0

Your Cart is Empty

Our Materials

We source all our materials locally in Australia, working with our valued suppliers to ensure the highest quality.

 

STERLING SILVER

Sterling silver or 925 silver, is an alloy containing 925 parts pure silver out of 1000.  The remaining 75 parts are usually copper. Sterling silver is the most commonly used silver alloy as it is significantly harder than pure silver. This hardness makes it ideal for jewellery and tableware due to the increased strength and durability it has compared with pure silver.  The purity mark or hallmark for sterling silver is 925. This number is stamped onto sterling silver articles and denotes the purity of the metal and the objects value. Other metals, such as gold are also widely marked.

Sterling silver has also been used as a standard form of currency throughout the world for hundreds of years. Many old forms of coinage are made using this silver alloy as the stamped designs took much longer to wear away.

We use sterling silver for its combination of workability, affordability and its visual appearance - it is such a beautiful material to work with. We also treat the sterling silver in different ways to give different finishes to our pieces.

Oxidised sterling silver 
Oxidised sterling silver is a deep rich black colour. To achieve this finish the piece is treated with a chemical that rapidly oxidises the surface leaving it blackened. The surface is then waxed to bring up the colour and provide a little protection to the surface. The blackened colour is only a surface treatment, so it can wear over time, especially on pieces that receive heavy day to day wear.
 
Gold plated sterling silver
Gold plated sterling silver has been electroplated to give the surface a very thin coating of 24k yellow gold over the sterling silver. This is only a surface treatment and heavy wear and scratches may cause the surface to wear prematurely. You can find more about looking after pieces with these finishes in our Care Guide here.
  
STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless steel is a steel alloy containing chromium and nickel, this combination of metals creates one of the most useful metal materials used today. Due to its strong corrosion resistance and workability, it is widely used in many industries including construction, food production and medical applications. 

Stainless steel first came into production for use in cutlery and kitchenware, as it does not corrode or tarnish when in contact with food. This led to the rapid replacement of silver as the ideal material of choice. It is for these reasons we use stainless steel in our tableware products. Stainless steel is also a wonderful material because it can be formed, shaped and finished in so many ways.