We would rather explain our materials properly than dress them up. Every product page names what a piece is made of. This page tells you what those words actually mean.
316L stainless steel
The base metal for most of our range. 316L is the marine grade of stainless steel: more corrosion-resistant than the 304 used in cheaper jewellery, which is why it stands up to sweat, water and daily wear without discolouring.
Being straightforward about one thing, because a lot of jewellery copy is not: 316L stainless steel contains nickel; our jewellery is nickel-release tested to BS EN 1811. That is the standard the UK uses to measure how much nickel a piece actually releases onto skin over time, which is what causes a reaction. It is not the same as claiming a piece contains no nickel, and we will not make that claim. For earrings and other pierced-body jewellery the permitted release limit is stricter still, and no piece goes on sale without a current test report on file.
If you have a diagnosed nickel allergy, please speak to your GP or dermatologist about what is right for you. We can tell you what a piece is made of and how it tested; we cannot tell you how your skin will respond.
PVD coating
PVD stands for physical vapour deposition. In plain terms: the steel is put in a vacuum chamber, a metal is vaporised, and the vapour bonds to the surface as an extremely thin, extremely hard layer. It is the same family of process used to coat watch cases and industrial tooling.
What matters to you is the difference from ordinary plating. Traditional gold plating is applied in a bath and sits on the surface as a soft layer that wears off at the edges. A PVD layer is bonded to the steel and is substantially harder and more wear-resistant than a plated bath finish. This is why we can offer a tarnish-resistant PVD finish — made for everyday: shower, gym, rain.
PVD is still a surface layer, not solid metal. Abrasives and harsh chemicals will damage it, which is what our Jewellery Care page asks you to avoid.
Gold-tone, gold-plated and solid gold
Three different things, often used as if they were interchangeable.
- Gold-tone means the colour of gold, achieved by a coating, with no claim about gold content. This is what we sell: gold-tone PVD over 316L stainless steel. When you read "gold-tone" on a Fasheve product page, that is exactly what it means.
- Gold-plated means a thin layer of real gold deposited over a base metal. The amount is measured in microns and there is no single standard, so "gold-plated" can mean almost anything. We do not describe our pieces as gold-plated.
- Solid gold means gold all the way through, sold by carat and by weight, priced accordingly. We do not sell it.
You will never see a carat mark on our jewellery, because a carat describes gold content and our pieces are coated steel. If a listing anywhere claims otherwise, it is an error, and we would like to know about it.
Baroque pearls
Baroque simply means the pearl is not round. Irregular, lobed, sometimes almost sculptural, with the shape formed as the pearl grew. That irregularity is the point: it gives depth and a soft, uneven lustre that a perfect sphere does not have.
It also means no two pieces are identical. The pearl you receive will differ in shape and marking from the one in the photograph, and that is not a fault. Where a piece uses pearls, the product page states the pearl type. Pearls are the softest material we use and need the gentlest handling.
Enamel
Enamel is a coloured coating set into the metal surface, giving flat, saturated colour with a depth that a printed or painted finish cannot match. Slight variation in the surface between pieces is normal and characteristic of the material.
Enamel is harder than it looks and more brittle than the steel around it. It can chip if knocked hard against a hard surface, and solvents will dull the gloss. Store enamel pieces where they cannot knock against other jewellery.
Anything we have not covered
If a product page does not tell you what you need to know, ask us. We will give you the specification rather than a marketing sentence.