Why have I never heard of it?

The Roman Empire outlawed electrum because it upset their valuation scales. The Greeks used electrum to mint currency, but the Romans required all coins to be made out of pure metal, so they could assign value based on weight. Since electrum was a blend of precious metals, no one knew what percentages of each metal were in electrum coins, so they stopped producing it.

However, electrum coins from this time period (roughly 700-300 B.C.) still hold their shine and details of where they were struck and what part of Greece and Rome they belonged to. Further evidence of this metal's incredible durability.

Is Modern Electrum still the same?

Yes. The LANDS Collection sought out Italy's best metallurgist, The Legor Corporation, and together we created Modern Electrum. It's still a blend of Gold, Silver, and Platinum. However, this time, to meet the LANDS sustainability standards, it's made out of 100% recycled metals and over 95% precious metals. It's also 100% hypo-allergenic.

How does it compare to Gold or Sterling?

Modern Electrum costs roughly $650-700 per ounce. 24k gold is almost $3,000 per ounce. Additionally, as we've said, Modern Electrum is 95%+ precious metals, where as 14k gold is only 58.5% precious metals. Modern Electrum is also 50% more durable than sterling silver.

This is LAND'S commitment to keeping our luxury natural Canadian diamonds in a price point that is affordable to our consumers without sacrificing design, luster, or quality.

additional facts

As we at LAND'S like to say, Modern Electrum is good enough for royalty. It was used in the jewelry worn by Cleopatra, and, just recently, was the metal chosen by King Charles of England to plate the coins being used for his Astra Carta space project.

Feel secure with modern electrum

Modern Electrum also comes with a lifetime warranty on any manufacturer defects because we want our customers to have that added comfort of being able to enjoy their jewelry and wear it often.

When you buy a LANDS piece, you're not just a collector, you're a Storyteller. Every aspect of our jewelry is designed with the utmost care and precision so our customers may enjoy luxury goods at affordable prices. Additionally, where our materials come from and the impact (or lack thereof) we have on our environment, and the history and stories related to that which we produce are paramount to our business culture.

When you wear LANDS, you're wearing not only beautiful jewelry, but stories taken from the pages of time, and in this case, one that's over 5,000 years old. Enjoy.