In all our sterling silver cast pieces, Gemvara uses premium Argentium 960 silver, which is 96% silver and nickel-free. (Traditional sterling silver is only 92.5% silver.) Argentium is more durable and resists tarnish longer than traditional sterling silver because it has germanium in the alloy in addition to the traditional copper. The silver in Argentium is guaranteed to be recycled.
14K gold is 58.5% gold and 18K gold is 75% gold. The composition of the rest of the alloy varies a little but generally yellow gold is blended with silver, copper, and zinc. Rose gold has a greater proportion of copper to give it a rosy hue. Gemvara's white gold is alloyed with palladium or nickel and silver, copper, and zinc and is plated with rhodium, a platinum group metal, to brighten the white color.
Platinum and palladium are both 95% pure and hypoallergenic. For both platinum and palladium, the other 5% of the alloy is composed of other platinum group metals: ruthenium or iridium or a combination of the two, which varies from design to design.