Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver is a versatile metal and can have a high polish, matte, brushed, satin, sandblasted, oxidized or antiqued finish.
Sterling silver’s versatility and affordability create limitless options for fashionable jewelry. While sterling silver can tarnish or darken, it is easy to return silver to its natural finish with proper care and cleaning.

Platinum
Platinum’s luster complements the sparkle of diamonds and gems. Its finish can range from a bright polish to a soft matte texture.
Platinum’s strength assures you that your most precious diamonds and gems will be protected and secured. Platinum’s purity makes it hypo allergic and thus the perfect choice for those with sensitive skin and its durability makes it ideal for wearing every day, as it sustains very little metal loss over a lifetime of wear.

White Gold
White gold gets its color by mixing yellow gold with alloys like nickel, zinc and palladium. Due to the variety of the alloys used, white gold colors will vary. Sometimes white gold is covered with rhodium plating to create a bright, pure white finish.
White gold is a more affordable yet still durable and precious alternative to platinum. It doesn’t tarnish like silver. But some rhodium plated white gold can “yellow” over time and may need to be occasionally re-plated. However, some manufacturers are creating white gold alloys that are white enough to not need rhodium plating. Be sure to ask your jeweler about these newer alloys. When gold is alloyed with nickel, it can be allergenic to a small percentage of wearers who have sensitive skin. In response, many refiners and manufacturers are now offering white gold that doesn’t contain nickel.

Palladium
Palladium ahs garnered much interest from jewelers since it offers many of the benefits of Platinum – bright white color, purity and strength – at a more affordable price. Jewelry designers are taking advantage of palladium’s strong light characteristic and creating new white-metal jewelry that is solid and bold but affordable.
Palladium does not require plating to maintain its lustrous white color, and it is hypo allergenic. It will not tarnish. However, palladium is neither as rare, nor as heavy as platinum.

Alternative Metals: Titanium, Stainless steel & Tungsten Carbide
Although not as commonly used in fine jewelry as sterling silver, white gold or platinum, Titanium, Stainless Steel and Tungsten Carbide are gaining popularity – especially with men. Often used for their durability in active accessories, like golf clubs, the metals are well suited for active consumers who will wear the jewelry on a daily basis.
These metals offer affordable alternatives to precious white metal jewelry. They are non-corrosive and hypo allergenic. Jewelry made using these industrial metals is scratch resistant and retains polish longer. When used in chain or link bracelets, they are less likely to snap and break. However their strength also limits their applications. They are so tough that resizing rings is sometimes difficult – though many manufacturers do offer a resizing service to retailers who cannot resize the rings themselves.

White Metal Jewelry Purchasing Tips
- Look for quality construction.
- Pay special attention to fasteners and clasps, making sure catches are secure and work easily.
- Pin backs and earring posts should be strong and easily attached with no visible marks.
- Lay chains flat to make sure the links don’t kink or bend. If you’re purchasing rhodium plated items, inspect the piece to ensure that the plating completely covers it.


Jewelers of America, INC.