At SilverBotanica Jewelry we use all locally sourced metals.  We purchase refined Sterling Silver and Gold locally in North San Diego County from a local refiner, San Diego Refinery.  We also do our own recycling.  We recycle our material as we can until we take our metals into be refined again.

Sterling Silver: is the most durable option and in our opinion and wears the best. It lends itself well to a wide variety of finishes, from a high polish, to a brushed, or even oxidized (blackened) effect. Sterling silver does tarnish over time; however, tarnish is easily removed with a soft flannel polishing cloth. Sterling silver is softer than gold, so it is quite a bit more susceptible to showing scratches, nicks, dents, and dings. .925 Sterling silver. The copper used in alloying our sterling silver is 99.9% pure and oxygen-free. Our casting grain is assayed to ensure a consistent 92.5% (minimum) product.

White Bronze: White Bronze jewelry is a less expensive alloy.  Composition includes 58% copper, 1% lead and various amounts of manganese, zinc and aluminum. White bronze is not recommended for items you are going to wear everyday.  You will find that after time white bronze may leave a residue or greenish color on your skin.  This will wash right off. Your white bronze jewelry pieces need little maintenance. Occasionally wiping the surface with the polishing cloths we have provided or a soft cloth before storing it will remove any body oils and dirt. Follow the steps below to clean your jewelry if you notice your white bronze piece(s) taking on more of a yellowish color.

To keep your your white or gold bronze  jewelry looking their best:

-Never shower, swim or bath with white bronze items on.
-Keep your white bronze items in a dry non-humid place
-Don’t keep white bronze items in the bathroom
-Keep your white bronze items away from household chemicals & cleaners

Antique Gold Bronze: This true bronze, tarnish-resistant grain contains no zinc.  The warm, deep-bronze color has rich red undertones, and the alloy takes a good patina. Composition is 90% copper with an amount of tin; fits into the CDA#90700 category.

14K Gold

First of all, gold is lasting and durable but can get scratched or dented if treated roughly. This is particularly true of items worn on the hands like rings and bracelets that are prone to a lot of knocks. So remove these pieces before any type of strenuous activity.

Second, beware of chemicals. Gold’s worst enemy is chlorine. Repeated exposure can weaken gold’s structure, eventually leading to breakage. So keep your gold jewelry away from chlorinated cleaning products and out of swimming pools and jacuzzis.

On a related note, acids, abrasives and other harsh chemicals found in some common household cleaning solutions can weaken your jewelry or damage its finish. So it’s best to cover up rings and bracelets with rubber gloves while doing heavy-duty cleaning. Or better yet, take them off altogether.