are not perfectly clear as they have natural imperfections within their structure.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7.5 Color Range: Comes in various hues of green, from dark to light tones. How to Clean Emerald →
Ruby Real rubies glow with a deep, vivid, almost “stoplight” red. Only a diamond can scratch a ruby. Consult with a Professional to confirm if you have a real ruby.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 9 Color Range: Red How to Clean Ruby →
Sapphire Does not fog up. Only reflects light that is the color of the sapphire. Consult with a Professional to confirm if you have a real sapphire.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 9 Color Range: Naturally occurring in blue. Can also be yellow, pink, orange, and green. How to Clean Sapphire →
Semi-Precious Gemstones
Amethyst Generally clear of inclusions but authentic stones may have inconsistencies. Easy to cut and can come in many shapes.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Purple and Violet How to Clean Amethyst →
Aquamarine Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 8 Color Range: Blue to green-blue How to Clean Aquamarine →
Citrine One of the cleanest gemstones available.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Color range Yellow, Orange, Brown. How to Clean Citrine →
Garnet Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 6.5 Color Range: Color range deep reds, shades orange, light yellows, purple, pinks and greens. How to Clean Garnet →
Peridot The gem variety of the mineral Olivine, Peridot ranges from light green to olive-green; the most desirable color being deep olive-green with a slight yellowish tint.
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Color range shades of olive green. How to Clean Peridot →
Quartz Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Colorless How to Clean Quartz →
Topaz Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 8 Color Range: Color range colorless, yellow, orange, brown, red, pink, blue, green. How to Clean Topaz →
Tourmaline Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Color range blue, green, red, yellow, pink. How to Clean Tourmaline →
Zircon Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7.5 Color Range: Color range reddish brown, yellow, green, blue, gray and colorless. How to Clean Zircon →
Delicate Gemstones
Onyx Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Black sometimes with white streaks. How to Clean Onyx →
Opal Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 6.5 Color Range: Commonly having a bodycolor of white, yellow, gray, black, or brown; With a play-of-color of spectral colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. How to Clean Opal →
Pearl A real pearl feels cool and warms up when worn. Rub pearls against your teeth with a side-to-side motion. A real pearl will usually have a slightly rough or gritty texture. Fake pearls made from glass or plastic will
Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 2.5 Color Range: White, cream or gray, but also purple, black, pink, green, champagne, chocolate, blue and lavender How to Clean Pearl →
usually be almost perfectly smooth.- Tanzanite Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 7 Color Range: Blue with a tinge of violet How to Clean Tanzanite →
- Turquoise Mohs Hardness Scale Value: 6 Color Range: Opaque stone with a color range of green to blue that may have veins of brown, gold, or black. How to Clean Turquoise →