Precious metals for hypoallergenic jewelry

925, a benchmark for sterling silver

The purest form of silver contains very few elements of other metals. Its features are soft and easy to mold but aren’t suitable for making jewelry. To obtain strength and stability, additional metals such as copper, platinum, zinc etc must be added to the silver.
The proportion that is accepted as a worldwide standard for silver jewelry is 92.5% of silver, with no more than 7.5% of added other metals, in order to be considered genuine silver. Consequently sterling silver, the highest form of silver for production, is also named 925 silver after its ratio of silver and included metals. Gold jewelry needs to be mixed with other metals to be solid as well; true gold holding a proportion of gold up to 96.5% or more. The difference in purity will result in varied hardness, color and price. Gold that is blended with more alloys is stronger and preferable for jewelry as its purest form, 24 karat gold, is very soft and not as durable. HANN includes an 18 karat goldplated option for some jewelry models; karat being a unit of measurement for gold fineness and 18K containing a 75% of pure gold.
The use of stainless steel and alloys in costume jewelry can easily cause irritation and skin allergies. Contradictory HANN utilizes a supreme quality of Thai sterling silver and can therefore guarantee a hypoallergenic nature, by absence of irritants such as nickel or lead. The minimal amount of additional alloys found in sterling silver, will also result in less tarnishing. Furthermore HANN Jewelry contains an electrophoretic coating for extra durability against humidity, oxidation and pollution.

Jewelry maintenance

All silver and gold jewelry will oxidize naturally with air, light and humidity. Higher karat gold, like 18K gold, has a superior resistance to tarnishing, as opposed to lower quality gold. Similarly silver jewelry with more added alloys, especially copper, will darken faster because of a less pure ratio then sterling silver. Tarnished silver can be cleaned simply by using a silver polishing cloth to regain a sparkling finish. HANN recommends a silver dip solution for brightening more detailed and angled jewelry, whenever not containing gemstones or pearls. Matt and gold plated jewelry need to be cleaned with warm, soapy water and dried with a soft, non-abrasive cloth before being returned to an airtight jewelry box for storage. It’s recommended to not use a silver cloth on such jewelry as it will remove its finishing! Additionally maintain your jewelry by avoiding contact with moisture, air pollution and chemicals like perfumes and sprays.