Technical Terms

What is Vermeil?
Vermeil is a French word long used to designate a silver, bronze or coppery object plated with gold. Today the term is used in commerce simply to describe gold plating on sterling silver. Gilding, the predecessor of plating, was introduced in Europe during the Roman period and retained its importance until the introduction of electro-plating in the mid-19th century.

What is gold-plated?
Also referred to as electroplating. A solution containing gold particles and disodium phosphate (the electrolyte) is placed in a metal tank. This tank becomes the anode (or negative). The item to be plated is suspended from a rod and becomes the cathode (positive). The rod is put in the solution. So now we have a positive, a negative and the electrolyte all together. A charge of electric current passes thru the solution creating an ionic exchange and the gold particles pass from the solution to the item and it is gold.

What is gold-filled?
A thin layer of 12kt or 14kt gold is fused and soldered to a base metal, usually brass. 1/20 of the total weight of the metal is real karat gold. What actually comes in contact with the skin is karat gold.

What is Sterling Silver?
An alloy of 92.5% pure silver and usually 7.5% copper. Pure silver is too soft for most uses and needs to be combined with another metal. It is the copper in sterling that causes it to tarnish.

What is Argentium™ Sterling Silver?
The word argentum was used in the ancient world to refer to silver. Argentium™ today is a relatively new type of sterling silver alloy that is highly tarnish resistant, harder and more durable than regular sterling. Argentium™ is still sterling, having at least 92.5 pure silver. It is the other 7.5% that has been changed. We use Argentium™ wherever we can. See below. Clean Argentium™ as you would sterling silver.

Sue's jewelry

EAR WIRES - sterling silver or gold-filled

EAR POSTS - sterling silver

CHAIN - sterling silver or gold-filled

CABLES - sterling

PEARLS perfectly round white - glass
irregular shaped - freshwater

NICKEL FREE- ALL of the components in Sue's jewelry are nickel free with the exception of the clasp portion of the brooches.

We use Argentium™ in the following items: bracelets, pins, wire earrings (not the ear wire portion), matte finish discs.