Metals and care

316L surgical steel

The backbone of the catalog: roughly fifty of the 67 pieces sit on it. It is the same grade used for surgical instruments and body jewelry, which means it is hypoallergenic, does not rust, and does not turn skin green. Showers, gym sessions, swimming, dishwater and rain are all fine. This is the metal to choose for someone who stopped wearing jewelry years ago because something irritated their skin.

Care: none required. Soap and water when it looks dull, a soft cloth to dry it.

18k and 14k gold plating

Plating is a thin layer of gold over a steel core. It gives the warm color at a fraction of solid gold prices, and on a steel base it holds up far better than plating over brass. The pieces here are marketed as waterproof and tarnish-free, and in practice they survive daily wear well. What eventually wears plating is friction, not water: a bracelet that rubs against a desk edge or a watch will thin at the contact point after a few years.

Care: keep it away from perfume and hairspray, which are the fastest way to dull the finish. Put jewelry on last when getting ready.

.925 sterling silver

Used on the push presents and a handful of the finer women's pieces. Sterling is solid metal rather than plating, so it can be polished back indefinitely, but it does tarnish. That is normal chemistry, not a defect: sulfur in air and in skin darkens the surface over months.

Care: store it in the box or a zip bag with the air pushed out, take it off before a chlorinated pool, and use a silver cloth when it dulls. Ten seconds of rubbing brings it back.

Stones and finishes

Cubic zirconia appears on about nine listings, set into sunflower centers, hearts and pendants. It is hard enough for daily wear and cleans with warm water and a soft toothbrush. A few pieces use natural stones in a capsule, and two use black onyx or carbon fiber accents on the men's side. None of these need special handling beyond keeping them out of ultrasonic cleaners.

The box

Every piece arrives in a rigid gift box with foam holding the jewelry and the card in the lid. The box is worth keeping: it is what most people store the card in afterwards, and it doubles as the wrapping if you are handing the gift over at a restaurant or a hospital room.