The Materials Behind Every Parkford Piece

14K solid gold

Our solid gold pieces are crafted in 14K gold, a balance of beauty, durability, and lasting value.

14K gold is 58.5% pure gold, alloyed with other metals for strength and color. It has the warmth and intrinsic value of gold while remaining durable enough for jewelry designed to be worn often and for holding stones securely over time.

Our gold alloys are nickel-free. Nickel is one of the most common causes of metal sensitivity in jewelry, and we don't use it.

Sterling silver

Our sterling silver pieces are crafted in 925 silver, a precious metal made of 92.5% pure silver. We finish our silver pieces with a layer of fine silver for added brightness and tarnish resistance, giving them the clean, bright-white finish we prefer.

Sterling silver also forms the foundation of every Parkford vermeil piece, real gold over real silver, never brass or base metal.

18K gold vermeil

Our vermeil pieces are crafted with a thick layer of 18K gold over sterling silver, at least 2.5 microns thick. That makes the gold layer substantially thicker than standard gold plating, while keeping sterling silver at the core.

The color of our 18K vermeil plating is carefully selected to coordinate with our solid gold pieces, so they can be worn together seamlessly.

All Parkford silver and vermeil pieces are nickel-free.

For more on how vermeil works and why we use it, read Why We Use Vermeil, And What That Actually Means.

Natural gemstones, chosen for color and precision

We work with a wide range of natural gemstones, sapphires, emeralds, tourmalines, tiger's eye, lapis, and more, including an extensive selection of birthstones. The range changes with each collection.

For colored gemstones, color is the most important characteristic. A stone with slight inclusions can be more interesting, more alive, and more genuinely natural-looking than a perfectly uniform stone. We select each stone by eye, for color first.

Cut matters too, and here precision is non-negotiable. Our designs require stones that are accurately calibrated and well cut. Colored stones can vary in size, girdle thickness, and proportion, which can make them difficult to set or unsuitable for certain designs. When stones are even fractions of a millimeter off, it shows, especially in a row of baguettes or any design where stones sit in sequence.

We are careful about what we accept. The quality of what goes in determines the quality of what comes out.

We don't use lab-grown colored stones, moissanite, or synthetic gemstones. We choose natural stones for their beauty, character, and individuality.

Natural diamonds

We use natural diamonds. For most of our pieces, we work with GH color and SI–VS clarity. GH is near-colorless, and at the small sizes we typically use, these grades give us beautiful, brilliant stones without compromising on sparkle.

Cut is what drives that sparkle, and we select every stone for it.

We choose natural diamonds because rarity and origin matter to us, as does the lasting value of the piece. Natural diamonds are a finite resource, something genuinely scarce, valuable, and worth passing down.

Why it all matters

Fine jewelry should feel different.

When the materials are real, actual gold, actual silver, natural gemstones and diamonds, the piece carries weight, character, and value beyond the way it looks.

That's what we're making. Pieces worth keeping.

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