OUR JEWELLERY

Amber Jewellery

Amber jewellery is known as the “sun stone” because of its variety of yellow, orange, lemon, cherry and sunny brown hues.

At Amber Lynx, our amber is natural Baltic amber gemstone which has undergone mechanical treatment such as cutting, grinding, polishing or turning or without any change to its natural properties. Please have a look at the video. Each amber jewellery and or accessory is unique and one offs. Like marble, not one stone is equal and some amber pieces may even come with rare inclusions of insects. When you get an amber jewellery, you are getting a piece of history, ancient and bespoke. It’s up to you, the wearer to continue that story.

9k Gold

Pure gold on its own is not suitable for jewellery as it is a soft metal and can easily bend, however when combined with alloy metals it is stronger and durable. 9k Gold will have a soft colour, as the higher the purity of gold, the more intense the colour; the highest purity of gold is 24k. The abbreviation ‘k’ is for karats and it refers to the unit of gold purity. 9k Gold jewellery will often be stamped with ‘375’ which signifies the purity of gold.

  • 9k Gold is composed of 37.5% pure gold and 62.6% of alloy metals.
  • 9k Yellow gold – pure gold combined with a higher percentage of silver or palladium and a lower percentage of copper.
  • 9k Rose gold – pure gold combined with a higher percentage of copper and a lower percentage of silver or palladium.

14k Gold

14K gold is harder and durable and more resistant to wear and tear. It is ideal for making daily-wear jewellery, especially for an active lifestyle. 14k Gold jewellery will often be stamped with ‘585’ which signifies the purity of gold.

  • 14k Gold is composed of 58.3% pure gold and 41.7% of alloy metals.
  • 14k Yellow gold – pure gold combined with a higher percentage of silver or palladium and a lower percentage of copper.
  • 14k Rose gold – pure gold combined with a higher percentage of copper and a lower percentage of silver or palladium.

18k Gold

  • 18k gold is purer gold that is not overly soft. It is stamped with ‘750’ which signifies the purity of gold. In general, it has a richer and more intense yellow appearance.
  • 18k Gold is composed of 75% pure gold and 25% of alloy metals such as copper and silver.
  • 18k Yellow gold – pure gold combined with a higher percentage of silver or palladium and a lower percentage of copper.
  • 18k Rose gold – pure gold combined with a higher percentage of copper and a lower percentage of silver or palladium.

24k Gold

24k gold is pure gold. It means that 24 out of 24 parts of the metal are gold. It is extremely soft and not suitable for jewellery in general. That’s why it is often mixed with other metal. It also scratched quite easily. It is brighter and more orange in appearance than normal yellow gold.

Gold Vermeil

Vermeil is a gold-finished material which is a combination of sterling silver covered in a thick layer of gold at least 2.5 microns and is popular due to its long-lasting wear. Gold vermeil is the best quality material you can purchase if you do not wish to buy solid gold jewellery as it is the perfect balance of quality and value.

Oxidised silver

Oxidised silver is the process of deliberately darkening sterling silver to give it an antique finish. It also makes gemstones pop in colour! Liver or sulphur or potassium sulphide is introduced to speed up the tarnishing process that naturally occurs with sterling silver creating a beautiful patina. Oxidisng silver is the opposite of rhodium or palladium plating. In time, your sterling silver will lighten in colour, fancy that!

Palladium plated jewellery

Palladium known by its chemical symbol Pd belongs to the platinum group of metals and is a natural element that was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. It is recognised for its silver-white appearance, low density and melting point. To plate sterling silver or gold in palladium, the jewellery is submerged in an electrolytic bath in dissolved palladium ions. Regular sterling silver contains copper and it is the copper content that leads to the tarnishing, by plating it with palladium the jewellery becomes tarnish resistant. Palladium is used in many white gold precious metal alloys to give the gold, its white appearance. As of 2021, the price of palladium is more than gold, making your amber jewellery more valuable.

Rhodium plated jewellery

Rhodium with a chemical element symbol Rh is a metal close to platinum that is silvery-white hard metal and extremely rare. In fact, it is rarer than gold and palladium that it is currently the most expensive metal in the world. This corrosion resistant metal is also a member of the platinum group of metals and was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803 in South Africa, it is also mined in the Urals and Ontario, Canada.

Rhodium plating follows the same process as palladium plating a piece of jewellery to maintain or restore the jewellery’s shine and to prevent oxidation of the sterling silver piece. Without rhodium plating, the surface of a classic sterling silver jewel oxidises in the air and in contact with the skin.

Sterling Silver Jewellery

Sterling silver is commonly used in jewellery and is composed of 92.5% Pure Silver and 7.5% of other metals. Sterling silver is popular in jewellery items as it more durable and cost effective. Tarnishing easily occurs on un-plated sterling silver due to the way the moisture in the air reacts with the alloy. All of our sterling silver pieces are rhodium or palladium plated for long-lasting wear. Rhodium is the most valuable metal and it is plated on sterling silver through an electroplating process which fuses them together. Rhodium plated sterling silver jewellery is hypoallergenic, and with proper care it will maintain its lustre and colour.

Swarovski crystal jewellery

In 1892, Daniel Swarovski, a son of a highly skilled glass cutter wanted to create a “diamond for everyone” so he patented an electric crystal cutting machine with such precision and consistency that all facets of the crystal pointed upwards and gleamed just like highly priced diamond. Swarovski crystals are made of glass with a mixture of quart sand, red lead and sodium carbonate with organic potash, making the glass malleable. With their trademark brilliance, soon Hollywood stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen prefer blondes were showcasing their accessories and jewellery pieces encrusted in Swarovski crystals.

White amber jewellery

White amber is one of the rarest and most highly valued Baltic amber. Formed by microscopic gas bubbles or water particles encapsulated inside the resin when it hardens, it is similar to whipping an egg white, the amber is at first yellow and transparent then it turns to creamy white. As a result, bone amber produces unique mosaics, patches, rings and stripes in the stone.

To see how to look after your piece of Amber Lynx Jewellery, view our jewellery care guide.