MATERIALS &
GEMSTONES

What is Missoma jewellery made of?

All Missoma jewellery is 18ct gold vermeil, which is 18ct micron-plated on sterling silver. The sterling silver base is nickel-free.

(Exception: our statement Cuffs are 18ct gold micron-plated on brass metal)

Are the Gemstones natural?

We only use natural precious & semi-precious stones. These include: aqua chalcedony, appatite, amethyst, blue topaz, black onyx, black spinel, brazilian garnet, chrysoprase, citrine, green onyx, iolite, kyanite, lemon quartz, pink tourmaline, pink sapphires, peridot, rainbow moonstone, rubies, turquoise and more…

(Please see Colours / Properties of Gemstones sections for more information about these gemstones)

(Exception: zircons which are a man-made alternative to diamonds - see below definition)

All the gemstones we use are hand-sourced and selected for their facet / depth of colour and quality.

Where is Missoma jewellery made?

Missoma jewellery is made in Jaipur, India, but all the beadwork is hand beaded in London as we like to maintain control over the colour and shading of the gemstones for which we have become known.

Definitions

18ct gold	18ct gold is 75% pure gold. Pure gold is rarely used to construct jewellery because it is too soft. The word carat is used to describe the purity of the gold. The purity tells us the proportion of the metal that is gold, and the rest is made from other metals.
Black Rhodium	Blackened silver
Cabouchon	A round or oval stone cut and polished with one flat side (the back) and one smooth domed side (the front or face).
Facet	A polished surface; a small plane that is cut into a surface and enhances its reflection of light.
Faceted	A gem of plane faces or facets.
Pavé	A setting in which small stones are set as close as possible, so that the piece literally looks "paved" with stones.
Precious stones	A precious gemstone is a stone or mineral that is valuable and very rare, and sought after for its beauty. There are only 4 Precious gemstones - diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.
Semi-precious Stones	These are natural stones including amethyst, blue topaz, citrine, brazilian garnet, peridot, pink tourmaline, rose quartz, turquoise etc. Used to describe gemstone which are not precious (diamond, ruby, sapphire or emerald) although many "semi-precious" gemstones are extremely valuable, and rarer than precious stones.
Silver	Sterling silver 925
Vermeil	Gold Micron plated sterling silver. The sterling silver in vermeil has been electroplated with at least 100 millionths of an inch of karat gold. It is the highest form of gold plating as it has more longevity than ordinary flash plating (which is just dipped in gold for a colour deposit)
White Rhodium	A white precious metal that is part of the platinum family, it can be applied to jewellery to give a shiny white surface like platinum
Zircon	Cubic zirconia, also known as CZ, are the most popular man-made diamond alternatives. They have the look and feel of genuine diamonds and are cut in the same way as diamonds.