Gold-Fill... Gold Plated... you may have heard these terms but do you know what the difference is?
In a nutshell, Gold Plated and Gold-Fill are very different processes of adding gold to the outer layer of a base metal.
Our base metal is what's called jewelers brass. Brass is an alloy of tin and copper, and the jewelers brass has a higher content of tin which makes it more resistant to tarnish. When polished the color is comparable to 18K gold, but is a fraction of the price.
GOLD FILL is when gold is added to the outside of a base metal via pressure.
GOLD PLATED is when gold is added to the outside of metal via electroplating.
The diagram below is from Halstead bead company (ref.) and is a really nice visual demonstration of how Gold Fill (on the left) is done via pressure, and Gold Plating (on the right) is done via electroplating. Let's dive in a little more.
GOLD FILL
"To make gold-filled pieces, the core metal is sandwiched between two layers of gold alloy which is then heated and passed through a roller several times - a process that both bonds the metals together and thins the sheet out." To be called Gold-Fill an items gold is required to be at least 5% of the make up of the item. [ref.] - Halstead Bead)
Because of the nature of this process only jewelry parts that are machine manufactured such as wire and sheet metal can be Gold-Filled.
GOLD PLATED
Gold Plating is a process of adding gold to the outside of a base metal - in our case, jewelers brass - similar to Gold Fill, however this process is done by electroplating. Electroplating is "when an electric current is used to negatively charge the base metal and positively charge a solution containing gold ions. The positive gold ions are attracted to the negative charge of the core metal, slowly forming a layer of gold on top of the core."[ref.] - Halstead Bead)
WHERE DO WE USE THESE ELEMENTS?
We use BOTH gold plated items and gold filled items in our jewelry collections.
GOLD FILL: Ear wires & Chain
GOLD PLATED: Pendants, rings + earrings parts
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO BUYING GOLD PLATED?
Wearing pure gold is amazing but it's simply not in everyones budget. Gold plating is a great way to wear effortless gold jewelry, at a fraction of the cost.
The positive aspects of buying gold plated items versus brass or pure gold are many! But here's just a few:
- Affordability
- Color
- Tarnish Resistant
- Shiny
- Hypo-Allergenic
HOW THICK IS OUR GOLD PLATING?
We outsource this process to a plating company and we adhere to their recommendations below. All of our parts are plated with a thick plating of 1 micron. (40 millionths). Rings are plated with 3 microns because of the wear on the items. The only exception being our earrings which we plate with 1 micron vs. their recommendation of .5 micron.
They recommend the following thicknesses (ref.)
- earrings and pins–20 millionths (0.5 micron)
- pendants and necklaces–40 millionths (1 micron)
- rings and bracelets–120 millionths (3 microns)
They also note these differences in the types of Gold Plating terminology, per Federal Regulations.
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GOLD FLASH OR GOLD WASH
Electroplating of gold thickness of less than 7 millionths of an inch.
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GOLD ELECTROPLATE: Electroplating of gold a minimum thickness of 7 millionths of an inch. Can also be marked G.E.P.
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GOLD PLATE: A gold coating, deposited by any means, a minimum thickness of 20 millionths of an inch. Can also be marked G.P.
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HEAVY GOLD ELECTROPLATE: Electroplating of gold a minimum thickness of 100 millionths of and inch (2.5 microns).
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VERMEIL (pronounced VER-MAY): Sterling silver electroplated with gold a minimum thickness of 100 millionths of an inch (2.5 microns).
SUMMARY
Gold plating is a great way to wear effortless gold jewelry, with out the cost of pure gold. I wear gold plated pieces for weeks at a time and they still look amazing years later.
I hope that by sharing our processes you become a more informed buyer and that it gives you confidence in making the right decision for yourself. I take pride in how my work is created, cast, plated and arrive to you - but also in how you they become a part of your daily jewelry choices.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE LIFE OF YOUR BRASS OR GOLD PLATED JEWELRY PIECES
We whipped up a little video to show you some of my own well loved jewelry pieces so you can see what to expect as you wear your jewelry.
Check it out!
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