Pure silver is a soft, easily damaged metal, so it is commonly combined with copper in order to produce the more sturdy material used for jewelry making. This alloy is called sterling silver and is usually identified by the numbers 925 stamped into it, for 92.5% pure silver. While sterling silver is a fairly sturdy metal, it should not be twisted or bent unduly, and some care does need to be taken with it. The acids in wood can mar it's finish (especially oak), so avoid leaving silver jewelry lying on a wood surface. It is best kept in a dark, dry place, as even the light from a single light bulb will speed up the rate of tarnish. Silver is also incompatible with acetylene, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide, and should not be worn in a swimming pool or hot tub.

Thai Hill Tribe Silver, or Hill Tribe Silver of Thailand, is silver from the various hill tribes in Thailand. Intricately carved and often whimsical, Hill Tribe Silver is generally 95% silver, though beads vary from tribe to tribe and may have a silver content as high as 99%. All Hill Tribe Silver products are of softer silver than sterling, so some care should be taken with components of this substance.

Like silver, pure gold is too soft a metal for the construction of most jewelry; therefore, it is combined with other metals to increase its durability. The most common metals mixed with gold are copper, zinc, nickel, and silver. Pure gold is what is known as 24K, or 24 karat gold. As with silver, the various grades of gold are expressed by the number of parts of gold they contain. 18K gold is 18 parts gold, 6 parts other alloy, for a ration of 3:1, and a decimal grade of .750. 14K gold has 14 parts gold, 10 parts alloy and can be labelled 583; and 10K gold is only 10 parts gold, 14 parts alloy and may be labelled 416. Europe has slightly higher standards for gold, so in actuality, 14K gold from the US contains slightly less gold than the European grade of .583. By United States Federal law, anything less than 10 parts (10K) gold can not be labelled gold.

In addition to lending gold strength, alloys can also change the appearance of gold. Copper lends a pink color, silver yields green, and nickel results in white gold, which is also more durable than the softer yellow. Famed Black Hills Gold begins its life as pure, 24K yellow gold. It is mixed with alloys to bring it down to 10, 12, or 14K gold and gains its pink and green colors from copper and silver, respectively.

Incidentally, all gold can turn the wearer's skin black. Such color change is the result of body chemistry and is caused by a chemical reaction; however, the reaction is more likely at lower percentages of gold than with pure, 24K gold.

Gold vermeil (ver-may) is sterling silver which has been overlayed with gold.

Gold-fill is a process in which gold is bonded to a base metal alloy such as nickel or brass, using a combination of heat and pressure. The amount of gold used must make up at least 1/20th of the total weight of the piece, and all exterior portions are solid gold, ranging from 24K down to 10. The layer of gold in gold-filled wire is approximately 100 times thicker than that of gold plate.

Once an alloy of tin and lead, pewter is now most often made of tin, antimony, and copper or bismuth and is sometimes called Brittania metal. Pewter made with lead is poisonous; older pieces of the stuff should not be put in one's mouth. Any pewter used in Dragonfly jewelry is lead-free.

All components of Dragonfly jewelry are sterling or Hill Tribe Silver, gold-filled, gold vermeil, or in some instances, 14, 18 or 24K gold. On occasion, a pewter charm may be employed, but only for aesthetic design, and the use of pewter will always be listed in the piece's components. Some bracelets also warrant a much stronger material and are strung on nylon-coated stainless steel, but I do not like the look or cheap quality of plated base metals and will not use them for any piece of Dragonfly jewelry.

From earring hoops to head pins, all women deserve the beauty and quality of silver and gold, and those are what I use.

Semi-precious stones

Swarovski crystal

Czech glass

Cultured pearls

Sterling Silver

Jewelry Trivia

Anniversary & Birth Stones