Learning center

Metals

Gold karats and colors, platinum, silver, and the maintenance each one asks for.

Jewelry Metals: A Complete Guide

Gold, platinum, silver, and the alternatives. What each metal costs, how it wears, and which one fits the piece you have in mind.

Karat measures gold purity, and purity trades off against durability. Here is what the numbers mean and which karat suits which jewelry.

All three golds are real gold with different alloys. Here is how each is made, how each ages, and how to pick the one that suits the wearer.

They look alike in the case and age completely differently. Weight, patina, upkeep, and price, compared without the sales pitch.

Silver is the most affordable precious metal and the most misunderstood. What 925 means, why tarnish is normal, and how to keep silver bright.

Why white gold is plated, how long rhodium lasts, what replating costs in time and trouble, and when it makes sense for other metals.

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