The Best Tarnish-Free ‘Gold’ Jewellery For Under £30

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Olivia Jenkins, a 24-year-old from Cardiff, started her jewellery company D. Louise in lockdown. “I used to get so frustrated with my jewellery turning my skin green, especially when I would spend so much money on it,” she tells R29. After a lot of research, she found out about a new coating process that appeared to be the answer to her (and our) prayers. “I found that stainless steel jewellery ticked the boxes. Every piece from my collection uses 361L stainless steel, which is a highly durable, recyclable metal. Its properties mean that it does not oxidise or rust, is hypoallergenic, doesn’t scratch easily and will not tarnish.” Her pieces go through a PVD (physical vapor deposition) gold-coating process. “This new, modern way of plating is ten times thicker than standard gold plating, is environmentally friendly and uses a vacuum coating process, resulting in an extremely durable finish.“A nice added bonus of using stainless steel is its eco credentials. “All our jewellery is 100% recyclable,” she explains. “Stainless steel is made up of chromium, nickel and molybdenum which can easily be separated from other materials, making the recycling process easy. The coating process that the jewellery goes through is 100% environmentally friendly. PVD plating utilises a titanium nitride that provides an extremely durable and tough-wearing coating. It does not use cyanide or create any hazardous waste and does not hinder the recycling process. Traditional methods of gold plating produce harsh chemicals and when not disposed of correctly can cause damaging effects to the environment and the people using them.”

Mirabai Chanu’s mother, who sold jewellery for her girl, in tears after super show at Tokyo Olympics

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New Delhi, July 24: A historic silver medal and a radiant smile were not the only eye-catching things about Mirabai Chanu on Saturday in Tokyo, her gold earrings shaped like Olympic rings were as striking, a gift from her mother who sold her own jewellery for them five years ago.

The hope was that the earrings would bring her “good luck”. It didn’t happen in the Rio 2016 Games but Chanu made the little sacrifice count in Tokyo this morning with a silver medal and Saikhom Ongbi Tombi Leima has struggled to stop her tears from flowing ever since.

“I saw the earrings on TV, I gave them to her in 2016 before the (Rio) Olympics. I have made it for her from the gold pieces and savings I have so that it brings luck and success,” Leima told PTI from her home in Manipur where a considerable number of relatives, friends and well-wishers gathered to watch Chanu script history in Tokyo.

“I was in tears seeing it and also during the moment she won the medal. Her father (Saikhom Kriti Meitei) was also in tears. Tears of joy. All her hard work has led to the success.” Chanu ended India’s 21-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the Olympics, clinching the second place in the 49kg category to open the country’s account on Saturday.

The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) to better Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

With this, she exorcised the ghosts of the 2016 Games where she had failed to log a single legitimate lift.

The Chanu household at Nongpok Kakching village, around 25km from state capital Imphal, visitors had been trickling in since Friday despite the curfew caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chanu has six siblings, three sisters and two brothers.

“She had told us she will win gold or at least a medal. So, everybody was waiting for it to happen. Many of our relatives who lived far came last evening. They stayed overnight with us,” Chanu’s mother said.

“Many came this morning and the people of the locality also thronged. So, we have brought out the television to the verandah and around 50 people were there to watch Mirabai in Tokyo. Many sat at the front courtyard. So, it was a kind of festival.

“A lot of journalists have also come. This is something we have never experienced.” The gold they had wished for didn’t come but the silver was enough to send a packed courtyard, glued to the TV, into frenzy as the tense little crowd broke into celebrations, unclenching their fists and clapping frantically.

Chanu was on video call with her family from the weightlifting arena in Tokyo before her event began and she had sought blessings from her parents.

“She (Chanu) rarely comes home (because of training) and so we have made a whastapp group to communicate with each other,” said Chanu’s cousin Aroshini.

“This morning, she had a video call with all of us and she bowed down and sought blessings from her parents.

“She said ‘bless me to win a gold medal for the country’. They gave their blessings. It was a touching moment.”

Taranaki woman following in jewellery-loving father’s footsteps

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Abby Shephard has started GemPro - following in her father’s steps and becoming the only qualified jewellery valuer in Taranaki.

After spending her life surrounded by jewellery, a Taranaki mother has decided to follow in her father’s footsteps.

Abby Shephard has started her own jewellery valuing business called GemPro, and she will be the first qualified gemologist to service the region in decades.

But, Shephard is no novice when it comes to rings and necklaces, stones and metals.

SIMON O’CONNOR/Stuff Abby Shephard has grown up around jewellery, as her father, Rob Wright, has been making it longer than she’s been alive.

Her father, Rob Wright, owns Ringcraft Moana and has been making jewellery for more than half a century, so she has spent her entire life around it – having a turn at making her own at times too.

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“Dad’s great for me to pick on his expert knowledge,” the mother-of-two said. “His expertise is just invaluable.”

A registered nurse by trade, Shephard had a few reasons to get into gemology, one was “obviously Dad being a jeweller”.

“It’s kind of more of a life dream,” Shephard said. “And Taranaki, for a long time, has been sending all their jewellery away to be valued.”

This discouraged many to even bother getting jewellery valued, she said.

“They don’t want to send nan’s ring away.”

SIMON O’CONNOR/Stuff The mother-of-two is a registered nurse, but has taken the leap to start her own business.

Shephard started studying when she was pregnant with her son, about seven years ago, through the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.

She admits it was a “juggle” with working as a nurse and being a new mum, but she managed it and finally took the big leap of starting out on her own earlier this year.

A lot goes into valuing, and Shephard said she has already seen “all sorts” of different pieces.

“Sometimes you’ve got to tell people you can’t put a price on it.”

While she admits business has been a “little bit slow”, it is starting to pick up now.

SIMON O’CONNOR/Stuff The pair work well as a team and Wright’s decades of knowledge are coming in handy with valuations.

The most common work at the moment is for insurance purposes, which Shephard said a lot of people didn’t realise they should do.

Wright started out in the jewellery business when he was 15, and has been nothing but supportive of his daughter’s next step.

“I’m very proud of her,” the 69-year-old said.

Plus, his years of experience mean he can help her, too.

“You can look at it and see where it’s come from.”