Jewelry Education & Guide

Metal Guide

• What is "Sterling Silver"?
• What is "Gold Tone" or "Silver Tone"?
• What is "Gold Vermeil"?
• What is "Gold Filled"?
• What is "Gold Plated" or "Gold Electroplated"?
• What is "Rhodium"?
• What is "Tungsten Carbide"?

Cleaning and Care Guide

• Will sterling silver tarnish?
• How to clean and take care of rhodium plated jewerly?

Ring Size Guide

• How to measure my finger ring size?
• What is comfort fit?

What is "Sterling Silver"?

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength, while at the same time preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious metal. Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale, and increasing resistance to tarnish.

What is "Gold Tone" or "Silver Tone"?

Jewelry finished with a gold colored or silver colored base metal usually brass or copper. No real gold or silver included.

What is "Gold Vermeil"?

Vermeil (pronounced vehr-MAY), also known as silver gilt, is a combination of sterling silver, gold, and other precious metals. A typical example is sterling silver coated with 14-karat gold. To be considered vermeil, the gold must also be at least 10-karat and be at least 1.5 micrometres thick. The finish looks great and the price is substantially lower. Sterling silver covered with another metal cannot be called vermeil.

What is "Gold Filled"?

Gold-filled jewelry (also called Gold Overlay) is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure, to a base metal such as brass. Some high quality gold-filled pieces have the look, luster, and beauty of 14 karat (58%) gold. By definition, the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 the weight of the total item. 1/20 12kt GF is the most common stamp you will find on gold-filled jewelry. 10kt and 14kt are also common karatages. Gold filled items, even with daily wear, can last years but will eventually wear off. Gold-filled items are at least 50 times thicker than regular gold plating, and at least 17 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate (sometimes stamped HGE or HGP).

What is "Gold Plated" or "Gold Electroplated"?

Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper, by chemical or electrochemical means.

What is "Rhodium"?

A member of the platinum group, rhodium is a shiny white metal that is highly reflective, durable, and expensive. It is often used as a hardening agent for platinum. In jewelry, it is plated on other metals to increase luster and eliminate tarnishing.

What is "Tungsten Carbide"?

Tungsten Carbide rings are the most wear durable rings. Tungsten Carbide is one of the hardest materials which is setting the industry standards in quality, longevity, and the most scratch resistant of any metal. It's nearly indestructible and almost as hard as real diamond. A tungsten carbide ring is said to be four times harder than titanium, twice as hard as steel and almost impossible to scratch. The color of tungsten carbide is very similar to that of silver and white gold. Nowadays, Tungsten Carbide rings are a great modern choice for anyone who values high quality jewelry that will last a lifetime. If you are looking for a sign of lasting friendship ring or a wedding band that will truly last a lifetime at a reasonable price, tungsten carbide rings are a good choice.

Will sterling silver tarnish?

Chemically, silver does not react with oxygen or water at ordinary temperatures, so does not easily tarnish. However, the other metal in the alloy, usually copper, may react with oxygen in the air. As the purity of the silver decreases, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing also increases. Unless it is covered in Rhodium or another heavy metal, sterling jewelry will still tarnish, but it is very easy to clean and take care of. Most of Berricle.com sterling silver jewelry is plated with Rhodium for maximum durability.

How to clean and take care of rhodium plated jewelry?

For regular cleaning, it is recommended to use a simple jewelry polishing cloth that is impregnated with special jewelry cleaner. These are widely available and are very easy to use. You can also use soft 100% cotton cloth. It is a good idea to have one cleaning cloth for gold and one for silver.

DO NOT use silver liquid cleaner to clean rhodium plated jewelry cause it's too harsh and can dull and harm rhodium plating. To keep tarnish to a minimum, it is strongly advised that you store your silver jewelry in dry and air-tight area ( such as jewelry box or zip-lock bag) when not wearing them. It is also strongly recommended to take off your rhodium plated jewelry when you put on hairspray, wash your hands, shower and swim. Your rhodium plated jewelry may turn quickly if it meets those chemical substances. Although silver jewelry is scratch resistant it isn't scratch proof, so it is recommend that you store each piece of silver jewelry separately, so that it is not rubbing against other items.

How to measure my finger ring size?

We understand that not everyone know their ring size and we want to help you get the right size. We provide a printable ring size guide.

Important: Make sure that page scaling is set to "none" on your print dialog box. Download Guide Here The document is a PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, dowload it here for free.     Did you know that you can return a ring for an exchange if you've ordered the wrong size. It is OK to return and exchange.

What is comfort fit?

Comfort fit bands have a rounded finish inside the wedding band so that it will not pinch the skin of the finger. In turn this provides the most comfort for daily wear. Traditional comfort-fit means the wedding band has an extremely rounded inner side, which makes the interior of the ring look similar to a slight dome profile. A semi-comfort fit provides a nice, tight fit along with all required comfort. Since the edges of the inner part of the ring do not put pressure on the finger, comfort fit rings feel a lot looser than a traditional half ring. The most popular comfort fit bands are 4 mm wide with a thickness of 2 mm.