The Micoryan Journal

Rhodium-plated silver chain necklace with pearl
What Is Rhodium Plating? Why White Gold and Silver Get Rhodium-Plated
Rhodium plating gives white gold and silver their bright, mirror-white shine and helps resist tarnish. Here's what it is, why it wears, and how to care for it. Read more...
14K gold plated jewellery set with champagne cubic zirconia stones
Yellow, White and Rose Gold: The Colours of Gold Explained
Yellow, white and rose gold are all real gold — the difference is the alloy mixed in. An honest guide to how each colour is made, how they wear, and... Read more...
How Is Brass Jewellery Gold-Plated? Inside the Electroplating Process
From raw brass to a gleaming gold finish: how electroplating works, why a barrier layer matters, what microns mean, and how to make plated jewellery last. Read more...
How Is Platinum Mined? Why the Rarest Jewellery Metal Takes Months to Refine
Around 70% of the world's platinum comes from one geological formation in South Africa — and refining it can take months. How platinum is mined, refined and used. Read more...
Copper: The Hidden Metal in Almost All Your Jewellery — How It Is Mined and Used
Copper is inside sterling silver, rose gold, brass and bronze — yet nobody thinks of it as a jewellery metal. How it is mined, refined and why your jewellery depends on it. Read more...
How Is Gold Mined and Refined? The Journey from Rock to Ring
How gold goes from a few grams per tonne of rock to 99.99% pure bars — mining, cyanide leaching, the Miller and Wohlwill processes, and what carats really mean. Read more...
How Is Silver Mined? From Deep Underground to the Ring on Your Finger
Where does silver actually come from? How it is mined, refined to 99.9% purity and alloyed into the sterling silver used in jewellery — explained step by step. Read more...
Platinum vs White Gold vs Sterling Silver: The White Metals Compared
They can look nearly identical in a photo — but platinum, white gold, rhodium-plated silver and palladium behave very differently on your hand and your wallet. Here's how to choose. Read more...
Jewellery Stamps Decoded: What 925, 585, 750 and Other Marks Mean
That tiny stamp inside your ring is a complete material passport — if you can read it. Every common gold, silver and platinum mark decoded, plus UK hallmark symbols explained. Read more...
PVD Coating vs Gold Plating: What's the Difference?
PVD is the jewellery buzzword of the moment. What Physical Vapour Deposition actually is, how it compares to traditional gold plating and vermeil, and which is right for you. Read more...
How to Tell if Gold Is Real: Hallmarks, the Magnet Test and What Actually Works
Is your gold jewellery real? Learn to read hallmarks (375, 585, 750...), what the magnet test can and can't tell you, and which checks are worth doing at home before seeing a professional. Read more...
What Is Gold Vermeil? Vermeil vs Gold Plated vs Gold Filled, Explained Honestly
Gold vermeil, gold plated, gold filled, solid gold — what do these terms actually mean? An honest, no-hype guide to how each is made, how long each lasts, and how to care for them. Read more...