DuoTone Starfish Charm - Gold and Silver Stainless Steel - 16.6x19.8mm

DuoTone Starfish Charm - Two Metals on One Small Star

Our first two-tone charm. A starfish with five soft, unevenly curling arms, cast in stainless steel and finished in silver tone, with a band of gold laid along the upper surface of each arm so the star reads warm from above and cool from the side. The whole surface is dimpled with small round pits, the way a real starfish is, which catches light in dozens of tiny points rather than one flat shine.

It measures 16.6mm wide by 19.8mm tall and 3.1mm deep at 1.95g - substantial enough to sit properly, light enough not to drag. The reverse is fully modelled in plain silver tone with the same dimpled texture, so it is finished on both faces; the gold is a highlight on the front only. That is the whole idea behind our DuoTone™ layer: one piece that belongs on a gold bracelet and a silver one.

FAQs

1. Will it look wrong on a gold bracelet? Or a silver one?
Neither - that is the point. A two-tone piece gives the eye a reason for the mix, so it reads as intentional on either chain. It is the easiest way into mixed metals if you have never tried it.

2. Is the gold on both sides?
No. The gold band runs along the upper face of each arm; the back is plain silver tone with the same dimpled texture. It is finished on both sides, just not coloured on both.

3. It reacts slightly to a magnet - is that a problem?
No. Cast stainless steel normally contains a small amount of ferrite, deliberately, because it stops the metal cracking as it solidifies - that is what a magnet finds. Copper and brass are entirely non-magnetic, so a magnetic response actually rules them out. Full explanation in Is Magnetic Steel Jewellery Fake?.

4. Can the back be engraved?
No - it is modelled and textured on both sides, so there is no smooth panel. Our flat-backed charms are the ones for a name or a date.

5. Will one tone wear off before the other?
Not in normal wear. Both are ion-plated onto the same steel body in the same process. Abrasives are the exception - they will cut the gold band first, so keep polishing pastes away from it.

How to Style the DuoTone Starfish

Because it carries both metals it is the piece that lets you mix the rest of the stack without it looking accidental - put it between a gold charm and a silver one and it ties them together. It also completes the ocean run beside our seahorse and the two sea turtles. Hang it on a FortunaLink™ bracelet in either tone, browse the whole MiniCharm™ range, or start your stack at JewelBuild™.