When purchasing fashion jewelry, many are unaware of the differences between gold filled, gold plated, & the inexpensive (aka cheap) kind you buy for less than $5. At REIGN and RELICS, we bring you jewelry you can afford without jeopardizing the quality of each piece. Our aim is to bring you hypoallergenic*, nickel, & lead free jewelry that aims to keep your skin free from irritation & enables you to wear it more than 1x.
14K GOLD FILLED
14K gold filled uses 1/20th 14 karat gold (5% 14 karat gold by weight) overlay, which is then bonded to a brass inner core. It has 100x more gold than plated jewelry. Our 14k gold filled jewelry is lead & nickel free, won't fade, & is tarnish resistant. It's the next best thing after solid gold, but at a reasonable price point.
18K GOLD PLATED, 316L Stainless Steel
18k gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold to the top of a metal. The metal we use for our 18K gold plated jewelry is high grade 316L stainless steel (unless otherwise stated, which doesn't rust, fade, or cause that horrible smell usually associated with cheap fashion jewelry. 18k gold plated doesn't easily fade or oxidize under normal temperature conditions, but we suggest NOT to swim, sweat, or shower while wearing our 18k gold plated jewelry to keep its luster, plating, & shine longer. It is also hypoallergenic*.
*HYPOALLERGENIC
Hypoallergenic means we use little to no potentially irritating alloys in our jewelry - in our case either gold or high grade 316L stainless steel. 316L means extra corrosion resistance, but it does contain approx. 8-10.5% nickel, making it unsuitable for people with nickel allergies. Our suggestion is opting for our 14k Gold Filled jewelry instead.
