Everything we sell is listed with the material it is actually made of. This page explains what each one means, so the words on a product page are not doing the work alone.
Gold-plated copper
A layer of gold bonded to a copper base. Most of our earrings are made this way. It gives the warmth and the colour of gold at a price that lets a sculptural shape exist at all.
What to expect: plating is a surface, and surfaces wear slowly over time. Everyday water is fine — showering and washing your hands with it on will not hurt it. What wears it faster is soaking for hours at a time, chlorine and constant friction.
925 sterling silver
92.5% silver with a small amount of copper for strength — solid metal, not a coating, in a gold or white-gold finish.
What to expect: it does not wear off, but it does tarnish. Tarnish is a surface reaction that polishes away; worn plating does not come back. A soft cloth restores it.
Stainless steel
The toughest base in the collection. Water resistant, does not rust or corrode, and the base metal does not react with skin the way cheaper alloys can. Most of our steel pieces are finished in 18k gold, by plating or by PVD; a few, like the silver Goutte and Infini, are polished steel with no plating at all. Each product page says which.
Electroplated finishes
Used on the fine chains, in gold or silver. Treated like the plated pieces above, they hold their colour well.
Plated alloy
A few pieces, like the Laurier and Torsade rings, are plated over an alloy base rather than copper or steel. Treat them exactly like the gold-plated pieces above; each product page says so.
What we do not sell
Solid gold and diamonds. If that is what you are looking for, buy it from someone who sells it — and expect to pay several hundred pounds for a pair of earrings.
Our pieces are made to look considered and expensive on you, without the outlay and without the fear of losing something irreplaceable. That is the whole idea.
Sensitive skin
The stainless steel pieces suit most people who react to jewellery. If you know you react to copper or to plated metals generally, our sterling silver pieces are the safer choice. We would rather point you to the right piece than take a return.
Keeping them
- On last, off first — after fragrance, hairspray, sun cream and make-up.
- Water is fine, soaking is not. Shower and wash your hands with it on; just avoid hours in the bath, the pool or the sea.
- Wipe with a soft dry cloth when you take them off. Ten seconds.
- Store flat, dry, and apart from each other.
- No silver polish or dips on plated pieces — they are abrasive and remove the plating.
- Rotate. A piece worn daily wears faster than three worn in turn.