Often you’ll find costume jewelry that is described as gold tone or silver tone. This means that the jewelry is made from a base metal, such as brass, and then electroplated to give the piece its color (the look of gold or silver) and shine.

Electroplating is a process which coats an object with a thin layer of metal. Plating has two components: one, which gives the plating its color, and the other, which gives the plating its brightness. The brightness component usually wears off before the color component.

Brass takes very well to the process of electroplating. Eventually, the plating will dull and fade away. How fast this occurs depends on the quality of the plating (i.e., thickness), the wearer’s body chemistry, and the environment (i.e. air pollution and humidity).

In general, inexpensive electroplated jewelry from China uses low-grade, thin plating. The difference between high and low-grade plating can be seen in durability, shine, and resistance to oxidation. Oxidation of metal is more commonly called tarnishing, and you can see signs of oxidation when an item turns black after wearing it.

Furthermore, many costume jewelry manufacturers use plastic as a base for their jewelry which can break easily and often cause allergic reactions.

Our costume jewelry collections have a brass base and high-grade plating. This is a quality you can feel and see. Our costume jewelry is as good, if not better, than what you will find in high-end, fancy department stores. In fact, our jewelry designer supplies these high-end department stores, making our line an excellent value.