Hypoallergenic metals

DID YOU KNOW ?

Practically all manufacturers choose to useNickel (Ni) in their white gold jewelry for its whitening properties? Despite this, St-Onge Jeweller has elected to replace nickel by a far superior alloy: palladium.

Why replace nickel in the creation of white gold jewellery?

A large majority of manufacturers still use nickel in their white gold pieces of jewelry but very few people are aware of the fact that nickel is the most allergenic of metals. In fact, more than 12% of the population (the majority being women) are allergic to nickel. Oxidation is the other phenomenon caused by nickel: the gold rapidly tarnishes to a yellow hue. The application of nickel has been disrupted in Europe for a few years already, which is not the case in North America. Please note that 24Kt gold is pure gold. When we refer to an 18Kt, this signifies that it is composed of 18 parts of pure gold and 6 parts of other metals such as nickel, palladium, silver, copper, etc. A carat (Kt) is a quality mark indicating the purity of gold, not to be mistaken for the unit of gem (Ct).

Qu'est-ce que le palladium?

Reconnu surtout pour ses propriétés hypoallergéniques, le palladium est naturellement blanc et considéré comme un métal précieux. Appartenant au même groupe et similaire au platine, le palladium est souvent utilisé dans la fabrication d’outils de médecine chirurgicale. On dit du palladium qu’il est pur, car il affiche sa couleur et son lustre directement dans la nature. De plus, il ne réagit pas à l’oxygène et, par conséquent, ne s’oxyde pas et conserve sa blancheur au fil du temps.

Pourquoi la Joaillerie St-Onge figure-t-elle parmi les seules joailleries à offrir du palladium?

Due to the fact that using palladium involves a complex process, very few manufacturers of jewelry use it in their white gold creations. After having invested many years in palladium research, St-Onge Jeweller is more than proud to be in a position to offer this exceptional product. Given that our objective is to always offer superior quality, we will continuously pursue its evolution. It should also be noted that nickel is never used in our yellow or rose gold.