Materials
What it is made of
Most affordable jewellery is brass with a few tenths of a micron of gold on top. It looks identical on day one and green on day sixty. Fioraa is built the other way round.
316L stainless steel
316L is the surgical grade - the same alloy used for implants and marine fittings. It contains molybdenum, which is what lets it sit in salt water without pitting, and it contains no free nickel to leach onto skin. It is harder to machine than brass and costs more, which is exactly why most of the market does not use it.
18K gold PVD
Physical vapour deposition vaporises gold in a vacuum chamber and bonds it into the surface of the steel at the molecular level. It is not a coating sitting on top; there is no boundary layer to lift or flake. At 2.5 microns it is roughly ten times the thickness of standard electroplating, and it is considerably harder than the gold itself.
What it is not: solid gold. It will not hold resale value, and a deep scratch that cuts through the layer will show steel underneath. What it is: colour that survives daily wear for years rather than weeks.
The promise, plainly
Waterproof
Shower in it, swim in it, sweat in it. 316L steel does not corrode and PVD does not lift.
Anti-tarnish
No black marks on skin, no annual replating. The colour is bonded into the surface, not painted on.
Hypoallergenic
Nickel-free throughout, including posts and clasps - the parts that usually cause the reaction.
Side by side
| Material | Water | Tarnish | Skin | Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 316L stainless steel with 18K PVD | Yes - shower, pool, sea | Does not tarnish | Nickel-free, hypoallergenic | Rinse and dry. Nothing else. |
| 925 sterling silver | Avoid prolonged immersion | Tarnishes slowly with air | Nickel-free, hypoallergenic | Polish occasionally with a silver cloth. |
| Freshwater pearl (on some pieces) | Keep out of chlorine | Not applicable - organic | Inert | Wipe after wear; store away from heat. |
Care
- Steel and PVD pieces need no special care. Rinse with fresh water after the sea or a pool and dry with a soft cloth.
- Avoid abrasive polishes and ultrasonic cleaners - they attack the plating, not the tarnish.
- Perfume, sunscreen and hairspray will not damage steel, but let them dry before putting jewellery on.
- Freshwater pearls are organic. Keep them out of chlorine and wipe them after wear.
- 925 sterling silver will tarnish slowly with air. A silver cloth brings it back; store it in the pouch it arrived in.