How will YOU celebrate Earth Day?

Earth Day is April 22nd and Mother’s Day is in May, so we want to celebrate our planet and all the mothers that teach their families to love our beautiful earth!

Did you know that some metals are more eco-friendly than others?  Silver has been used in jewelry for nearly as long as gold.  Like gold, pure silver is soft and commonly mixed with other metals to improve durability for use in jewelry. We are committed to creating jewelry that’s as sustainable as it is beautiful!

Here are the different types of silver in jewelry making:

• Sterling Silver possesses at least 92.5% pure Silver, (.925) and the other components can vary. Sterling provides durability to ensure that pieces like rings, bracelets and necklaces can be worn daily!  We use .925 sterling silver in our Beksan silver pieces!  

Necklace - Silver - Thick Link Chain 

• Zinc dipped in Sterling Silver starts with a base metal of zinc and then is dipped in .925 sterling silver. Zinc dipped in silver is considered a sustainable metal and these pieces are very popular.

• Silver Plate, also known as Silver Tone, is a thin layer of Fine Silver over a base metal. It is often the most cost-effective alternative.  However, this form of silver is very thin and can wear off easily.  It also quickly changes in appearance and color. That’s why we do not make silver or gold-plated jewelry.
  
  

Many of our customers ask ‘what is 24k gold vermeil’ since we use this sustainable metal in some of our jewelry: 

• 24k gold vermeil is a popular, sustainable metal. Vermeil is a jewelry technique, originating in the 19th century, where gold is melted over a base of sterling silver and the gold layer must be at least 2.5 microns. Mixing gold with other materials changes the hue of the gold and thus the dark richer yellow tone of 24k gold vermeil.  

Bracelet - Antika ~ Hammered Gold Bangle 

• If you see "14k", "18k", “24k” or another karat before the word "vermeil", this simply refers to how much gold content there is: 24k vermeil is 99.9% gold content, 18k is 75% gold content, 14k is 58.3% and 10k is 41.7%. Interesting, right?

• Gold-filled jewelry is jewelry composed of a solid layer of gold mechanically bonded to a base of either sterling silver or some base metal. We offer 14k gold fill and 24k gold fill pieces and some of our chains are 14k gold fill.

Necklace - Antika - Amazonite ½ Moon Pendant & 14k Gold Fill Bead Chain 

To support our planet, we intentionally use sustainable metals and natural gemstones (including crystals) to create eco-friendly jewelry for our customers.  

We invite you to explore the variety of sustainable sterling silver, 24k gold vermeil, and 14k gold fill pieces that our awesomely stylish shoppers have chosen as their “top picks”: