I use authentic gemstones in 99% of my jewelry collect. There are a few pieces that have handmade lampwork glass and Swarovski Crystal part of the design. See each piece of jewelry for a proper material description.
All metals used are nickel free, lead free, and cadmium free.
I use sterling silver (.925), fine silver (.999), 14k gold-filled, and electroplated metals.
14k gold-filled is when a very thick layer of real 14k gold is permanently plated over a base metal core. This acts like solid 14k gold, it can be cleaned, hammered, soldered, and tumbled and will not lose the gold layer.
Electroplating is a process that uses electric current to reduce dissolved metal cations so that they form a coherent metal coating on an electrode. All products are nickel free and lead free. I use 24k gold electroplated over brass and fine silver (.999) over brass.