MATERIALS

STAINLESS STEEL (316LVM ASTM-F138-86) Stainless Steel is an alloy, which means that it's a metallurgical substance composed of two or more metals. The number '316' is the alloy's designation. The 'L' denotes a low Carbon content, a necessary component for the alloy's resistance to corrosion. The 'VM' denotes "vacuum melted," whereby the metal is produced in a zero-oxygen, vacuum environment in order to eliminate the introduction of dust particles and other debris from the metal's composition. 316LVM is is made up of eight primary elements with a number of trace elements. This metal has proven to be a comfortable and durable metal for body jewelry. The Stainless Steel captive and fixed bead rings that we carry are annealed. Annealing is a process which softens the metal, thus making it easier for you to manipulate the jewelry when inserting or removing.

TITANIUM 6/4 (6AL4V ASTM-F136) Titanium is also an alloy. It is composed of 90% elemental Titanium, 6% Aluminum and 4% Vanadium. This alloy was designed for use in the medical and dental industries. Its hypoallergenic properties have proven to be exceptional. When tumbled and hand polished correctly, Titanium 6/4 can exhibit an amazingly uniform and shiny surface appearance approaching that of Stainless Steel. Titanium also exhibits the unique property of reacting to specific applied voltages of electricity. This process is commonly referred to as anodizing. The brilliant colors exhibited on the surface of the jewelry are a result of successive layers of oxidation that form on the surface of the metal as electricity passes through it. The colors you see are actually a result of light refracting through these layers of oxidation. The voltage of electricity applied determines the thickness of the oxidation layer, and thus determines the colors you see. As a microscopically thin layer of oxidation, the color can fade with wear and abrasion.

NIOBIUM (ASTM-B392) Niobium is an element. This means that the metal is in it's natural state as mined in ore form from the earth's surface, and cannot be broken down into further metallurgical components, such as in 316LVM Stainless Steel. Niobium as an element is completely hypoallergenic. Like our stainless steel, our Niobium captive rings are also completely annealed for easy insertion and removal. Niobium shares with Titanium a similar crystalline structure, and the unique property of reacting to electricity via anodizing to produce bright, durable colors. With the exceptions of matte black and charcoal, Niobium colors can also fade.

18k GOLD (Solid, NOT plated or filled) 18 Karat Gold is an alloy of the element Gold, along with small trace amounts of metals such as Nickel and Aluminum. These additional elements act to harden the alloy, as pure gold is too soft and malleable for most jewelry applications. Allergic reactions to Gold body jewelry are only slightly higher than 316LVM Stainless Steel. While 14k Gold is an acceptable choice, 18k affords a higher luster due to it's higher pure gold content (75% vs. 58% for 14k), and is also less prone to possible stress fractures due to its higher malleability.