It is likely that you already own stainless steel jewellery. It is affordable, durable, resistant to tarnish and resistant to rust. These characteristics make stainless steel jewellery popular among worldwide consumers.
When wearing a piece of stainless steel jewellery, you can go through most of your daily activities without having to worry about causing damage to your jewellery. It also looks great with most outfits and requires minimal maintenance.
Stainless steel jewellery has many advantages but, not all stainless steel jewellery is created equal. The quality of the jewellery can vary depending on the manufacturer and the specific grade of stainless steel used.
This blog will discuss why stainless steel jewellery is good quality and how grades of stainless differ from each other, so that you can be sure you a purchasing something that will last.
WHAT IS STAINLESS STEEL?
Stainless steel is an alloy made from different combinations of carbon, iron, nickel, chromium and other metals. Similar to all alloys, stainless steel is crafted to harness as many advantages possible while also avoiding as many negatives as it can.
In order to be considered stainless steel the alloy must consist of at most 1.2% carbon which strengthens the metal and at least 10.2% chromium which strengthens and adds corrosion resistance to the alloy. Better yet, when combined with other metals such as titanium or nickel, the durability and shine are further enhanced.
Different mixes of these metals in the alloy is what makes up the different grades of stainless. All grades behave in a slightly different manner to each other so that’s why it is important that you make sure the jewellery you’re purchasing is the highest quality grade.
WHICH GRADE OF STAINLESS STEEL IS THE BEST FOR JEWELLERY?
The two most common grades found in stainless steel jewellery are Grade 304 and Grade 316.
Grade 304 is also known as 18-8 stainless steel is made up of 18% Chromium and 8-10% Nickel. Due to the nickel content consisting of 10% or below this material is hypoallergenic. It is also a non-magnetic alloy that offers high resistance to corrosion. These factors are why it is commonly used in jewellery making.
Jewellery here at Aussie Jewels is made from Grade 316 stainless steel which is the best grade for jewellery. Grade 304 and Grade 316 are almost identical in their makeup with both being 18% Chromium and 8-10% Nickel but, the one difference they have that makes Grade 316 far superior is molybdenum.
Molybdenum makes Grade 316 immune to tarnish and also raises the corrosion resistance much higher than Grade 304. It acts as a forcefield for the alloy because the rust cannot react with the molybdenum to create colour. In fact it takes decades for corrosion to finally work its way through the layer of molybdenum while a grade 304 piece will only last a couple of years if your lucky.
Consequently, Grade 316 is the better grade of stainless steel and is best for making jewellery. Although it is more expensive it ends up being worth it in the long run.
Did you know that solid 18K gold pieces actually tarnish and are not hypoallergenic unlike Grade 316 stainless steel? Even 18K gold plated jewellery is hypoallergenic and tarnish free when the base is 316 stainless like the pieces here at Aussie Jewels.
ANSWER
In conclusion, stainless steel jewellery is high quality and can last decades but only if it is the correct grade. Ensure you purchase from manufacturers that have high grade stainless and more specifically 316. Here at Aussie Jewels all of the jewellery is 316 stainless steel so you know when you purchase here you will get something that will last a lifetime.
