Everything we sell is solid stainless steel. Not plated, not hollow, not coated in something that wears off.
We use two grades: 316L and 304. Both are proper stainless steel. Most of our catalog is 316L, and a good portion is 304.
The grade for each piece is listed on its product page.
What they have in common
Neither is plated. Plated jewelry is cheap metal with a thin coating on top. The coating wears through, usually in weeks, and what's underneath goes green. Ours has no coating because the steel goes all the way through.
Neither is hollow. A lot of chunky chains are hollow tubes. They look heavy in photos and feel like nothing in your hand, and they dent and crush. Ours are solid. That's why they weigh what they weigh.
Neither will turn your skin green. Green skin comes from copper reacting with your sweat. There's no copper in either grade.
Neither needs polishing or special storage. Wear it, rinse it, dry it. That's the whole maintenance routine.
304 stainless steel
The most widely used stainless steel in the world. Rust and corrosion resistant, strong, holds a polish well, and completely fine for everyday wear including showering and the gym.
316L stainless steel
304 with molybdenum added, which gives it extra resistance to salt and chlorides. It's sometimes called marine grade for that reason, and it's the same family used in surgical instruments and boat fittings.
The practical difference: if you're in saltwater or chlorinated pools a lot, 316L handles it better over the long run. For normal daily wear, both perform the same.
Either way, rinse in fresh water after the sea or a pool and dry it properly. That advice applies to both grades.
Sensitive skin
Both grades are widely used for jewelry and body piercing, and most people with metal sensitivities wear them without any problem.
If you have a diagnosed nickel allergy, both contain a small amount of nickel bound into the alloy. It isn't free to leach out the way it is in cheap metals, but if you react to almost everything, check with your doctor first.
Antiqued and blackened pieces
Some pieces have a darkened finish sitting in the recesses to bring out the detail. That's a surface treatment on solid steel, not a coating over cheap metal.
Wipe these with a dry cloth only. Polishing compounds will lift the antiquing out of the detail and flatten the piece.
Weight and width
Every product page lists the link width in millimeters, and the weight where it's published. Rough guide to how each range wears:
- 6mm to 10mm — everyday, sits under a shirt, layers well
- 13mm to 15mm — noticeable, sits on top of a tee
- 20mm and up — hero territory, this is the whole outfit
Heavier is the point. If it weighs nothing, it isn't solid.
Covered either way
Whichever grade a piece is, it's covered by our lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. If it discolors, rusts, or turns your skin green, that shouldn't happen. Send a photo to care@mobdark.com and we'll replace it.