Materials

All of our materials are authentic and true to their descriptions. Our pieces are made to last.

It's important to recognize the frequent questions around gold composition and the often overwhelming, and exceptionally confusing information that can be found online today. We aim to demystify gold (and silver) in a way that is understandable to all our customers and anyone who cares to know more about their jewelry.

Read up on how to care for your new pieces with our care guide.

What is Solid 14K Yellow Gold?

Our solid gold collection is authentic, solid 14K Yellow Gold.

14K represents the 14 out of 24 parts in pure gold. 24K is "pure gold" which is different than solid gold. 24K pure gold is the pure element (Au) that comes straight from the ground, and actually has a less than appealing yellow coloration. 24K gold as a pure element is too soft to be used as practical jewelry, so in order to increase the shine and durability of pure gold, other metals including silver, zinc, and copper, are mixed in. The K (can be "K", "k", or "kt") stands for karat which indicates how many parts of the gold is pure 24K gold. That means that 14K gold is 14 parts pure 24K gold and the other 10 parts are the other metals. Please refer to the graphic below.

In the United States, any gold that is 10k purity and above is legally considered “solid gold.”

 

What is 14K Yellow Gold Plated?

Our gold plated pieces use 14K gold. At Outspoke, gold plated refers to the process of our 925 Sterling Silver pieces dipped 3x in 14K gold. 14K gold is comprised of 58.3% pure gold and 41.7% alloyed metals (silver, zinc, nickel, and copper). This provides our jewelry with a pronounced shine and durability.

 

What is Rhodium Plated?

Rhodium is a very rare, silvery-white, strong, corrosion-resistant metal. It is highly reflective and gives off one of the best sheens achievable. It is often considered the rarest and most valuable metal in comparison to silver, gold, and platinum. Rhodium has been used as a coating for jewelry since the 1930s. To illustrate the scarcity of Rhodium, it is actually never found as an individual mineral. Instead, it is propagated in very small quantities within nickel and platinum ores.

 

What is 925 Sterling Silver?

All of our plated jewelry is based in 925 Sterling Silver. You can rely on the shine and durability of all of our pieces. 925 Sterling Silver refers to the composition of the material being 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. Silver is a precious metal that carries an elegance and shine greater than alternatives like stainless steel. Silver is significantly more valuable than stainless steel.

 

Why 14K?

14K gold has the optimal blend of durability and shine.14K has a higher percentage of alloyed metals which results in greater durability than 18K gold. Because gold as a precious metal is soft, a higher percentage of gold in your piece means it is more prone to scuff or tarnish. The shine is arguably brighter with 14K gold as compared to 18K gold (18K usually consists of a further yellow coloration). 18K gold is nice for those who want a more rustic look. At Outspoke we offer bright and sophisticated shine with our solid 14K gold pieces as well as our gold plated.

 

Pricing

Our pricing model is based on removing the added markup of traditional retailers. We source all our pieces directly, and then sell directly to you through our online brand.

Traditional retailers will often markup prices 8-10x their true cost. At Outspoke we aim to decrease that markup by 70%+ i.e. our prices will reflect only about a 2-3x markup. In result, we see a lesser profit margin than traditional retail stores, and that works for us because we are a much leaner brand than they are. We employee a fraction of the number of people they do, we pay a fraction of the amount they do for renting real estate, we pay a fraction of the amount they do for warehousing, etc. Those are just a few examples of how our pricing model stands out compared to traditional retailers. We are excited to be a brand that you can trust.