Silver
The Hannah Blount Jewelry studio employs a variety of silver to create eponymous, quality pieces. The studio utilizes argentium silver for castings, as it’s the better quality of silver. Argentium is considered sterling silver as it is 93.5% silver, and 92.5% silver is needed to be considered sterling silver. Argentium is as durable as sterling silver; due to the additional amount of fine silver (that brings the total it to 93.5% silver), argentium is more tarnish resistant but not softer. Argentium is also an easier silver for jewelers to work with as it doesn’t firescale during production.
Hannah Blount Jewelry utilizes fine silver in the backplates of gemstone centric pieces to avoid tarnish, and in other supporting roles throughout the one-of-a-kind and permanent production pieces. Sterling silver is used in HBJ’s bright silver chain options for its strength and durability throughout each collection that offers the bright silver metal option. Sterling silver is very dense and durable, known for it's cool luster.
Oxidized silver is one of Hannah Blount Jewelry's most beloved metals. Oxidized silver occurs when silver is purposely exposed to a chemical solution. This process creates discoloration, which gives the silver a dark, stormy finish. Pieces in oxidized silver do wear overtime, but HBJ is always happy to refinish your pieces.
Gold
The HBJ Studio works with yellow gold including 10k, 14k, 18k and even 22k, predominantly, with one-of-a-kinds in rose gold. Gold varies in its makeup and karats, with different amounts of alloys. Hannah Blount Jewelry works with predominately 14k and 18k gold, which contain moderate amounts of copper or other base metals. Copper is the most common base metal used with gold, which creates a warmer hue to the metal.
- 18k, 75.0% or 750 - 75% gold and 25% alloy.
- 14k, 58.3% or 583 - 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy.
Rose gold is named for its copper-like or pink aesthetic; the higher percentage of copper alloy in the metal, the more copper the color! The studio has also introduced royal yellow gold, an 18k gold with a viridescent understone, and palladium white gold, palladium white gold. Palladium white gold is made with palladium, instead of nickel, to create the gold's grey undertones.
