Imitation jewellery is built on a base metal and then plated. The common bases are brass, copper and white-metal alloys, which in the Indian trade usually means a zinc-based casting alloy. A few lines use stainless steel or silver.
Buyers often focus on the plating, but the base metal underneath decides how strong the piece is, how well the plating holds, whether it can be repaired, and whether it passes lead, cadmium and nickel limits.
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It is strong, takes fine detail in casting and stamping, holds plating well and can be soldered and repaired. Most better-quality imitation jewellery from Rajkot uses a brass base, including much of the American diamond, kundan and gold-plated range. Its downsides are cost, which follows copper prices, and weight.
Copper
Pure copper is soft and easy to shape, and it plates well. It is used for some hand-formed and oxidised pieces and for certain wire work. Unplated copper tarnishes quickly and can mark the skin green, so it is almost always plated or lacquered.
Alloy or white metal
Alloy in Indian jewellery usually means a low-melting white metal, most often zinc-based, cast in rubber or metal moulds. It is cheaper and lighter than brass and casts complex shapes quickly, which suits low price points and large statement pieces.
It is also more brittle, harder to repair, and more prone to pitting and blistering under plating. Some white metals contain lead or cadmium, so test reports matter more for alloy than for brass.
Zinc alloy
Zinc alloys, similar to the die-casting alloys used in hardware, are the cleanest form of white metal when properly specified. They are widely used for fashion jewellery worldwide. Ask the maker for the exact alloy and a recent test report, rather than accepting the word alloy alone.
Other bases you may see
- German silver: a copper, nickel and zinc alloy used for oxidised pieces. It contains nickel, so check release limits for Europe.
- Stainless steel: durable and tarnish-resistant, but harder to work and less common in Rajkot.
- Sterling silver (92.5): real silver rather than imitation, used for premium lines.
What this means for a buyer
Name the base metal in your specification and on your listings, and match it to your price and market. Creston & Co works for buyers only, for a fixed fee agreed in writing, confirms the base metal at the workshop and has samples tested for lead, cadmium and nickel at accredited labs. Ask for a free sourcing review.