We choose to work only with the precious metals recycled sterling silver and recycled gold. In our experience, these precious metals won’t give an allergic reaction to your skin. The value of sterling silver and solid gold remains, and it gives your jewelry a durable and sustainable life cycle. With the right portion of tender, love and care you wear our jewelry for a lifetime and even pass it on to the next generation. If you choose jewelry from The Boyscouts, you know that you are choosing for a trophy which is durable, fairly made and of quality.
Sterling silver 925
We are working with recycled sterling silver 925. This is the most common alloy and consists of 92,5% silver and 7,5% of other materials (like copper); this addition makes the metal stronger. Fine silver, which contains 99,9% silver might be the purest metal but it is too soft to process it into jewelry that will maintain its shape.
It happens over time that sterling silver jewelry will discolor and turns dull or black. That’s a natural characteristic of this metal we call oxidization. Regular polishing with a silver cleaning cloth brings back the sparkling silver shine.
14kt solid gold
All our fine jewelry is made of recycled 14k solid gold. The term 'carat' indicates how much pure gold is in a piece of jewelry. The higher the carat, the more pure gold is used. 14k solid gold contains 58,5% pure gold and is mixed with silver and/or copper. Still, a purer gold piece of jewelry is not necessarily better. The addition of copper and/or silver is done for an even more important reason than just the price: pure gold is very soft. Adding other metals makes the gold harder. Without the addition of these metals it is difficult to make a gold piece of jewelry and it will also bend, wear or break more easily. The higher the carat gold of a piece of jewelry, the softer it is. And the lower the carat, the stronger.
We choose for recycled 14kt solid gold, as we think it is a beautiful color for every day jewelry like wedding rings. It mixes perfectly with both other silver and gold jewelry. Our 14kt solid gold items are ‘harder’ than sterling silver items. Therefore, we recommend choosing solid gold when ordering wedding or engagement bands.
Brass
We see a lot of jewelry made of brass and copper. Production with brass and copper is cheaper, but the replacement effect is all the greater. We do not want to participate in fast fashion and the current disposable lifestyle: our trophies are for you to cherish and to wear anytime. Forever.
Gold plating
We offer our jewelry in sterling silver 925 and with a 18kt gold plating. When we talk about gold plated items, the sterling silver product is covered with a thin layer (1,5 micron) of 18kt gold. This gives the golden finish to a trophy.
Keep in mind that plated items will get traces of wear in the end and the gold plating will fade. Always. It depends on your pH value of your skin, the average use and how you treat your jewelry on how quickly it will appear. Luckily, we offer a trophy care service where we can give your item some tender, love and care and a new gold plated finish. Feel free to contact us via shop@theboyscouts.com if you have any questions of this concern. We are here to help you out.
Maintenance
All jewelry needs tender, love and care. It is best to store your trophies in a closed jewelry box (for example in The Boyscouts box), and we recommend taking off your jewelry before going to sleep, showering, gardening, exercising or going to the sauna. Regular polishing with a silver polishing cloth is also a must; this way you give oxidized silver jewelry (silver items that turned black) back their sparkling shine.
Keep in mind that plated items will get traces of wear in the end and the gold plating will fade. Always. It depends on your pH value of your skin, the average use and how you treat your jewelry on how quickly it will appear. Luckily, we offer a trophy care service where we can give your item some tender, love and care and a new gold plated finish. Feel free to contact us via shop@theboyscouts.com if you have any questions of this concern. We are here to help you out.