"Heirloom quality" gets used loosely in jewelry marketing. Real heirloom quality is testable — it comes down to a handful of material and construction choices that determine whether a piece survives one wearer or several generations.
Solid metal, not plating
Plating wears through with contact and time, exposing a duller base metal underneath. Solid sterling silver and genuine 14k gold, like our 14k yellow gold lariat necklace, keep their color and finish all the way through, so decades of wear polish the piece rather than expose it.
Soldered, not glued
Any joint on a genuinely durable piece — where a pendant meets a chain, where a charm meets a jump ring — should be soldered. Glued connections fail with heat, time, and ordinary wear. If a seller can't tell you how a piece is joined, assume it's glued.
Stones set, not adhered
A properly set stone is held by metal — prongs, a bezel, a channel — that can be tightened or repaired for as long as the piece exists. An adhered stone has a shelf life measured in years, not generations, and can't be serviced once it fails.
What this means when you're buying
Ask before you buy: solid or plated, soldered or glued, set or adhered. A piece worth calling an heirloom should have good answers to all three.
See our 14k gold necklace collection for pieces built to that standard.