My jewelry is made with:

• Sterling silver, gold-filled, vermeil or silver components.
• Lead and Nickel free Pewter
• Czech glass or Swarovski crystal beads
• Semiprecious stones
• Freshwater pearls
• Other hand selected materials

What does this mean?

Gold-filled describes components to which a layer of at least 10-karat gold has been permanently bonded by heat and pressure to one or more surfaces of a support metal and then rolled to a prescribed thickness. Gold-filled components are more durable than “gold-plated”.

Vermeil (pronounced ver-may) describes components made of gold at least 15 micro-inches thick bonded to sterling silver by an electrolytic or mechanical process.

Semiprecious stones are natural stones that generally have a lower value than precious stones. They include amethyst, aventurine, carnelian, garnet, onyx, rose quartz, and others.

Sterling silver is an alloy (combination) of silver and another base metal, usually copper. (Pure silver is very soft, so it is alloyed to make it stronger and more durable.) In the USA, to be legally called or marked sterling silver, the metal must be at least 92.5% silver. It can be marked 925, .925 Sterling Silver, or Sterling Silver as long as it is at least 92.5% silver.

Lead and Nickel free Pewter is a softer metal that looks similar in tone to silver. I mostly use pewter beads and dangles.

Swarovski crystal describes high-quality glass crystals produced by Austria’s Swarovski company.

Czech glass is a high-quality glass crystal created in the Czech Republic. It is often hand-made.

Crystal is a glass product that is cut and polished.