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The Peace Collection

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The Peace Collection is rhodium plated to provide resistance to scratching, abrasion and corrosion. Rhodium, the most precious metal of all, provides a beautiful finish to give a platinum appearance to your piece.

Product Information

What is sterling silver?
When used in jewelry, silver is usually in the form of sterling silver. Sterling silver jewelry, by definition, is composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper alloy.
What is rhodium?
Rhodium is a hard, durable, silvery-white metallic element that is used to form high-temperature alloys with platinum and is plated on other metals to produce a durable corrosion-resistant coating. Sterling silver jewelry that is plated with rhodium is resistant to scratching, abrasion and corrosion. Sterling silver jewelry has a tendency to form tarnish rather quickly if exposed to harsh contaminants, such as sulfur and many others that are found all around us. Also, contact with skin oils, perfumes may discolor the silver, which requires frequent cleaning and polishing. Since rhodium plating is highly acid and chemical resistant, it will withstand contact. Consequently, sterling silver is an ideal candidate for rhodium plating. In addition, rhodium is also frequently used to give silver jewelry a beautiful platinum finish.
What does nickel-free mean?
Many times nickel, another hard metal known also as Ni, is placed between the coating and the silver because it facilitates the adherence and luster of the plating to the metal. When used in silver jewelry, this can cause irritation to those who are sensitive to nickel or have nickel allergies. For that reason, there is nickel-free jewelry available. Although, thepeacecollection.com still carries some jewelry with nickel plating, 95% of our sterling silver jewelry is nickel-free and all of our nickel-free jewelry is clearly marked on the site.

Designo, pronounced de-zin-io, is an exclusive line of luminous colored resin combined with sterling silver and anti-tarnish rhodium. The colored resin is extremely durable and scratch resistant and the rhodium gives pieces a brilliant platinum-like finish. Designo was created exclusively by designer Alan K.

Stingray is our newest line. Designed by Alan K., our Stingray line features premium stingray leather and 925 sterling silver. Similar to pearls, our stingray leather is thought to bring good fortune and luck and comes in a variety of fashionable styles. Using only the finest natural stingray leather from Southeast Asia, our Stingray pieces are dyed to provide a wide selection of colors. However, due to the natural coloring of the stingray, the colors may vary.

Millacreli is an exclusive line that combines the beautiful Millefiori patterns with the high-quality Murano art glass and colored resin. Like our other lines, Millacreli uses 925 sterling silver, durable, scratch-resistant colored resin and Millefiori glass to create a unique jewelry line.

Millefiori (Murano Glass) is a handmade product. Actual color shades and patterns may be slightly different than in the image.

Designer, Alan K.

Alan Koulian, better known as Alan K., is the mastermind behind the Designo, Millacreli and Stingray lines. Alan K.’s career has taken him all around the world making him a skilled expert on the art of jewelry making. Starting at an early age in the Middle East, he learned the ins and outs of the jewelry business. He continued on to study at jewelry art schools in France and went on to Cyprus and Monaco to create jewelry designs for various companies. It wasn't until 1985, though, that Alan K. finally settled in Los Angeles.

Later, during a visit to Venice, Italy, he was introduced to Murano glass making. Alan K. was amazed and inspired by this beautiful glass and began to incorporate his ideas with it. During his time there, he had the opportunity to work with one of the oldest and best factories that had been around since the 1890s. He then started creating his own pieces using the Murano glass and sterling silver in 1997.

Today, Alan K.'s designs are exclusively available through our private vendor.

About Silver

Silver
Silver is a precious metal that has been used for thousands of years for various purposes such as ornaments, tableware, jewelry, photography and money. Its value as a precious metal was long considered second only to gold and in Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe, it was often valued more than gold. The principal sources of silver are obtained from Canada, Mexico, Peru, Australia and the United States. However, Mexico is the largest producer of silver.

Characteristics of Silver
Silver is one of the chemical elements in the periodic table and is called Ag, short from the Latin term Argentum. It is a brilliant, white lustrous transition metal that is very ductile, malleable and endures a high degree of polish.

Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals, even higher than copper, but its greater cost has prevented it from being widely used in place of copper for electrical purposes. It also has the highest thermal conductivity, highest optical reflectivity and the lowest contact resistance of any metal.

Silver is stable in pure air and water, but does tarnish when it is exposed to ozone, hydrogen sulfide, or air that has sulfur compounds present in the atmosphere. Tarnish and dirt on fine sterling silver jewelry can be removed gently using a jewelry polishing cloth. These jewelry polishing cloths are chemically treated with nontoxic cleaning and polishing agents which are specially formulated to restore the fine silver luster.

Silver Jewelry
The metal silver has been chosen for its beauty and luster in the manufacture of jewelry and silverware. Because it is malleable and easy to work with, silver has been fashioned in to rings, bracelets, earrings and other jewelry pieces. However, silver has a low resistance to pressure and can be easily bent. To make silver tougher and more durable, silver is often alloyed with other metals, which results in different types of silver. Based on the content of the other metals mixed in to the silver, silver is usually identified by hallmarks. A hallmark is generally an indication of metal content, purity and quality that is marked on individual pieces. For example, sterling silver, by definition is a mix of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper alloy. Therefore, pieces using sterling silver are commonly tagged or engraved with 925 Silver or SS.

Assay*
Assay is the process for testing the purity of silver and other precious metals. This testing determines the qualitative and/or quantitative analysis to determine its components. In order to be considered actual Sterling silver, the qualitative analysis would show that it was made up of silver and part copper. The quantitative analysis would show at least 92.5% to be silver and 7.5% to be copper.

Generally, a small sample is removed and tested in various processes for evaluation. Fire assay, chemical assay and laser assay testing are some of the most popular methods.

Although there are companies who provide these types of assay services, Sterling silver is very easy to test. There are assay testing kits are available for purchase, like at http://shorinternational.com/TestGold.htm or Sterling silver can be tested with some Nitric acid.

To test for Sterling silver with Nitric acid, drop a small amount of acid on the sample. If it turns a creamy color, it is Sterling silver. If it turns green, it is not Sterling silver and could be silver-plated brass, nickel silver or other low quality silver alloys.

Please note, for plated silver jewelry, like rhodium or gold-plated, the sample must be either cut or have the plating removed in order to perform and gather accurate testing results.

The Peace Collection guarantees that our sterling silver merchandise is 925 sterling or above.