Costume jewellery exhibits the highest craftsmanship of talented designers. They are matchless in terms of quality, versatility and durability, and their excelling designs are time-tested classics. With a biggest collection for women, children and men, every piece of costume jewellery is standardized, rendering reliability.
The Hallmarking system of UK has provided a valuable guarantee for gold, platinum as well as 925 silver jewellery, over the past seven centuries. As precious metals are not workable in their pure form, they are alloyed with suitable metals, mostly copper, to produce strong and workable material for jewellery. The earliest known implementation of consumer protection law in the world namely, Hallmarking was introduced in 1300 in UK. Antique silver hallmarks in British jewellery are comprised of Standard Mark, Duty Mark, City Mark, Maker’s Mark, Date and Letter.
925 Silver Jewellery and Sterling Silver Earrings
Originally, silver was standardized as Sterling silver (925 in 1000 parts) and Britannia (958 in 100 parts), though 800 and 999 have been included recently. Hence, silver costume jewellery invariably comes with the hallmark, confirming that it meets legal standards. The purpose is accomplished by submitting the goods to the UK Assay Offices, where they undergo sampling, assaying and hallmarking. Unlike gold, which undergoes a fire refinement for assaying, silver is assayed by chemical tests.
The design palate is comprised of exclusive bridal jewellery, preferred from an investment point of view, and fantastic costume jewellery, that emphasizes on cosmetic appearance. The price of highly intricate designs, include the cost for workmanship, rendering them more expensive. Handmade jewellery is also expensive, with an additional expense going into the extra effort put in for exclusive handcrafting.
Today, sterling silver or 925 silver (92.5% silver & 7.5% copper) is widely used in creating all types of silver jewellery, due to its favorable properties. It is also used in making silver wire for wrapping beads, sculpting, and making rings or clasps, and even knitting for some unique models. Silver wire, conforming to the standard is also purchased by customers to make simple jewellery at home, inclusive of sterling silver earrings, silver hoop earrings and necklaces.
Earrings, bangles, bracelets, necklaces, chains, rings, anklets and many more types of jewellery are abundantly made in silver, with more emphasis given to a variety of earring types, ranging from sterling silver hoop earrings to chandeliers. Though they get tarnished with time, the discoloration is reversible, and the ornaments’ sheen and color are restored by periodical cleansing with cleansers that can be made at home, or purchased in readymade forms.
Oxidized silver jewellery is also an interesting trend, where in the jewel’s surface is rendered black, by using a chemical that is called ‘silver black’ or by other techniques. It specifically accentuates the twists and loops of silver wire jewels. Either the whole piece is oxidized (as inner wire work is hard to access for cleaning), or the top surface is polished, after the oxidizing the whole item, leaving a nice contrast between the oxidized dark stain, and the shiny surface.
Combined with colorful beads, and customer-oriented patterns, silver jewelry has an unsurpassable appeal. It renders a perennial fashion, as it is less expensive when compared to other precious metals, and is perfect for making costume jewellery.
White Gold and 9ct Gold Earrings
Gold is available in a variety of carats such as 14ct, 18ct and 22ct, though 9ct, 10ct and 24ct are also used worldwide. Carat expresses the gold content, with regard to the proportion of gold to other metals in the alloy that forms the final metal used in making the ornament. Further, gold earrings are offered in a few exquisite colors namely, yellow gold, rose gold and white gold. The colors are due to metallic components in the alloy; yellow gold is usually obtained by mixing gold with copper or zinc, rose gold is obtained by including copper, and white gold contains metals like palladium and silver.
After the classic gold hoop earrings, and elaborate pendant and dangling drops, the more modern versions include the clamp earrings or clip on earrings, chandelier earrings, studs and screw-on earrings. The hoop that passes through the piercing is easy and comfortable for little girls, while white gold earrings offer an elegant appearance for women of all ages. Studs, usually made form solid gold, may be set with precious or semi precious stones in vivid colors that give a distinct look to every pair. For large sized hoops, the gold used may be hollowed, rendering lightweight.
Apart from imparting a magnanimous appearance, 9ct gold earrings are safe on skin, and offer the highest level of comfort. As far as price is concerned, sky is the limit, yet there are a wide range of affordable designs of eye-catching earrings, regardless of the budget.
