Jewelry: buying jewelry straight from supplier albums

Jewelry: plating, gram weight and the clasp

The word "gold" in an album title almost never means solid gold. It usually means gold-plated stainless steel or brass, and the plating thickness is the number that decides whether the piece still looks gold in three months. Ask directly: steel base or brass base, and how many microns of plating.

Weight in grams is the second honest signal. A chain that weighs 4 g and one that weighs 14 g are different products even when the photos match, and the heavier one usually has the better clasp. Ask for the weight on a kitchen scale and a close-up of the clasp and any hallmark stamp.

Skin reaction is a real risk with nickel-bearing alloys, so buyers with sensitive skin should stick to steel or titanium bases. Jewelry is light and cheap to consolidate, which makes it the natural companion to a bag or sneaker order — but declare it correctly, because customs treat metal goods differently from textiles.