Fashion jewellery has a bad reputation it does not always deserve. Most of the complaints come down to five things you can check before buying.
1. The base metal
Brass and sterling silver take plating well and sit comfortably against skin. Avoid unnamed alloys; they are the usual cause of green marks.
2. Plating, not paint
Gold tone should be electroplated over the base, not lacquered on. Plated pieces last years when kept dry and away from friction.
Handcrafted Indian jewellery from the Exotic India studio
3. Clasps and joins
Nine out of ten repairs we see are clasps. A sturdy S-hook or a box clasp with a safety loop outlasts a thin spring ring by years.
4. Stone setting
Prongs and closed bezels hold. Glue does not. Turn a piece over: the reverse tells you more than the front.
A karigar at work on a piece for Exotic India
5. Weight
Hollow beads give you presence without the pull on your ears or neck, which is the real reason some pieces never get worn.
Everything in our edit states its metal and technique plainly, so you can run these checks before you buy.