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METAL GUIDE
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Which metals do I use?
• 925 Silver - The title of 925 silver defines an alloy composed of 92.5% silver and the remaining 7.5% of another material – usually copper. Therefore, 925 parts out of 1000 will be silver. I usually add a rhodium bath to 925 silver jewelry to slow down the oxidation process.
• Gold-plated 925 Silver - As above, but at the end of the process, I add an 18k gold galvanic bath to change its surface color.
Note: What are galvanic baths?
Jewelry is galvanically bathed against oxidation through a treatment called Flash Galvanic performed by a small artisan company I work with.
Through galvanic treatments, a thin layer of metal (rhodium or 18k gold) is applied, which can improve certain characteristics of the jewelry, such as resistance to oxidation.
However, over time, sweat or neglect will eventually wear off the galvanic bath, so it will need to be redone.
All my creations are Nickel Free (Standard EN 1811:2011)
• Gold
What do the different gold carats mean?
Pure investment gold - usually found in bars - is 24k gold, which corresponds to 999 thousandths of gold out of 1000 thousandths.
Gold for creating jewelry cannot be pure, it would not be workable due to its extreme softness, so it is mixed with other metals in different quantities to create what we call an alloy. Usually, the metals it is alloyed with are mainly silver and copper.
Let's talk about carats:
18k gold is the classic gold alloy for jewelry, containing 750 thousandths of gold, the remaining 250 thousandths are indeed alloy metals - silver and copper -;
14k gold contains 585 thousandths of gold;
9k gold contains 375 thousandths of gold.
What changes?
Besides the price, which is higher the more the percentage of gold is present in the alloy, some characteristics related to the color and hardness of the metal change.
For example, 18k yellow gold has a very intense yellow color that becomes slightly paler if the carat is lowered.
White Gold - Important note
Gold in nature exists only in its characteristic yellow color. When we talk about white gold, we are not referring to a naturally white metal but to an alloy made by mixing pure gold with other metals.
The most common alloys used to create white gold include palladium, silver, and sometimes copper. This combination gives the metal a base color that is not truly white but rather a very pale yellow or slightly grayish hue.
The bright white appearance of white gold in jewelry is not its natural color but the result of a surface treatment: a rhodium plating. Rhodium is a precious metal from the platinum family, applied in an extremely thin layer to give white gold its characteristic bright color and enhance its resistance to scratches.
Over time, however, this rhodium layer wears off due to friction, wear, and exposure to external agents such as cosmetics or cleaning products. This means that white gold jewelry requires periodic maintenance to retain its original appearance. When the rhodium coating starts to fade, the natural color of the underlying alloy becomes visible, which may appear duller or slightly yellowish.
To maintain the beauty of white gold, it is advisable to have it re-plated with rhodium every few years, depending on usage and exposure. This procedure is a standard maintenance practice for those who choose white gold jewelry and ensures that the metal retains its brilliance over time.
Below I have collected a table of images where we can observe some examples:
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Malena Jewelry ® by Silvia Malena | VAT IT15305961003 | REA RM1584555 | Registration Artisans Register RM323131 | identification mark 1705 RM
