All pieces are made and designed in the USA and are made of solid sterling silver. Depending on the design, some sterling is shiny bright or it may have had a patina put on it to change it's look, maybe even to a solid black, but it is still solid sterling silver. All stones used are semi-precious and the cut and shapes of the stones are very often of limited availability making it nearly impossible for large scale production of any one design to be made. So, you will probably near see your jewelry being worn by someone else, unless you loaned it to them. Other elements besides semi-precious stones used are often vintage or antique like the limited supply of antique handmade art glass beads that are used in some of our designs.