Materials & Care
Every Soraé piece is made from one of six materials. Each is built differently, and each likes to be treated a little differently. Here is what's underneath the surface, and how to keep it looking the way it did on day one.
Premium stainless steel · our everyday hero
Stainless steel with 18k PVD gold
A solid stainless steel core, finished with 18k gold by PVD — physical vapour deposition. It is the most durable gold finish used in jewellery today: the same vacuum process that hardens surgical tools and colours watch cases. The gold is bonded to the steel at molecular level, not brushed on, so it doesn't chip, flake or fade the way ordinary plating does.
How it's built
- Core: premium stainless steel, solid and hypoallergenic
- Finish: 18k PVD gold — thinner than a hair, harder than any electroplated gold
- Outlasts standard plating many times over; the colour stays true
- Silver-tone pieces are the bare steel, polished
How sturdy it is
Do
- Wear it in the shower, the gym and the rain.
- Rinse and dry after the pool or the sea.
- Polish with a soft, dry cloth.
Don't
- No silver polish or polishing cloths — they're abrasive.
- Don't expect a resize: steel is too hard to work by hand.
This is the finish behind our waterproof promise — the one we'd choose for a piece you never take off.
Find it in Stainless Steel and Gold.
Solid, all the way through
Sterling silver
925 sterling: 92.5% pure silver, alloyed with a little copper for strength. Sterling silver is a precious metal, and it holds its value: a scratch or a patina is only skin-deep, and underneath it is still 92.5% silver. There is no layer to wear through. Scratch it, polish it, resize it — it's still silver, all the way down.
How it's built
- Solid sterling silver 925
- No coating, no core
- Naturally soft: it can bend, and it can be bent back
How sturdy it is
Do
- Wear it often — skin contact slows tarnish.
- Polish with a silver cloth when it darkens.
- Store in a dry pouch, ideally closed.
Don't
- Don't swim in it: chlorine and salt speed up tarnish.
- Don't bend adjustable pieces back and forth.
- Keep it away from perfume, hot springs and rubber — sulphur darkens silver fastest.
Tarnish is not damage. It's silver reacting to the air, and a cloth brings it straight back. Solid silver keeps its worth for a lifetime.
Find it in Silver.
Silver underneath, gold on top
Sterling silver with 18k gold plating
A sterling silver piece with a fine layer of 18k gold electroplated over it. The warmest finish we make, and the most delicate. Underneath it is solid sterling silver — a precious metal that keeps its value, so the piece is worth as much when the gold has softened as the day it was made. The silver-tone version of these designs usually carries a rhodium layer instead, which keeps silver bright for longer.
How it's built
- Core: solid sterling silver 925 — a precious metal that holds its value
- Finish: 18k gold, a few microns thick
- Silver-tone: rhodium, thinner still
How sturdy it is
Do
- On last, off first.
- Wipe with a soft, dry cloth after wearing.
- Store on its own, away from other metal.
Don't
- No showers, swimming or sweat.
- No perfume, creams or hand sanitiser on the piece.
- Never a silver polishing cloth — it takes the gold off with the tarnish.
When the gold softens with time, that's wear, not a fault. Ask us what's possible.
New · the Atelier collection
14k gold filled
Gold filled is not plating. A thick layer of 14k gold is bonded to a brass core with heat and pressure, and by definition that gold makes up at least 5% of the piece's total weight — many times more gold than any plating. Enough to be worn every day for years without wearing through.
How it's built
- Core: brass, for spring and strength
- Outer layer: solid 14k gold, mechanically bonded
- The gold is thick enough to form a barrier between the core and your skin — which is why gold filled is considered hypoallergenic
- Rose gold filled: the same build, with a rose gold alloy
How sturdy it is
Do
- Shower in it, sweat in it, keep it on.
- Rinse and dry after the pool or the sea.
- Clean with mild soap, warm water and a soft cloth.
Don't
- No abrasive polish, no silver dip.
- Don't leave it in a damp bathroom for weeks.
- Leave repairs to us — heat and abrasives at home can damage the gold layer.
Made to order by hand in Amsterdam — so if a piece ever bends or breaks, we repair or replace it right here.
Find it in Atelier.
Grown, not made
Freshwater pearls
A pearl is the only gem made by a living creature. Inside a freshwater mussel, layer upon microscopic layer of nacre builds up over one to three years. That slow layering is what gives a pearl its glow, and what makes every one a little different.
How it's built
- Nacre, thousands of layers deep
- Freshwater pearls are nacre almost throughout — more forgiving than you'd expect
- Baroque pearls are the ones that grew freely, so no two match
How sturdy it is
Do
- On last, off first.
- Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth after wearing, then dry.
- Wear them — the oils on your skin keep the nacre supple.
Don't
- No perfume, hairspray or creams on the pearl.
- No shower, pool, sauna or sea.
- No polishing cloth, no ultrasonic cleaner.
Pearls can't be polished — the surface is the pearl. A loose or lost pearl can be replaced.
Find it in Atelier: Juliette, Josie, Adeline, Noelle, Margaux, Rosalie, Evie and Ravello.
Small details, set by hand
Glass pearls and set stones
A few pieces carry a glass pearl or small white stones, set into stainless steel or sterling silver. A glass pearl is a solid glass bead under a pearlescent coating — even, bright and identical every time, where a freshwater pearl is one of a kind. The stone is the hard part; the setting is the delicate part.
How it's built
- Glass pearl: a solid glass bead under thin layers of pearlescent coating
- Set stones: white stones held by prongs or bonded in place
- Set into premium stainless steel with PVD gold, or sterling silver
How sturdy it is
Do
- Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth after wearing.
- Store apart from harder pieces, so nothing rubs the coating.
- Check the setting now and then — a stone that moves is easy to fix early.
Don't
- No perfume or hairspray on the pearl — the sheen is a coating.
- No ultrasonic cleaner, no polishing cloth on the pearl.
- Avoid knocks: glass chips, and settings loosen on impact.
A stone that comes loose on its own is covered by our warranty — write to us. A glass pearl can't be replaced, so treat it gently.
Glass pearls: Marais Pearl Ring and Amalfi Charm Earrings. Set stones: find them in Rings and Earrings.
At a glance
What each material can take
The short version. When in doubt: on last, off first.
| Stainless steel + PVD | Sterling silver | Gold-plated silver | 14k gold filled | Freshwater pearls | Glass pearls & stones | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shower & rain | ✓ | ◐fine, but speeds tarnish | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ◐dry after |
| Pool & sea | ◐rinse and dry after | ✕ | ✕ | ◐rinse and dry after | ✕ | ✕ |
| Sport & sweat | ✓ | ◐wipe dry after | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ◐wipe dry after |
| Perfume & creams | ◐let them settle first | ◐let them settle first | ✕ | ◐let them settle first | ✕on last, off first | ✕the sheen is a coating |
| Sleeping in it | ✓ | ◐thin pieces can bend | ◐friction wears the gold | ✓ | ✕ | ✕knocks chip glass |
| Polishing cloth | ◐soft cloth only | ✓silver cloth | ✕soft cloth only | ◐soft cloth only | ✕soft, damp cloth | ✕soft, damp cloth on the pearl |
| Storage | ✓anywhere dry | ◐dry pouch, closed | ◐on its own | ✓dry, apart from silver | ◐soft pouch, apart from metal | ◐apart from harder pieces |
| Polish · resize · repair | ✕too hard to rework | ✓all three, in the atelier | ◐ask us | ✓repair or replace, in the atelier | ◐restring or replace | ◐loose stone: ask us |
✓ Fine ◐ With care ✕ Better not
The one rule
On last, off first
Perfume, lotion, hairsprayPut them on first and give them a minute to settle. Scent and cream are what dull a finish fastest.
Then the jewelleryThe finishing touch. Rings, chains and cuffs go on last, over dry skin.
Off before water and bedBefore the shower, the pool and sleep. Back into its pouch, apart from the rest.
From our atelier
When a piece needs a little help
Inge, the founder of Soraé, is a goldsmith. Sterling silver can be polished, repaired and resized in the atelier. Gold filled pieces are made here, so they are repaired or replaced here too. Pearls can be restrung, and a loose stone re-set. Stainless steel is built to need none of this — and is too hard to rework by hand. Gold-plated silver that has softened with time: ask us what's possible.
Write to hello@sorae.nl with a photo and your order number, and we'll tell you what we can do and what it costs.
Questions we get
Good to know
Is stainless steel really waterproof?
Yes. Shower, sweat and rain don't touch it. Chlorine and salt water won't ruin it either, but they do shorten the life of the gold finish over time — a quick rinse and dry afterwards is all it takes.
Will gold filled turn my skin green?
No. The green mark some people get from cheap jewellery comes from brass touching the skin. In gold filled, the brass sits underneath a thick layer of real gold that doesn't wear through with normal use — which is also why gold filled is considered hypoallergenic. If you react strongly to nickel, tell us and we'll advise.
My gold-plated ring is showing silver at the edges. Is that a fault?
It's wear, and it's normal for plating: the gold layer is only a few microns thick, and rings take the most friction of anything you wear. Take it off for water and sport and it lasts far longer. Ask us what's possible when you'd like the glow back.
Why is my silver going dark?
Silver reacts with sulphur in the air, in perfume and in some foods, and darkens. It isn't damage. A silver polishing cloth brings it back in a minute. Wearing it often actually helps.
Can I sleep in my jewellery?
Stainless steel and gold filled, yes. Silver and gold-plated silver, better not — thin pieces bend and plating wears on friction. Pearls, never: pillows are surprisingly abrasive. Glass pearls and set stones, better not — knocks are what chip them.
Which materials are hypoallergenic?
Our stainless steel and sterling silver are hypoallergenic, and gold filled is considered hypoallergenic because the thick gold layer keeps the core away from your skin. If you react to a piece, write to us — we'd like to know.
At Soraé, it’s all about you. About the freedom to combine, to play, and to carry your own story. Our jewellery gives you room to express your style, your story, your character, on your own terms.
At Soraé, it’s all about you. About the freedom to combine, to play, and to carry your own story. Our jewellery gives you room to express your style, your story, your character, on your own terms.