At Ess in Chains, we use quality materials. Our mission is to create pieces made to last, and that will keep their brightness over the years. Here’s the list of the metals we use in the making of our jewelry, and the caring for each of them.
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel is one of the best choices for a lasting piece. It doesn't’t tarnish, has a nice shiny silver / metal color, is hypo-allergenic (in most cases) and is very affordable. It’s easy to clean with soap and water, and can even go into the dishwasher!
Anodized Aluminum
Aluminum is much lighter than steel, and is available in a wide range of colors. An electric and chemical process is used to dye the rings. The colors do not stain, but it can wear off with time due to friction between rings when worn. It can be cleaned with soap and water, although the dishwasher is not recommended.
Brass
The weight of brass can be compared to steel, but is a little softer. Brass’ nice yellow color will tarnish with time and negligence, but can be easily restored with any commercial cleaner for brass. (Ten minutes in lemon juice will bring up the past brilliance too!)
Neoprene
Neoprene rings can give some stretch to maille pieces, and helps getting rid of hard to close clasps. Neoprene is a medium that is UV and oil resistant. It is also incredibly light, near half the weight of aluminum!
Titanium
Titanium is a light medium, very resistant and totally hypoallergenic. A person allergic to nickel can have trouble with even surgical stainless steel; titanium is then the best choice for people with allergies. Its only drawback is the price higher than most of the other metals. Its color is a matte gray, but it cans also be anodized to get some very nice colors, more subtle than anodized aluminum.
Silver, or Fine silver
The silver we use is called fine silver (99.9% silver). Its color is very brilliant, can tarnish with age, but can be easily cleaned with commercial silver cleaner products. It has a very good corrosion resistance, much better than sterling silver (92.5% silver).
Gold filled
The gold rings we use are called gold filled, and are constructed of a 14K Gold tube (5% by weight) filled with hard temper brass. There is very little chance of wearing through the gold layer with normal use. We can have access to white, rose and yellow gold, but gold jewelry is only made on request.
Enameled copper
This copper is coated with a layer of color lacquer that produces very unique and striking colors. Copper is very soft, so a piece entirely in copper is not recommended, but it’s perfect for electric color accents.
