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
Same as yellow gold but the alloy has a greater amount of copper. 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 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
Diamond 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 Diamond →
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 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 →