The Oli&J adjustable ring in bare 316 stainless steel, its round bezel ready for a stone

Why 316 Surgical Stainless Steel, Not Sterling Silver or Solid Gold

October 6, 2026

Look at the steel watches in a fine watchmaker's window and nearly every case there is stainless steel. It is the same family of metal we use for every Oli&J setting: 316 surgical stainless steel, either left bare or finished with 18K gold or rose-gold PVD. People often ask why we don't use sterling silver or solid gold. This article answers that, metal by metal.

What 316 surgical stainless steel is

Stainless steel is iron alloyed with at least 10.5% chromium. Grade 316 typically adds around 16 to 18% chromium, 10 to 14% nickel and 2 to 3% molybdenum. The molybdenum makes it far more resistant to chlorides, the salts in sweat and seawater. 316L is the low-carbon version (no more than 0.03% carbon). That is the grade most watchmakers use for their cases. A specially refined version of it is used for surgical implants, which is where the name "surgical steel" comes from.

It doesn't tarnish, and here is why

Strictly speaking, stainless steel does oxidise, but only a few atoms deep, and that thin layer is what protects it. The chromium at the surface reacts with oxygen to form a film of chromium oxide. The film is invisible, tightly bonded and stable. It seals the iron underneath away from air and water, so rust cannot get started.

If the surface is scratched, the chromium underneath reacts with the air and the film re-forms on its own. This is why a steel watch case looks the same after decades of wear: there is no coating to lose, because the protection is part of the metal.

Why sterling silver tarnishes

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, because pure silver is too soft to wear. Both metals react with sulfur gases in the air, mainly hydrogen sulfide. The silver forms silver sulfide (Ag₂S) and the copper forms copper sulfide. That is the yellow-brown film that slowly turns black. Humidity speeds it up, and so do wool, rubber and some kinds of cardboard.

Tarnish can be polished off, but each polish takes a little metal with it. The copper in sterling silver can also react with sweat and leave a green mark on the skin.

Why gold doesn't tarnish, but gold jewellery sometimes can

Pure gold is a noble metal: it does not react with oxygen or sulfur at everyday temperatures, which is why ancient gold comes out of the ground still bright. But pure (24K) gold is far too soft for jewellery that is worn every day. So solid gold jewellery is an alloy. 18K gold is 75% gold, and 14K gold is 58.3%. The rest is mostly copper and silver, and those metals can discolour slightly over time, more so in lower karats.

In short: gold is unbeatable for colour and permanence, but a solid gold setting is soft, heavy and expensive. This is where watchmaking points to a better answer.

Harder, so it holds its shape

Hardness decides whether a ring band stays round when you grip a bag handle, and whether a bezel dents when it hits a tap. Typical Vickers hardness in the annealed state:

Metal	Hardness (HV, annealed)
316 stainless steel	about 150 to 190
18K gold (standard alloys)	about 130 to 160
Sterling silver	about 60 to 80
Pure gold	far softer still

Steel is roughly twice as hard as sterling silver and harder than 18K gold. On top of that, it is tough: it bends a little under force rather than cracking, and it springs back. A steel band doesn't slowly go oval, a steel bezel doesn't dent at the first knock, and a steel backplate keeps holding the stone. That matters most for us, because our stones are held by two tiny screws, and fine screw threads last longer in a hard metal than in a soft one.

Lighter on the hand

Metal	Density (g/cm³)
316 stainless steel	about 8.0
Sterling silver	about 10.3
14K gold	about 13
18K gold	about 15.2 to 15.9
Pure gold	19.3

Made in exactly the same shape, a steel setting weighs about half as much as one in 18K gold and about a fifth less than one in sterling silver. On a necklace you forget it's there. On a ring with a substantial stone, it doesn't tip around your finger.

Happy around water

Showers, rain, washing up and sweat won't hurt 316 steel. It does not rust, and it does not tarnish the way silver does. Its molybdenum is there precisely so it resists salt, which is why 316L became the standard for dive watches. Chlorine and salt water left sitting on any metal for a long time can still attack it, so rinse your piece in fresh water after the pool or the sea and dry it.

The gemstone is a separate matter: some stones prefer to stay dry. Our opal care guide and care page explain each one.

It can be polished back to new

Watchmakers refinish steel cases during a service by polishing the surface back to as-new. Bare steel can be polished the same way: fine scratches come out with a polishing cloth, and deeper ones can be refinished by a jeweller. There is no plating to wear through.

Our gold and rose-gold settings are different. Their colour is a PVD coating, and polishing would remove it. Clean those with a soft cloth only.

Why fine watchmaking chose steel

Stainless steel was invented in Sheffield in 1913 by the metallurgist Harry Brearley. It first reached watches in the 1910s and took off after the 1929 Wall Street crash, when gold and silver watches became harder to sell. In the 1930s, houses such as Rolex, Omega and Longines learned to work this hard metal for watches that could stand up to daily life. By the 1960s and 1970s, 316L had become the industry standard.

Today most steel watches from the great houses, from Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin to Cartier, IWC and Grand Seiko, are cased in 316L. Rolex moved to its own 904L "Oystersteel" in 1985, another chromium-nickel-molybdenum stainless steel. Either way, watchmakers who could use any material chose stainless steel for watches meant to be worn every day, because it wears so well for what it costs.

We think jewellery that is worn every day deserves the same thinking. The value in an Oli&J piece is the stone, cut by hand from rough we can trace to its field. The setting's job is to protect that stone for decades. Steel does that job better than silver, and it lets us put the money into the stone rather than the metal.

Steel, silver and gold side by side

	316 stainless steel	Sterling silver	Solid 18K gold
Tarnish	No	Yes, turns dark	No, though alloys can discolour slightly
Rust	No	No	No
Hardness	Highest of the three	Soft	Medium
Weight	Lightest	Medium	Heaviest
Dents and bending	Resists them	Prone to them	Can happen
Polishing	Can be re-polished	Needs regular polishing	Can be re-polished
Price	Accessible	Accessible	High, tied to the gold price

Common questions

Is "surgical steel" the same as 316L?

Broadly, yes. In jewellery, "surgical steel" usually means 316 or 316L. Implants themselves use a specially refined version, 316LVM.

Will stainless steel turn my finger green?

No. Green marks come from copper reacting with skin. Copper is found in brass, sterling silver and lower-karat golds, and 316 steel contains no copper.

Does 316 stainless steel contain nickel?

Yes, about 10 to 14%. In this grade the nickel is bound tightly into the alloy, and the steel releases very little of it. That low release is why 316-type steel is so widely used for watch cases, implants and jewellery worn against the skin. The EU sets a limit on how much nickel jewellery may release, and 316L is widely reported to stay well under it. If you have a diagnosed nickel allergy, write to us before you buy.

Is stainless steel a "cheap" metal?

Watches worth tens of thousands of dollars are made from it. Steel costs less than gold because gold is rare, not because steel is a lesser metal. For daily wear, steel is the tougher choice.

Choose your stone and finish in our stone picker, or read how one setting takes every stone.