What the stones in our pieces actually are
People ask what the stones are, usually in a slightly careful way, as though the answer might be embarrassing. It is not. None of them are diamonds, none of them are mined, and we would rather list them than use a word like precious and leave you guessing.
Created white sapphire
Camille, Claire and Margeaux.
Sapphire is corundum, and a created one is the same material grown in a lab instead of pulled out of the ground. It sits at 9 on the Mohs scale, just under a diamond, so it is a stone you can wear without thinking about it.
It is quieter than a diamond. Less fire, more water. On a solitaire that sits at the base of your throat all day, we think quieter is the point.
Cubic zirconia
Charlie, Bodhi, and one half of Riley.
It is softer than sapphire and it does not have the same life to it. On a signet, where the stone sits flush and the metal does the talking, it is the right choice, and we would rather say so than be vague about it.
The coloured ones
Billie has a red stone. Riley has a green one, sitting beside its cubic zirconia. Both are lab-made.
They are there because a range where every stone is colourless gets dull, and because one red heart is worth more than a third clear one.
And then the pearls
Which need no defending. Addie, Josephine and Danny, all freshwater.
How to look after them
Put your jewelry on last, after perfume and hairspray, and take it off before you swim. Warm water, a drop of soap and a soft cloth is all any of it needs. Keep pearls away from anything stronger than that, since the surface is softer than the stones around it.