LA TARIFA MATERIALS INFORMATION
WHAT IS.......?
BRASS
Brass is another name for brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc. The advantage of brass is that it is inexpensive, strong and easy to process. The colour of (gold-coloured) Brass is also very popular at the moment and generally stays good for a long time.
STAINLESS STEEL
RVS, also called stainless steel or surgical steel, boasts some very fine advantages. Stainless steel has the sparkle, tone and texture that many people love. The material cannot rust, is incredibly strong, but is very light, making it very wearable. In addition, it looks like silver but is a cheaper alternative. Stainless steel does not stain or discolour. You only have to be careful with chlorine, as it is extremely sensitive to it.
STERLING SILVER
Sterling Silver components/ jewellery are made from 92.5% pure Silver and 7.5% Copper, hence .925 Sterling Silver. These proportions are fixed by law, otherwise it cannot be called Sterling Silver. Pure Silver is soft and malleable and the addition of another metal makes it wear-resistant.
SILVER/ GOLD PLATED
Metal parts are put through a Silver or Gold bath. Another technique is electroplating. Using electricity, the layer sticks to the base metal, resulting in a beautiful shiny finish with a layer of real Silver or Gold (silverplated or goldplated). However, this is a minimal layer and can wear off faster depending on the acidity of your skin, the discolouration also depends on the PH value of your skin.
RHODIUM PLATED
Rhodium belongs to the platinum group and looks very similar to silver in appearance, but there are some differences. The very first difference is that rhodium does not discolour like silver does over time. In addition, rhodium is slightly grey/whiter than silver. It is a strong material that lasts a very long time and can therefore be enjoyed for a very long time.
GOLD VERMEIL
Vermeil is also called doublé. It involves layering 14k to 22k Gold on real silver (.925). It approaches the look of real Gold but is much cheaper. The colour fades a little faster than with Gold filled materials, for example, because this is one layer. However, the quality is very good and the substrate is thus sterling silver.
GOLD FILLED
Gold filled is a high-quality alloy of 14-carat Gold with another metal (usually Copper). The Gold is mechanically bonded to the base metal by heat and pressure. This thickness of Gold must be at least 1/20th of the total weight according to the US standard. So an alloy is not a layer that wears off easily.
With proper use of Gold filled jewellery, it will last (a lifetime) just like Gold. Gold filled stays in colour and provides a beautiful and affordable quality that is well tolerated by people who are allergic to other metals than Gold. Gold filled is again more expensive than other materials because it contains a higher content of Gold.
PRECIOUS STONES, MINERALS OR CRYSTALS
Gemstones are natural minerals with special properties that are created in different ways in a process that sometimes takes millions of years. Minerals consist of one or more atoms. About 80 types of elements have been found in the earth and these elements have formed over four thousand minerals such as iron and copper. Gemstones usually consist of 2-3 different minerals that have a constant chemical composition and a regular internal structure. The minerals are clumped together to form a gemstone, so to speak. The colour and hardness of the gemstone is determined by the combination of minerals present. A clear quartz, for example, consists of only one mineral. Amethyst gets its distinctive purple colour from the presence of iron and Rose Quartz gets its pink colour from the presence of Titanium.
A gemstone should be flawless without any cloudiness and have a hardness of 7 - 10 on the Mohs scale. Good examples are Ruby, Sapphire and, of course, Diamond. Stones that do not meet these criteria are often referred to as semi-precious stones. This term was abolished by the jewellery industry in 1967 due to its incorrect nature. Today, therefore, we simply speak of gemstones.
The properties of minerals also determine the arrangement of the atoms or crystal structure. In a crystal, the molecules or atoms are arranged according to a regular pattern or lattice distinguishing between macroline and microline crystal structures.
A macroline crystal structure can be seen with the naked eye like Rock Crystal and Citrine.
A mircolin crystal structure cannot be seen with the naked eye. You need a microscope to discover the crystalline structure as in Rose Quartz.
All gemstones and crystals are made up of minerals, but not every mineral is a gemstone or crystal. This depends on elements such as hardness, complexity of composition and the presence or absence of a crystalline structure.
