On this page
Almost every jewellery brief we receive starts with a material already chosen, and roughly a third " of those are chosen for the wrong reason. This page is the comparison we would give a buyer if she " asked us to be blunt: what each of the three materials actually costs, what it does to your retail " price, and where each one will generate a return.
What actually drives the cost
Only one of the three has a public price, and that is the one that surprises people. At the " September 2026 spot price near $64.50 an ounce (about $2.08 per gram), a gram of 925 silver " carries roughly $1.92 of silver before any casting, finishing or setting has happened. A 3 g " ring therefore starts around $5.80 in metal alone. That is why a silver quote moves when the market " moves, and why we publish weight on every silver design instead of a single headline number.
Steel and brass are the opposite: the metal is a rounding error and the cost sits in the work. For " 316L the cost is machining or casting plus the PVD pass; for brass it is the casting plus the plating " pass. That is why those two materials respond to quantity far more than silver does — and why a " silver quote is sensitive to the day you place it.
| 925 sterling silver | 316L stainless steel | Brass & copper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative price | $6.50 – 80.00 | $0.60 – 9.50 | $0.55 – 8.80 |
| Priced at | 100 pcs | 500 pcs | 500 pcs |
| Minimum order | 30 pcs | 50 pcs | 30 pcs |
| Production | 20–30 days | 15–25 days | 12–20 days |
| What sets the cost | Silver metal, priced per gram | Machining and the PVD or plating pass | Casting and the plating pass |
| Tarnish | Yes — silver sulphides darken it; rhodium flash or e-coat slows this | No — stays bright | Only if the plating wears through |
| Skin | Usually fine; reactions come from plating or the copper content | Best of the three — molybdenum-bound nickel does not release readily | Unplated copper or brass can leave a faint green trace |
| Hardness | Softest; thin bands deform | Hardest; holds sharp edges and heavy links | Middle; heavier than steel for the same volume |
| Water and sweat | Remove before pools and hot springs | No reaction to sweat or salt water | Keep dry; chlorine and sunscreen strip the plating |
| Documents | Material test report on request | Material report; EN 1811 / REACH / RoHS testing arranged | REACH and RoHS declarations on request |
The same design at three retail price points
The commercially useful way to think about the three materials is as three price tiers of one " design. Take a simple 3 mm band ring and a 45 cm chain necklace:
- Brass, gold plated — the entry tier. You are selling the look. It is the fastest to " reorder and the cheapest to test, and it is the right home for trend and seasonal colour.
- 316L stainless steel — the everyday tier. You are selling durability and a promise: " it will not tarnish, it will not mark skin, it survives water. That promise is why it converts so " well online, where the customer cannot touch the piece before buying.
- 925 sterling silver — the precious tier. You are selling a real metal with a real " market price. It is the tier that supports the highest markup in absolute terms, and the one with the " highest exposure to metal price movement.
Our honest advice on sequencing: start in steel or brass to learn what your market buys, then move " the winners to silver rather than opening with silver across a whole range.
Which material for which product
- Everyday wear, men's lines, anything sold as waterproof → 316L. It is the only one of " the three that survives a shower, a gym session and sunscreen without a maintenance instruction.
- Sensitive skin, piercing jewellery, children's pieces → 316L, and specify stainless " posts even if the front is plated.
- Gifts, bridal, heirloom-adjacent, hallmark-driven markets → 925 silver. The 925 stamp " is a legal statement in most markets and buyers look for it.
- Trend pieces, seasonal colour, heavy sculptural detail → brass. Casting holds fine " detail, the material is heavier than steel in the hand, and the price point lets you exit a trend " without dead stock.
- Heavy chains and large pendants → 316L. Steel holds a big link shape without bending, " and a silver chain of the same volume would be an expensive piece of metal rather than a design.
When we tell buyers to change material
We do this often, and it usually saves money rather than costing it:
- A silver design at a price that needs a lighter build. If the retail price point cannot " carry the metal, we would rather move the design to steel than shave the silver until it dents.
- A thin brass ring sold as everyday wear. Thin plated rings show edge wear fastest. Either " build it heavier in steel, or sell it honestly as a seasonal piece.
- A 10 mm silver band in a price-sensitive range. Same silhouette in steel reads almost " identical on the hand at a fraction of the metal cost.
- A plated piece for a market with strict nickel rules. Switch to 316L with a PVD finish and " arrange EN 1811 testing — it is the shortest path to a defensible compliance position.
One question worth asking before you commit. What happens when " the customer comes back? Silver can be polished, steel never needs to be, and a plated brass piece is " usually replaced rather than repaired. Decide which of those you are selling, and tell the customer " the same thing — most jewellery returns are a broken expectation rather than a broken product."