Plated vs Unplated: Why Most Silver Jewelry Isn’t What You Think It Is

Most sterling silver jewelry in the low-to-mid price range is plated. But most luxury brands sell sterling silver unplated. Why, what's the difference?

Plated sterling silver:

• For silver color jewelry, this is often rhodium plating (of 0.75 - 1 microns thick)

• It's slightly darker in metal tone, closer to stainless steel (like the color of your spoons)

• Tarnishes slightly slower than unplated (but not by much)

Interesting note: If you look up the price of rhodium, it is more expensive than platinum by weight. So why is rhodium plated jewelry often cheaper than its unplated counterpart? Well one has to wonder but for reference, you can plate nearly any metal…. such as cheaper base metals like brass, which does that characteristic turn-your-skin-green thing under light sweaty conditions.

Unplated sterling silver:

• Whiter/brighter in appearance, has a distinct color characteristic of sterling silver

• Tarnish rate is slightly faster than plated but very easy to remove, especially using the technique described in our FAQ page

• The .925 sterling silver (92.5% pure silver) standard was set in America by Tiffany. As in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

• Is considered "better-taste" as most luxury brands that sell sterling silver (Tiffany, Gucci, Dior, etc.) sell it unplated

Why we went with unplated:

TLDR: Because it's the classier choice.

The girl we're designing for already kinda gets this. Just like leggings: you sweat in them, if they get dirty, you wash them. No big deal. Small price to pay for the ability to sweat in jewelry you love without having to worry about it. As you can see, unplated is rare outside the luxury world, but we wanted to bring it to you so you can discover it first. Coming summer~

You can check out our take on an unplated heart here.