Materials

At Eli Speaks Jewellery, we only use quality materials from trusted sources. I have built up excellent relationships with local suppliers over many years of trade. This ensures high quality, with any unlikely issues being resolved easily and quickly. You can feel confident that your piece is exactly what you have purchased, and will be of superior quality and durability.

It can be tricky to understand what materials are best suited for your special piece of jewellery. I will try to summarise the main points to consider below.

Gems

I use a huge variety of gems in my jewellery designs, including Diamonds (Australian and overseas) Sapphire (Australian and overseas), Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Aquamarine, Morganite, Topaz, and many more.

I often source these gems from expert local gem cutters, as the finish is exceptional. I also source through trusted local diamond and gem suppliers for a wide range of options for you to choose from.

Gems that are appropriate for engagement and wedding rings and the rough and tumble nature of modern life are Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire and Spinel.

How to choose the perfect gemstone for your jewellery

When buying an engagement ring, it is important to consider what your partner does with their hands on a daily basis. Do they work in an office? Or get hands-on at the farm? Do they lift weights at the gym? Or stretch out at Yoga? Heavy lifting and contact with other rough surfaces (concrete, steel, dirt, chemicals, etc) can cause damage to jewellery.

Gems such as Emerald, Morganite, Aquamarine, Tourmaline and Garnet are great in jewellery, but require special care to be worn daily in rings. I like to think of it this way: Perfect for sometimes wear, perhaps not everyday wear.

More organic ‘gems’ like Opal and Pearl are definitely in the ‘sometimes wear’ category.

Bear in mind, earrings and necklaces are less likely to come into contact with rough surfaces, so less durable gem and metal choices can be used here.

Precious Metals

Precious metals consist of Platinum, 18ct white, yellow and rose golds, 9ct white, yellow and rose golds, Palladium, and 22ct yellow gold. We do sometimes use 14ct golds, but this particular carat of gold is more common in the US and Hong Kong.

All metals are sourced through local precious metal suppliers, or alloyed from pure metals in house.

For durability and longevity of engagement and wedding rings, I strongly recommend Platinum, or 18ct white, yellow or rose golds. You can expect a minimum of 10 years of daily wear from these metals, before repair and maintenance work may be needed.

For less worn items of jewellery, such as earrings, necklaces and dress rings, any of the previous list of metals will be fine.

Platinum

Platinum is prized for it’s bright white colour and strength. Platinum is an unusual metal, in that it is malleable, yet strong. A good example of the nature of Platinum - over a long time Platinum claws (the wires holding a gem in place) will tend to flatten and spread, rather than wear off the top and lose metal like gold. Platinum requires no rhodium plating (more on this later), and has a luxurious sheen and weight to it. Art Deco era jewellery was often made in platinum, and still exists today due to its strength.

18ct White Gold

18ct White Gold has a naturally warm grey tone, polishes beautifully and is very hard and strong. It will hold a crisp edge (perfect for more geometric designs) and will wear well for a lifetime, hopefully more. It is commercially standard to rhodium plate white gold rings (18ct,14ct,9ct) to achieve the bright white appearance of Platinum, and to make diamonds really “pop”. Rhodium is a bright white metal that is electroplated to the surface of other metals (it’s not workable as a metal in its own right) and wears off over time. Rhodium plating does NOT add any durability to the jewellery. It is purely aesthetic. I recommend re-rhodium plating every 1-2 years. This is an ongoing expense worth considering.

18ct Yellow and Rose Gold

18ct Yellow and Rose Gold have similar properties. Slightly less hard than platinum or white gold, though not an issue generally. The lustre of polish on these warm golds is extra special! Rose gold can be a little more brittle due to the high copper content. These warm toned metals can really help coloured gems stand out. Eg, a rose gold setting on a peach sapphire will emphasize the tones within the gem.