Metal Information & Jewellery Care
At Suay Design we carry a large collection of mens and womens jewellery in various contemporary materials, jewellery has now been adapated to mens and womens unique tastes, revitalising the jewellery market. If you ask most men which material they would rather have Gold or Titanium, then most would reply Titanium. Below is a brief summary of the many materials and their properties which we stock.
Leather Jewellery - Our leather necklaces and bracelets can be worn on a daily basis but we do recommend that you remove them for bathing and swimming to prolong their life.
Titanium Jewellery- Titanium has recently become an extremely popular choice for wedding rings, or as a partner rings for those men and women who opt for a modern choice in jewellery. Mens jewellery has been longing for something light, unique and hardwearing, rather than the traditional gold and platinum, which are softer metals and prone to scratching. Titanium is a dark grey colour in its matt form which is why it so passionately and elegantly presents itself alongside platinum with gold and silver inlays. Titanium has been the choice for mens wedding and civil partnership rings because of its link to the Greek Gods who ruled the cosmos, as well as the link to super fast fighter jets! Titanium jewellery will also never tarnish or change colour as silver does, which is why titanium rings are best suited for everyday use. Unfortunately titanium does scratch but in many cases matt finished titanium jewellery may be resurfaced using fine steel wool, or a fabric ‘brillo pad’. Polished titanium jewellery will need to be buffed by machine.
Tungsten Carbide Jewellery- Heavy weight contender Tungsten Carbide jewellery looks like steel but is relatively heavy, but they display a slightly bluish hue. Tungsten is sintered at extremely high temperatures and maybe combined with other materials, such as carbon fibre or precious metals like gold and silver inlays which add flare. This material is relatively new to mens and womens jewellery and is generally used in many tooling applications, such as the components for the production to make titanium and stainless steel jewellery. Tungsten carbide is heavy and strong and virtually scratch resistant, which is why men and women are choosing is as an alterative and it is now our material of choice for wedding rings and civil partnerships rings. Tungsten Carbide will definitely last the 'till death do us part'! Tungsten carbide is extremely hard and it has no flexibility which is why it can break if dropped or hit with a blunt object. Our Tungsten Carbide collection of jewellery uses a nickel binder which insures a higher quality finish and longevity. The nickel content falls within the EU regulations which is less than 7% Nickel. To maintain tungsten jewellery simply rub a pencil rubber (eraser) over it from time to time as it will darken over time, this simple process will bring it back to life! Also avoid harsh chemicals such as alcohol hand gel which can effect the finish of tungsten.
Stainless Steel Jewellery- has been a true favourite amongst men and women purely for it's appearance and durability, with a white colour it is often mistaken for polished silver or platinum jewellery. Stainless steel jewelry is able to handle much more wear and tear than silver or gold jewellery, and it requires much less maintenance, making it functional and reliable for everyday purposes.
Stainless Steel’s strength and durability and inexpensive price have kept it in the spotlight as a choice of mens and women jewellery for many years. We stock a vast selection of stainless steel jewellery for men and women with precious metal inlays and fabulous diamonds. To clean stainless steel jewellery simply apply a light dish soap to it and rub gently with a soft sponge and dry it with a soft cloth….simple!
Zirconium Jewellery- Zirconium is a metal from the same family as titanium and displays the same grayish colour in its natural state, but zirconium jewellery can be also be a white lustrous metal when polished. One of the most fascinating properties to zirconium is its ability to change colour when exposed to high temperatures. When it is heat treated it forms a deep silky black oxide coating that is extremely scratch resistant and has all the same hypoallergenic qualities of titanium. This wonderful black coating around zirconium rings also allows laser etching to make the most unique designs. Although zirconium rings are nearly as strong as titanium they are still prone to scratching against other hard metals objects or diamonds, for this reason we recommend removal of rings before commencing any manual labour, or labourous task. Zirconium rings also make great wedding and civil partnership rings for durability and as a unique choice to traditional precious metals such as silver or gold.
Silver Jewellery- Silver has been known and valued as a precious metal for hundreds or years. Pure silver is very soft so it is normally mixed with copper because of its softness, this is also known as 925 content or 92.5% silver content. Silver weighing over 7.78 grams has to be stamped at the Assay Office to prove it’s silver content, this is Sterling Silver. The copper content makes the silver stronger but unfortunately this 7.5% copper content causes oxidization (tarnishing) to appear when exposed to air. Silver jewelry has always been a favourite amongst customers because of its brilliance, luster and price in comparison with platinum jewelry and gold jewellery. To maintain Silver jewelry simply clean it with a silver cloth or use a liquid silver dip.
Crystal Jewellery
We recommend that customers remove jewelry before going to bed or participating in physical activity. Exposure to certain harsh chemicals or environments will result in compromising the integrity of your jewellery. Jewellery containing crystals should be removed before bathing and/or swimming to prolong their life.
Please note that our black Suay boxes are not designed for long-term storage as they are not air tight and will allow tarnishing of certain materials will occur over time.
Plating
Any metal with a PVD/Ion plating will wear off and scratch off over time, how long the plating lasts will depend on surface exposure to abrasive materials, chemicals and metals.