A beautiful piece starts with details worth knowing. Meet the metals and finishes you will find at Hazel & Rowe, each bringing its own warmth, colour and character to the collection.
Gold PVD stainless steel
A warm finish with everyday appeal
PVD, or Physical Vapour Deposition, applies a thin coating to a surface in a vacuum. A quality PVD finish can offer useful wear resistance on a strong stainless steel base. Its warm gold colour suits simple, wearable shapes. The process describes how the coating is applied; the individual material description identifies its composition.
Why we love it
- ✓ Warm gold coloured finish
- ✓ Strong stainless steel base
- ✓ Good potential wear resistance
- ✓ Easy to style for everyday wear
Our gold pieces carry an 18K gold PVD coating, giving a richer, warmer tone than standard gold plating.
See selected PVD designs within waterproof jewellery.
Stainless steel
A strong choice for everyday favourites
Stainless steel brings strength and good resistance to rust, corrosion and tarnish to wearable jewellery. Selected styles use 316L stainless steel. It is generally well suited to sensitive skin, although individual responses vary and it can contain nickel. If you have a known allergy, we can help clarify the material details before you choose.
Why we love it
- ✓ Strong and durable
- ✓ Good resistance to tarnish
- ✓ Simple everyday care
- ✓ Beautiful in refined designs
Silver coloured stainless steel carries a slightly deeper tone than silver plated jewellery, which is worth knowing if you like wearing the two together.
Find selected stainless steel designs in waterproof jewellery.
Gold filled
Real gold, beautifully bonded to metal
Gold filled has a substantial layer of real gold bonded to a base metal using heat and pressure. It contains significantly more gold than standard plating, giving the piece a warm gold surface. It differs from solid gold and appears in the components identified with each piece, from chains to decorative details.
Why we love it
- ✓ A bonded real gold layer
- ✓ More gold than standard plating
- ✓ Beautiful warmth and colour
- ✓ Refined, wearable details
Shop gold filled jewellery.
Sterling silver
A bright finish, a familiar favourite
Sterling silver contains 92.5% pure silver, combined with other metals for strength, and is often marked 925. Its naturally bright colour works beautifully in delicate and expressive designs. It can develop tarnish over time; a gentle polish can restore suitable unplated surfaces. Pearls, stones and coatings need care suited to those additional details.
Why we love it
- ✓ A genuine precious metal
- ✓ Contains 92.5% pure silver
- ✓ A naturally bright finish
- ✓ Beautiful across different styles
Find your silver favourite among sterling silver necklaces and earrings.
Gold and silver plated jewellery
Beautiful finishes, with a gentle touch
Plated jewellery has a fine gold or silver layer over a base metal, bringing a beautiful finish to a variety of designs. Plating naturally wears over time. Gentle handling and keeping perfume, lotions and harsh cleaners away from the surface help preserve its appearance, so you can enjoy the shapes and details you love.
Why we love it
- ✓ A variety of beautiful finishes
- ✓ Suits expressive shapes
- ✓ Adds warmth or silver brightness
- ✓ Offers individual design details
Find plated designs among all jewellery.
How we use the word waterproof
Three categories, and the product page always tells you which
Waterproof is used loosely almost everywhere in jewellery. We are careful with it. A piece is only described as waterproof when it is stainless steel with a quality PVD coating and every component is too, including the clasp, the chain and the jump rings. A hard stone set into the steel, such as cubic zirconia, quartz or aventurine, is fine in water too. A single brass jump ring is enough to change the answer, which is why the claim belongs to an individual piece rather than to a material or a collection.
Waterproof. PVD stainless steel throughout, on its own or set with a hard stone, designed to keep up with you and safe to wear in the shower or at the beach. After swimming or showering, simply rinse with fresh water and dry thoroughly. To help preserve the shine and finish, avoid direct contact with perfume, chlorine and harsh chemicals.
Everyday water safe. Pieces containing freshwater pearls, shell, softer or porous stones such as turquoise and lapis lazuli, beads, elastic, glued components, gold plated brass or copper, vermeil or gold filled findings. Rain, handwashing and a splash are no trouble; take them off to swim or shower so they keep their lustre, and dry them properly if they do get wet.
Keep away from water. Delicate handmade pieces, unless the product page says otherwise. On last, off first, stored dry.
Even PVD has its limits. Perfume, chlorine, cleaning products and repeated saltwater exposure will eventually affect any finish.
Waterproof and skin-friendly claims apply where specified on the individual product. Tarnish resistance also applies to selected styles only.
Read our Jewellery Care guide for simple routines, then shop the collection to find a piece that feels like you.