Material & Care

Every piece of jewelry consists of two main parts of material: gemstone and the precious metal. At Jadeite Atelier, in almost all our jewelry items we use jade as the main gemstone and possibly other supplementary gems for styling. 

So far the list of gems we use consist of the following: jadeite, diamond, mother of pearl, and cubic zirconia. 

As for the precious metal, there are two main categories:

• 18kt gold
• Palladium plated sterling silver.

Material : Gemstone

-- Jadeite --

Jadeite, also known as Burmese Jade is a rare form of jade and is mainly found in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). It differs from nephrite, the other form of jade, and can be naturally found in a wide spectrum of colours. For more information, visit our jade blog.

-- Mother of Pearl --

Mother of pearl is the iridescent inside lining (the shiny part) of a mollusk shell. The three most common mollusk where it is found are: pearl oysters, fresh water mussels and abalone. It is made of the same substance as pearl, called nacre – an organic substance discharged by the mollusk shell. The mother of pearl can be found in three colors: white, light pink and grey.

-- Cubic Zirconia --

Cubic zirconia is a synthesized crystal similar to a diamond with its brilliance and crystal clarity. It is a colorless, hard, and flawless mineral that can be made into different colors.

Material : Precious Material

-- 18kt Solid White/Rose Gold --

18kt gold means it consist of 75% pure gold with the remaining 25% an alloy mixture of metals that is used to add hardness and color finishing.

• 18kt white gold will have palladium in its alloy which gives it a whitening effect
• 18kt rose gold will have copper in its alloy to give the rose color effect

-- Palladium Plated Sterling Silver --

A layer of Palladium is plated over the Sterling Silver base material to provide a premium quality finish and added protection against the natural tarnish process.

• Palladium is a rare precious material in the same classification as Gold and Platinum.
• Sterling silver contains 92.5 percent of fine silver and 7.5 percent of other metals.

-- White Gold Finish --

A final layer of Rhodium is plated over the surface. Rhodium is a precious metal of the platinum family, resistant to corrosion which helps slowing down the rate of tarnishing when it is plated onto sterling silver products.

-- Rose Gold Finish --

A final layer of 18kt rose gold is plated over the surface. 18kt rose gold consists of 75% gold with the remainder 25% being an alloy mixture of metals used to produce the "rose" color finishing.

-- Champagne Gold Finish --

A final layer of our proprietary "champagne gold" is plated over the surface. This layer of metal consists of pure gold and special mixture of rare precious material to produce the champagne gold color finishing.

-- Ruthenium Grey Finish --

A final layer of ruthenium is played over the surface. Ruthenium is rare metal, similar to Rhodium, is extremely resistant to corrosion which helps with slowing down the rate of tarnishing when it is played onto sterling silver products. Its natural grey color provides the final finishing effect. 

General Care for Gold Base Jewelry

Gold is a timeless jewelry metal that has beautiful shine and is also durable. It does not tarnish in the same way as silver based items but we should still be aware of how to care for it. 

Cleaning is very simple. Soak in mild soap water and scrub lightly with a gentle soft brush. Rinse with clean water and dry with soft cloth or blow dryer. Remember! Do not use paper towel or tissue as fibres in it can create scratches on the surface.

 

General Care for Silver Base Jewelry

It will naturally tarnish but can be cleaned with a soft cloth using mild soap water or with non-whitening toothpaste. Make sure to rinse thoroughly with water and dry it completely each time after. When not being worn, avoid storing it under sunlight. Over time, the gold color of the silver plated gold products will eventually wear off and expose the base silver. You can polish off all the plated gold and wear the product as plain silver color.

Some activities can accelerate tarnishing or even cause corrosion. You should remove your Sterling Silver jewelry before the following:

• Using household cleaning supplies
• Cooking with mustard, onions, eggs, or any other foods that contain sulphur
• Sunbathing
• Swimming
• Spraying Hairspray
• Putting on Lotion and Makeup