Why are we retiring Gold Filled

Our announcement a few months ago about retiring gold filled on Monday, September 9th has generated a lot of buzz around this metal. Many of you have emailed, DM-ed, left comments on our posts about the reason why and what this means for you. We would like to address all your questions on this post.

Why are we discontinuing Gold Filled?

This decision hasn't been easy and one we've considered for quite some time. As our business continues to grow while we stay true to our mission, we want to focus on offering the very best materials for our products..which are true heirlooms destined to be passed down to the next generation.

What is Gold Filled and why does it tarnish for some?

Gold filled is a layer of 14k gold that has been bonded to a brass core. Think of it like an ice cream sandwich- with the ice cream in the middle being the brass and the chocolate cookie on either side being the 14k gold.

Gold filled is a great alternative to 14k solid gold and because is more economical, many of our customers choose to order. About 10% of our customers see their pieces tarnish over time (we cover this a lot on our website and urge all our customers to read before selecting gold filled as their metal of choice) In some cases the tarnishing can be slowed down by taking good care of your piece. In others, it will happen the moment you wear your piece...because your skin reacts to it. Why is this?

Going back to our ice cream sandwich comparison; just as you can see the ice cream from the side of the sandwich, you can see the brass on the edge of your charms. Brass tarnishes at a faster rate than gold and will appear darker faster. The acid in your skin, sweat, perfumes, soaps, lotions, hairspray, makeup, sunscreen, chlorine, bromine (like in hot tubs), household cleaners, certain medications all can all speed up tarnish.

Additionally, over time the 14k layer can wear down causing more of the brass to be exposed and therefore more of the piece to tarnish. Unfortunately this is just the nature of a well loved and well worn treasure (check out your grandmother’s wedding rings and notice if the underside of the ring is much thinner than the top).

Why we have used Gold Filled up until now?

Simply put, we recognize that not everyone has the budget for 14k solid gold jewelry. We offer gold filled to have an alternative to the higher prices of solid gold while still keeping that beautiful, warm gold color. If you know you are highly sensitive to brass (which is the base metal in gold filled jewelry) gold filled may still irritate your skin and tarnish quickly because of the raw edge. Please consider silver or 14k solid gold.

What does this mean for you...

More than anything we want to be transparent with you, our fans and customers! Our pieces aren't cheap (even in gold filled) but we KNOW those who decide to invest on them will treasure them for a lifetime. We want them to last ALL of you a lifetime!

You may purchase your first and/or last gold filled charm/s on Monday, September 9. If you are a NEW customer and want to order but don't have the photos yet, you have two weeks to submit your photos. If you are a REPEAT customer wanting to add to your gold filled necklace and don't have photos yet, you have until the end of 2019 to send photos.

Even though we will be discontinuing the gold filled, we will continue to offer the gold filled chain for those of you who still wish to go with a more economical chain (for example, you can choose to have a gold filled chain and 14K solid yellow gold charms)If you're a new customer still deciding which metal to pick for your piece, please consider reading through the properties of our metals (under "Jewelry Care" at the footer of our website) - every metal is different and reacts differently when in contact with our bodies and environment. The only metal that will withstand time is the 14K solid gold! It's pricey but worth every penny! Those of you who have selected solid gold are a witness of that!

If you want to invest in 14K solid gold, but can't afford to pay upfront for say a 3＋ charm necklace, we offer the option of monthly payments via Affirm. Take advantage of it! We offer the 14K solid gold in all three colors, yellow, white and rose.
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Metals show on the 1st image from left to right: silver, gold filled, 14k solid yellow, 14K rose and 14K white gold - Metals shown on the second photo are 14K solid yellow, rose and white gold