cora is for the conscious jewellery lover that has longevity in mind.
We want you to enjoy your pieces for a very long time. Our base metal is either 925 Sterling Silver or Stainless Steel.
We avoid cheap metals (brass, copper, nickel) to ensure that cora's pieces are generally hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin.
freshwater pearls
This natural beauty has become a staple across cultures, and is a multi-generational classic that has withstood time. Basically, you can never go wrong wearing pearls because it never goes out of fashion.
These "soft white lustrous orbs" have a cultural connection to the moon, with astrological associations with the planet Venus. Like pearls, the goddess of love came from the sea. Some even say white pearls are tears shed by the gods.
Pearls are elegant and ethereal while maintaining an organic look about them. Born from mollusks, freshwater pearls come in a variety of unusual shapes and colors. Its true beauty comes in its natural textured form. To tell real pearls apart from "fake" ones, rub the pearl against your tooth. It should feel like rubbing against sandpaper.
A popular base metal for demi-fine jewellery, sterling silver consists of 92.5% silver, with the remaining made out of copper. The combination of other metals is necessary in order to mould them into the desired form.
Pure silver is not susceptible to tarnish in a pure oxygen environment. However, the copper that is contained in 925 sterling silver may react to the ozone and hydrogen sulphide in the air and cause sterling silver to tarnish. For this reason, we recommend avoiding perfumes, hair sprays and alcohol to prevent tarnishing.
925 sterling silver
demi-fine
aka. "affordably luxury" sits at the intersection of expensive "fine jewellery" and cheap "costume jewellery". It offers the best of both worlds through affordable pricing without sacrificing quality or luxury.
Its tried true and tested base metal, 925 Sterling Silver can be embellished in semi-precious gemstones or coated in gold / rose gold. cora uses 18ct gold to emulate the warmth and glow that high-end jewellery exude without breaking the bank.
This means that you can confidently build your jewelry collection and get access to luxurious designs that withstand daily wear. It also eases the pressure of owning fine jewelry (for fear of losing or damaging it).
: pronounced [vehr-may] contains a thicker gold plating and uses 925 Sterling Silver as its base metal. Legally, the gold must be at least 10ct with a thickness of 2.5 microns of gold plating. However, some countries (like Canada) only require a 1.0 micron layer of gold to qualify as gold vermeil.
All gold vermeil jewellery from cora contain a minimum plating of 2.5 microns thick (x50 more gold coating* compared to regular gold plated jewellery). This is the next best alternative to a solid gold piece.
We only provide this option for designs we think are timeless, which is why only selected designs are available in gold vermeil.
With the added thickness, gold vermeil lasts longer than gold-plated jewellery, giving the perfect balance between cost and quality. For those who don’t want to splurge on solid gold, vermeil makes for the next best alternative!
* regular gold plated jewellery vcontain as low as 0.05 microns gold
gold vermeil
stainless steel
Because of its inherent ability to never rust, corrode or oxidise, this metal is the best to use when you have a very active lifestyle (think sports and a whole lotta sweating).
Its properties are tarnish free, rust-free and can be exposed to water without oxidising and changing color - which makes it the perfect material for humid places. You also have more freedom to take jewellery made out of stainless steel in the water with you!
Stainless steel is more durable compared to 925 sterling silver (which is malleable and can bend under pressure). It is less susceptible to scratches but contains small traces of nickel. Although it is generally considered safe for sensitive skin, those with a nickel allergy should look for demi-fine, 925 sterling silver jewellery instead.
We mainly use 18ct gold on our jewellery to emulate the tone, look and feel of solid gold (without breaking the bank).
Karat (ct) determines the gold color that shows up in your jewellery... Think of it like different shades of yellow.
A higher karat does not mean that there is a thicker plating of gold!*
*Refer to gold vermeil to learn more on quality plating.
Gold plated jewelry has become increasingly popular as it makes expensive jewellery more affordable.
18ct gold plated
repurposed designer
Chain: 18ct gold on Surgical Stainless Steel / Freshwater Pearls
Pendant: Gold plated on brass
Pendants taken from Luxury Designer accessories are typically made out of base metals that corrode overtime.
Due to its rarity, we want you to make sure it lasts a long time. We recommend giving it the highest order of TLC (tender loving care). Kindly refer to our care card for more instructions).