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Jewelry Guide

Jewelry Guide

Jewelry Guide

MARIA TASH designs live at the intersection of fashion, jewelry, and beauty. Each piece is made to fit the wearer comfortably, like a second skin. With extraordinary attention to detail, Maria creates pieces that are eye-catching from every angle with gemstones that offer maximum brilliance.

Our Gold Standard

All MARIA TASH designs are set in solid 14 karat or 18 karat gold. Metal designs without stones are 14k, while any piece with diamonds or precious stones is set in 18k. As a luxury piercing brand, we only use hypoallergenic, nickel-free gold. For this reason, we combine our gold with alloys that are not known to cause sensitivity, for example, we replace nickel with palladium. 


The gold we source comes from an approved member of the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association). This organization plays a fundamental role in setting standards and providing quality assurance. 


In Europe and the UK, precious metals must be independently tested to confirm purity. This process, called hallmarking, varies by country, and we certify that our styles comply with all legal requirements.

 

White Diamonds

All MARIA TASH white diamonds are sourced from the Diamond Trading Company and all vendors within its network comply with De Beers Group's Best Practice Principles which require operating to specific ethical, professional, social, legal, and environmental standards. All vendors are 100% committed to the Kimberly Process. 


Most MARIA TASH diamonds are of VS2/G quality and higher, depending on the carat size. Our larger 1.0 carat and up diamonds are officially graded and come with a GIA certification. We provide assurances of authenticity for diamonds under 1.0 carat at the clients’ request. 


We offer a range of shapes and cuts including pear, oval, round, princess, marquise, and baguette. Maria has also created a custom cut silhouette diamond — a five-sided kite shaped stone — that is exclusive to the brand and can be found as a stud, spike, and charm.

 

Colored Diamonds

To create the ideal shade of blue, pink, and rose purple, natural VS2 or higher clarity stones are color enhanced through a process involving high pressure and high temperature – the only permanent color treatment process that exists today. Our colored diamonds are ethically sourced and comply with the United Nations Resolutions and corresponding national laws.

Pearl

We source freshwater cultured pearls for our jewelry. Cultured pearls are formed when an irritant is manually introduced into an oyster which activates the formation process.

Our Gemstones

Maria seeks out the highest quality gems in the world to bring beauty and sparkle to her exquisite jewelry designs. 

Opal

Opals are semi-precious stones, typically with a whiter base that brings out the blue, green, and pink iridescent shading known as their fire. In our jewelry, Maria coordinates opal fires with gold colors for the most impact; pink fire to rose gold, blue fire to white gold, and green fire to yellow gold. 

Turquoise

Turquoise are semi-precious stones with a blue or blue-green color. Our turquoise is natural and sourced from mines in Arizona or New Mexico. We never use imitation versions of the stone.

Our Settings

Our settings are low-profile and sit close to the skin so our jewelry looks striking from every angle.

Invisible: Designed by Maria herself, our invisible setting isolates a diamond in the most minimal setting possible. Precision setters carefully push specially designed prongs to hold the stone securely in place so it appears to float on top of the skin.

Scallop: In this setting, a gemstone fits tightly in a metal basket attached to a metal base. Our scalloped set jewelry tends to include intricate engraved detailing for 360° of beauty.

Floating: A jump ring is placed through a drilled hole in the diamond to give it a floating effect.

Jewelry Care

Keep your MARIA TASH jewelry radiant with a few easy tips.

  • Restore diamond or gold shine by using an extra soft toothbrush and mild soap to wash away any residue.
  • Organize your pieces with care so that they do not collide, which can result in nicks and scratches.
  • Avoid exposing your jewelry to harsh chemical cleansers or alcohol-based perfumes that may affect the finish.

Glossary

Jewelry Types

Traditional Stud

The most common type of earring, traditional studs come in one length and feature a standard butterfly backing that glides on seamlessly. This type of stud can be swapped out often and is ideal for Lobe piercings.

Drape

Custom designed to fit exclusively in the Tash Helix℠ and Tash Hidden Rook℠ placements, drapes creates the illusion of gems and chains mysteriously emerging from the ear. A bar is pierced under specific folds in your anatomy, concealing the entry point and wearable components of the jewelry to allow the pieces to cascade softly, moving with the wearer.

Demi

A demi is designed to look like a diamond arch peeking out from the top of the ear. The ends of the curved stud are tucked into the folds of the outer ear to conceal the style's opening.

Navel and Nipple Barbell

A style of jewelry with a straight or curved bar in the center and two beads on either end, one of which can be unscrewed to move through the piercing. We use gold and titanium barbells at MARIA TASH. We recommend starting with an internally threaded 14g straight barbell for nipple piercings and 14g curved barbell for navel piercings.

Horizontal Rings 

Rings with stones on the side that faces out rather than around the edge. These work best in piercings that are viewed straight on such as the Septum or Daith.

Dermal / Microdermal

A dermal piercing appears to float on the surface of the skin. This effect is due to a titanium anchor or "dermal foot" that gets implanted under the skin so only the threaded post is visible.

 

Charm

A charm is a piece of jewelry that is added, usually via jump ring or small clasp, to the body of a ring or to an earring post. Charms can be as simple as a jump ring with a hanging diamond or more complex like our chains or linked bars styles.

 

Threaded Charm

Threaded charms link a tapered spike that sits at the end of a post to a jump ring with a gem attached. This allows the dangling stone to sit as close to the skin as possible, giving the impression of a charm hanging directly from the ear.

Orbital

Orbitals are defined as a single piece of jewelry worn in two adjacent piercings

Mechanisms

Post

The part of jewelry that moves through the ear, attaching frontal to backing. Our posts come in various lengths and shapes so they can be fit to different anatomy.

Frontal

The front of your stud where the gemstone or forward-facing design appears.

Backing

The stopper that holds a post in place at the back of the ear.

Butterfly Backing

The most common earring backing; it is pushed straight onto a traditional stud post. "Butterfly" refers to the shape of this style.

Ballflower

Designed by Maria herself, our ballflowers screw into threaded posts and have an elegant design that adds a decorative element to the back of our earrings.

Disc

A simple, minimalist style of threaded stud backing that provides a comfortable option for most piercings.

Recessed

Unlike a traditional threaded stud, where the backing is pushed through the piercing and the threaded frontal is screwed in, a recessed stud's backing is threaded, meaning you push the frontal through the piercing and the back gets screwed in.

Nostril Screws

To fit comfortably in the nose, a straight post is bent into a spiral that gets "twisted" gently into the nostril.

Clickers

Mechanisms used on our rings; they get their name from the "click" they make when the piece is closed. Clickers have very small hinges that allow the rings to open and shut for easy and secure installations.

Jump Ring

A simple functional element that connects jewelry segments together. The jump ring is the small metal ring on a charm that slides over a clicker. You will find jump rings on our charms and necklaces.