Material Guides · 2026-01-28

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Choosing the base metal for a plated jewelry programme, and what each one does after a year of wear.

Plating is a surface - the base metal is the product

Two rings can leave the plating line looking identical and behave completely differently six months later. What decides that is what sits under the plate.

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Dense, easy to cast in detail and takes a bright gold plate. It is the traditional base for plated fashion jewelry and it feels substantial in the hand, which matters more than most buyers expect. Its weakness is that once the plating wears through at a high-contact point, the exposed brass will discolour.

925 sterling silver

The base a customer expects when they are buying something to keep rather than to wear for a season. Silver can be polished back and re-plated, so a piece has a second life. It costs more, and the price moves with the silver market.

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Does not tarnish, does not react with most skin and survives water. This is why it dominates everyday pieces - anklets, everyday rings, pieces bought for teenagers. It is harder to cast fine detail into than brass, so very intricate designs usually go to brass instead.

How to decide

Match the metal to how the piece will be worn, not to the price point. An occasion piece can be plated brass. A piece someone will shower in should be stainless steel. A piece sold as an heirloom should be silver.

Where to Go Next

If you are specifying an order off the back of this, the OEM and ODM page sets out the sequence from enquiry to shipment, and the full catalogue lists all 1,396 styles we currently make.