All our products are made with high quality sterling silver or above unless otherwise noted (for example: steel). Sterling silver by definition is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper alloy; all our silver is assay tested to be at least 92.5% sterling silver. (92.5% sterling silver refers to the stamp ".925" or "SS").We guarantee our silver to be .925 or above!

Many of our exclusive lines use a particular type of glass, called Murano art glass. Murano is actually one of several islands just outside of Venice, Italy. In this region, each of these islands focuses in a specialized handcraft; Murano is famous for their art glass making. Culturally rich with history, tradition, ancient techniques and art, Murano glass dates back as early as 982 and is the oldest glassmaking tradition in Europe. It incorporates its heritage with constant technical and artistic innovation to create beautiful art sculptures, vases, jewelry and more. Murano art glass is only made in Murano. Although, it is very much imitated, there is only one true Murano glass and it is protected by the Marchio del Vetro Artistico di Murano trademark. This trademark signifies that the Murano glass was made by an approved Muranese glassmaker.

Millefiori is a type of Murano glass that has been incorporated with various layers of colors to create beautiful flower-like patterns. Millefiori, which literally means “a thousand flowers”, is the denomination of a type of cylindrical, long glass rod which contains a specific pattern along its entire length, so that when cut into slices from one end, the particular pattern will be revealed. It is completely handmade of authentic Murano glass. This style of glass has been around since the Middle Ages and more recently, have been produce for fine jewelry.

Many times nickel, a hard metal known also as Ni, is placed between the coating and the silver because it facilitates the adherence and luster of the plating to the metal. When used in silver jewelry, this can cause irritation to those who are sensitive to nickel or have nickel allergies. For that reason, there is nickel-free jewelry available. Although, we still carry some jewelry with nickel plating, 95% of our sterling silver jewelry is nickel-free.

Rhodium is a hard, durable, silvery-white metallic element that is used to form high-temperature alloys with platinum and is then plated on other metals to produce a durable corrosion-resistant coating. Rhodium, also known as Rh, is a member of the platinum group and found in platinum ores. It has a higher melting point and lower density than platinum. Rhodium is a very expensive metal, even more so than gold. Due to the scarcity of the metal, it commands a high market price. Sterling silver jewelry that is plated with rhodium is resistant to scratching, abrasion and corrosion. As mentioned above, sterling silver has a tendency to tarnish rather quickly when exposed to harsh contaminants, such as sulfur and many others that are found all around us. Contact with skin oils and perfumes may also discolor silver, which requires frequent cleaning and polishing. Since rhodium plating is highly acid and chemical resistant, it will withstand such contact. Consequently, sterling silver is an ideal candidate for rhodium plating. In addition, rhodium is also frequently used to give silver jewelry a beautiful finish.

Amethyst is a transparent purple quartz gemstone and is one of the most important quartz variety used in jewelry. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February. Although its colors range from pale lilac to purple and deep violets, it is closely related to the citrine stone, which is the yellow form of quartz. Varieties of both amethyst and citrine can occur in the same stone, creating beautiful stones called ametrines. Mined all over the world in places like Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Argentina, Australia and parts of Africa, amethyst can vary in colors from different areas. The darker stones tend to be more popular and expensive. Amethyst has a deep history and has been known to be a spiritual healing and cleansing stone. The word amethyst comes from the Greek work “amethustos” which means sober or not drunk. It has been said that amethyst was to protect against intoxication and poisonings and has been the symbol for sobriety. It has also been known to be used in crowns, rings and other jewelry for royalty. Amethyst is the stone of choice for the rings of Bishops and has been used in Catholicism, as well as other churches, throughout history.

Citrine, also called citrine quartz or citrine topaz, is an amber-colored gemstone. It is a golden yellow form of quartz and its name comes from the French word, “citron” which means lemon. It includes various shades of yellow, yellow-brown, gold, orange, orange-brown and reddish-brown and is an alternative birthstone for the month of November. Besides its inherent beauty, citrine is very affordable, generally more inexpensive than other gemstones and is available in various shapes and sizes.

Garnet is probably best known as the deep red gemstone. However, this semi-precious stone’s colors can range from red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, black and can even be colorless. It is a very sturdy stone, making it an excellent stone to wear and work with in jewelry. Today these stones are mined all over the world, including North, Central and South Americas, Russia, India and many African countries. Garnets have a high refraction of light which gives it pretty brilliance. Reportedly, garnets were used by Noah as a guide and to light the Ark. The word garnet comes from the Latin word “granum” which means grain. It was a reference to its shape and how garnet resembles pomegranate seeds. In addition to the various colors, there are multiple names for other garnet types like andradite, demantoid, grossularite, hessonite, pyrope, rhodolith, tsavorith, spessartine, uwarowite and many others. Although the colors may vary, all these types share a similar chemical structure and belong to the garnet family. Garnet is also the birthstone for the month of January.

Commonly known for its golden hue, topaz is one of the better recognized semi-precious stones. It comes in an assortment of colors: yellow, pink, red, orange, blue, green, purple, brown and colorless. The classic topaz colors are yellow to orange-brown and are often referred as Sherry, Madeira and Imperial topaz in the trade. Like many other stones, topaz is believed to have spiritual healing powers and has been used throughout history. The word topaz is derived from the Greek word “topazos” which was an old name for a Greek island known to produce peridot, another stone commonly mistaken for topaz. In fact, in earlier times, all yellow stones were considered to be topaz. Due to its color, topaz is still confused regularly for other stones, like citrine and smoky quartz. Topaz also possesses a similar characteristic to diamonds. While topaz is a hard gemstone, they can break easily with a single blow, very much like diamonds. However, once the stone is set, breakage is unlikely. The most sought after topaz stones are red and pink topaz stones. They are rich in color and more expensive in price. In recent years, the popularity of blue topaz has grown due to affordable prices and attractiveness. Although, blue topaz is available naturally, many have been produced using irradiation to simulate the color desired, making it easily accessible in a variety of shades, sizes and shapes. The largest supplier of topaz today is Brazil; nevertheless topaz is mined all over the world, from Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Burma, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Russia and the United States.

Also known as CZ, is a well-known substitute for diamonds. It is a synthetic gemstone that is created from a cubic form of zirconium oxide. It can come in various colors and is durable and inexpensive. Although cubic zirconia looks identical to diamonds, it isn’t as brilliant as a diamond. However, unlike diamonds that have impurities and inclusions, cubic zirconia is a flawless stone and has more fire, or flashes of color. Cubic zirconia is also more brittle and weighs more than diamonds. Cubic zirconia should be cleaned frequently to avoid dulling the stone’s brilliance. Contact with skin oils and daily wear and tear can dull the stone. Using a jewelry cleaner or detergent, clean thoroughly, making sure to properly dry your piece to further avoid any dulling of the stone. Due to its durable nature, you may use a brush as needed without damaging the stone. All of our cubic zirconia items are made with Grade A quality stones with a high-shine finish. All of our CZ pieces are always set and never glued on. Depending on the styles, we use both machine-cut and hand-cut CZ stones.

A natural mineral used in jewelry. It is a light and brittle mineral that is often mistaken for pyrite. Pyrite and marcasite have the same chemical formula, but different crystal system, thereby making them two separate minerals. In jewelry, pyrite is used as a gem while marcasite is not. It is a mined stone and when used in jewelry, marcasite is cut and shaped very much like diamonds. We carry a whole line of marcasite jewelry made strictly out of Grade A marcasite from Thailand. When our marcasite jewelry is created, we oxidize the silver to prevent future tarnish. This process gives all of our pieces the antique or vintage look that is very popular today.