METALS

Marie Schoenbach uses precious metals to ensure the highest quality, for your jewelry to last as long as possible.

Click here to find out how to keep your jewelry as good as new with the right care.

925 Sterling Silver

The most common silver alloy used in the jewelry industry is 925 Sterling Silver. It consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. The alloy has many advantages as compared to 99.9% pure silver, namely an improved hardness and strength, making the jewelry more durable, and increased levels of luster and reflection for aesthetic appeal. While pure silver is known to tarnish quickly, 925 Sterling Silver jewelry keeps its shine and luster for longer, thanks to the addition of copper.

18K Gold

In order to achieve the best possible properties for our gold jewelry, we are using an 18K alloy, consisting of 75% gold mixed with 25% other metals for increased density, strength, luster and reflection as well as color. Pure gold, known as 24K gold, is not the most suitable for the use in jewelry, because due to its softness it will scratch and break easily.
Our yellow gold jewelry is made from 75% gold, 22% silver, 2% zinc and 1% copper, the white gold items are mixed from 75% gold, 18% silver and 7% zinc, and the rose gold jewelry is made with a mixture of 75% gold, 24% copper and 1% zinc.

GEMSTONES

Diamonds

The quality and value of diamonds is determined by what is known as the 4 C’s: Carat, Clarity, Color and Cut.

Carat: The size of a diamond is critical to its value. The metric carat, which equals 0.2 grams, is the standard unit of weight for diamonds and most other gemstones. If other factors are equal, the more a diamond weighs, the more valuable it is.

Clarity: The clarity of a diamond refers to the amount, size, type and location of internal flaws (inclusions) or surface imperfections (blemishes) visible in a diamond using 10x magnification. The cleaner the diamond, the higher its value.

Color: Within the same diamond type it generally applies the more radiant their color, the more valuable they are. Those diamonds graded colorless are the most valuable ones.

Cut: Cut or proportion is the only property of a diamond that is totally dependent on human intervention. Cut is important to consider when choosing a gemstone as it alone affects the sparkle.

Due to their great rarity, diamonds are considered the most precious gemstones.
Naturally grown in an environment of high pressure (50.000 kg/cm2) and high temperature (>1300°C), in the deepest layers of the earth, they are brought to the surface through volcanic eruptions. Besides their resistance against heat, what mainly distinguishes diamonds from other gemstones is their hardness. Diamonds are known as the hardest naturally occurring mineral. Their high refractive index (2.417) and moderate light dispersion (0.044) give faceted diamonds their significant brilliance and fire.

Inspected and graded by experts, each diamond used in our jewelry features G-H color and SI clarity.

Cubic Zirconia

Cubic Zirconia is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂). The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. Because of its durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important competitor for diamonds since commercial production began in 1976.

Rodolite

Rhodolite describes a rose-red form of Garnet that has a lighter tone and more purplish color than typical Garnet gemstones. It is usually an intermediary variety between the Pyrope and Almandine series, usually containing more magnesium than iron in its chemical structure, thus leaning closer towards Pyrope. It is often regarded as a variety of Pyrope.

Carnelian

Carnelian is the red, orange, or amber variety of Chalcedony. Though often a solid color, it may also be banded, in which case it would be jointly classified as both Agate and Carnelian. Carnelian is an ancient gemstone, having been used as gem material since antiquity. Although still used a gemstone today, its significance and value has been diminished since the ancient times.

Garnet

Garnet is not a single mineral, but describes a group of several closely related minerals. Garnets come in a variety of colors and have many different varieties. However, the most widely-known color of Garnet gemstones is dark red. When the term "Garnet" is used, it is usually connotative of the dark red form; other color Garnets are usually given more descriptive gemstone terms.

Amethyst

Amethyst is one of the most popular gemstones, and has been considered valuable since ancient times. Its name derives from the Greek "amethystos", which means "not drunken", as Amethyst in antiquity was thought to ward off drunkenness. Amethyst was once highly regarded among the precious gemstones like Ruby and Emerald, but discoveries of huge Amethyst deposits since the 1800's have made Amethyst fairly inexpensive and very obtainable. Amethyst colors range from light to dark purple, and the transparent deep purple colors are the most highly regarded.

Labradorit

Labradorite is an important feldspar gemstone. It often displays a beautiful iridescent play of colors, which can move as the stone is rotated. Labradorite gemstones usually have a dark base color with metallic-looking color plays of blue, green, yellow, and red. This iridescent effect is commonly known as labradorescence, and is named after this stone. It is caused by internal fractures that reflect light back and forth, dispersing it into different colors.

Pyrite

Pyrite, often called "Fools Gold", has a silvery-yellow to golden metallic color. It is very common and may occur in large crystals. It has been used by ancient civilizations as jewelry, but is hardly used nowadays. Pyrite is sometimes incorrectly known as Marcasite in the gemstone trade. Marcasite is mineral that is a polymorph of Pyrite, and can be fragile and unstable, and is not fit for gemstone use.

Haematite

Haematite is a gemstone form of iron oxide. It is the principal ore of iron and one of the few gemstones that exhibits a metallic luster. Like most other gemstones with a metallic luster, haematite is remarkably dense and possesses an extremely high refractive index. As a gemstone in aggregate form, haematite is always opaque and typically occurs with blackish-gray color.

Spinel

Spinel is a hard vitreous magnesium aluminium oxide that has been used as a gemstone for centuries. Spinel occurs in a range of colours, such as rose pink to rich red; lavender to deep violet; light to deep blue, orange, yellow, brown and black. 

Opal

Opal is the most colorful of gems. Its splendid play of color is unsurpassed, and fine examples can even be more valuable than Diamond. The play of color consists of iridescent color flashes that change with the angle at which the stone is viewed. This phenomenon is often called opalescence. The play of color may consist of large, individual flashes of color (known as schillers), or may be of tiny, dense flashes. The intensity and distribution of the color flashes is a determining factor in the value of an Opal.

Iolite

Iolite is the gem variety of the mineral Cordierite. It describes the transparent to translucent form of Cordierite, and it has recently become a popular gemstone. Iolite can be light to deep blue, and usually has a purplish tinge to it. Deeper colored stones are more valuable. Iolite is very affordable and durable, and can be used as a substitute for more expensive blue gemstones such as Sapphire. It is named from the Greek "violet", alluding to the purplish tinge often exhibited by this gemstone.