Materials

We choose materials for what they do over years of wear, not for how they read on a spec sheet. Every Solvaine piece starts from the same structural decision: a corrosion-resistant core, finished in precious metal that stays precious.

The Substrate

Every Solvaine piece is built on a core of 316L austenitic stainless steel. It's the same grade specified for surgical implants and marine-grade hardware, chosen in both cases for how it behaves in prolonged contact with moisture and skin.

316L's defining feature is its molybdenum content, which standard 304-grade stainless steel does not have. Molybdenum stabilizes the alloy's passive chromium-oxide surface layer, and that layer is what gives 316L its resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion. Ordinary steel develops this kind of localized damage from sweat, humidity, and repeated wetting.

316L also releases nickel ions at a lower rate than more common steel alloys, a property that matters directly for a piece in constant contact with skin.

It is harder than the precious metals plated onto it. That hardness is what lets a plated finish keep a sharp edge and a true surface through years of handling, rather than deforming the way a softer base metal would under the same daily wear.

Why Not Brass

Most plated jewelry, at almost any price point, is built on a brass or copper-alloy core. Both are easy to plate and inexpensive to work with, but they share one structural weakness: they are chemically reactive base metals.

When plating on a brass or copper core wears through, the base metal underneath is exposed to air and skin, and it oxidizes. That reaction is what produces the greenish or blackish discoloration people associate with cheap jewelry, and it happens on skin as readily as it happens on the metal itself.

A 316L stainless steel core changes what happens at that same moment. Stainless steel doesn't oxidize the way brass or copper does. So when plating wears on a Solvaine piece, what's exposed underneath is an inert surface, not a reactive one. The piece may show its age. It does not turn your skin.

This is a real, verifiable material distinction, not a matter of styling or finish. It comes down to what the core is made of before any plating is ever applied.

The Plating

Every piece is finished in either 18K gold or rhodium, plated over the steel core and sealed with an anti-tarnish coating.

18K gold plating carries the warm yellow tone associated with fine gold jewelry. Rhodium, a member of the platinum family, is plated for its cool, bright, silver-white finish.

Both finishes are maintained the same way: keep the piece away from chlorinated water, and avoid direct contact with perfume, lotion, and hairspray, which can dull a plated finish over time. Both are safe through normal daily wear, showers, and swimming in unchlorinated water.

Design and Production

Every design is created in-house by Solvaine. It is not sourced from a wholesale catalogue, and not sold under another name. Pieces are made in small, considered runs rather than held as open stock.

Each piece is hand-finished by one artisan, from first sketch to final polish, in our Vancouver studio, rather than assembled along a line of separate hands. Because each piece is finished individually, minor variation in surface texture and link finish is normal, not a defect.

Care and Longevity

Worn daily, a Solvaine piece is built to be lived in. It holds up through showers, swimming in unchlorinated water, and the ordinary contact of a working day. What accelerates wear is chemical exposure: chlorinated pools, and direct contact with perfume, lotion, and hairspray, all of which can dull a plated finish faster than wear alone.

Because the core beneath the plating is corrosion-resistant, wear over time shows up as a change in surface finish, not as discoloration or a reaction against skin.

If you have a question about the condition of a specific piece, contact us.