The Gold Guide: Gold-Filled Vs. Gold-Plated Metals
When selecting golden jewelry, there are many options to choose from. You’ll find a variety of gold karat pieces available as well as affordable alternatives like gold-filled and gold-plated jewelry. Before shopping for jewelry, you should understand gold purity and the standards used when creating both types.
Pure gold is beautiful, but sometimes the material lacks durability, and it is often expensive. These other alternatives increase your jewelry’s strength while lowering the cost. Both gold-filled and gold-plated metals mix gold with other materials, but the method is different for each.
What is Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Gold-plated jewelry pieces typically use an inexpensive base metal like brass, copper, nickel, or silver that’s covered with a thin layer of gold — often below one percent and typically around 0.5 microns — through a process named electroplating. This technique started in 1805 when the Italian chemist Luigi Brugnatelli used a battery to attach gold to metal.
Benefits of Gold-Plated Jewelry
One of the best things about gold plating is its affordability — without diminishing the beauty of the jewelry. There are a few disadvantages to this method though, including wear and tear and low resale value because the percentage of gold is small.
Gold-plated jewelry is usually stamped GP or GE/HGE, which signifies the piece underwent electroplating and contains a thin layer of gold. HGE, heavy gold plating, usually contains a thicker coating than GP or GE jewelry.
What is Gold-Filled Jewelry?
Gold-filled jewelry embraces a methodology that puts a coating of 12k or 14k gold on a brass core. Heat and applied pressure make the metal combination bond permanently. Gold-filled contains at least five percent of gold.
Gold-Filled Jewelry Offers Many Benefits:
- It’s tarnish-resistant
- It’s strong
- It retains its value
In rare cases, filled pieces exposed to large amounts of sulfide can darken — but unless you work in a nail salon or chemistry lab, you’re probably safe. Such jewelry is usually marked with GF.
Is Vermeil Different from Gold-Filled or Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Sometimes called gilded silver or silver gilt, gold vermeil (pronounced vur-MAY) contains a coat of gold on top of sterling silver. Generally, the jewelry’s durability will rise with the gold coatings’ thickness.
Vermeil is similar to plated in that both are less expensive alternatives. However, vermeil does have stricter standards, and its gold coating is at least 2.5 microns thick. Like GP jewelry, the rich golden tones can wear off over time.
How Do Different Alloys Change Gold?
While strong, gold is the most pliable of all metals. That’s why gold is mixed with other materials in a process known as alloying.
The color of your gold jewelry depends on what metal it is mixed with:- Yellow takes pure gold and combines it with elements like copper, silver, and zinc.
- Pink gold, also called rose or red gold, usually uses a cocktail of copper, silver, and yellow gold.
- White gold is the result of mixing pure gold with a white metal like silver, palladium, or nickel.
Depending on the ingredients, the gold’s hue will change — for example, silver brings out the white’s coolness, while the other colors offer a more silver cast. Both gold-plating and gold-filled jewelry are available in all three colors.
What to Consider Before Buying Gold Jewelry
You want to get jewelry that fulfills your needs and expectations. Do you intend to wear the item for a special occasion or is this something you’ll wear every day like a wedding ring? If you are purchasing as a special gift, consider their lifestyle and daily wear conditions.
By thinking about how often you’ll wear it and where, and the longevity you expect from the piece, you will enjoy your gold jewelry more.
Take a look at these factors before purchasing jewelry:
- Tarnishing
- Durability
- Skin sensitivity
- Budget
Gold-Filled and Gold-Plated Jewelry Tarnishing
When surface corrosion discolors your jewelry, it’s often known as tarnishing. Some jewelry materials tend to tarnish more than others. When considering this jewelry, you’ll find that filled jewelry is less likely to tarnish.
Gold-plated jewelry can react with your skin and is more likely to lose its pretty gold shine. Avoid exposing either kind of jewelry to chemicals and remove it before cleaning or doing yard work to help avoid any tarnishing. Be careful, too, with how you clean each one (see our tips below).
Gold-Filled and Gold-Plated Jewelry Durability
While pure gold is likely to stay untarnished, these two options aren’t slackers. With the right care, both can remain in your jewelry collection for years. Gold-filled pieces can even last a lifetime when cared for properly since they have a solid layer of gold alloy that keeps them in top shape.
For gold-plated jewelry, like unique dangle earrings, the thin gold surface layer should protect the piece well. Since thickness varies from piece to piece, from 0.5 to 2.5 microns, the higher weight level will keep the jewelry more pristine. But if the gold begins to fade, it can be easily re-plated by a jeweler.
Gold-Filled and Gold-Plated Jewelry Skin Sensitivity
Skin sensitivity is important. If a substance like copper or brass makes you break out in hives, you cannot buy a bracelet with those metals. The point of jewelry is to make you feel and look good. So keep this in mind as you select your pieces.
The usual culprit for allergy to silver is nickel in the sterling silver alloy. One might be able to wear jewelry made with nickel-free silver, but you would need to know what the maker used to produce the piece.
Gold-filled jewelry rarely makes skin contact with its base metal, which is why it’s considered hypoallergenic. A plated piece, though, can touch your skin as it breaks down. As the other material is exposed, there is a chance for irritation.
Gold-Filled and Gold-Plated Jewelry Cost
Budget is also something to consider when making your buying decision. Gold-filled jewelry is often more expensive; plated and vermeil are less so. This is because those two materials can wear down over time.
All of these options have little resale value. This is because removing gold from its base metal is difficult. But, if cost is a consideration, any of these options offer beautifully crafted pieces.
3 Tips to Care for Your Gold-Filled and Gold-Plated Jewelry
Whichever you choose for your jewelry, it’s important that you take care of it so it will last.
- Store in a space that is dry and cool. Pouches work well for this.
- Remove before applying anything with chemicals, such as perfume, hairspray, suntan lotion, or cleaners.
- Clean your pieces appropriately. Gold plating is delicate — so don’t rub it against things. Instead, try briefly (a few minutes at most) soaking it in soapy water before gently rinsing it off. If your piece has gemstones, pearls, or enamel, skip the H2O since it could loosen those elements. Gold-filled and vermeil are more hardy substances and you can use a soft cloth or jewelry cleaner on both.
If you want to add a piece to your permanent collection, opt for gold-filled jewelry, like a chic pearl pendant necklace; otherwise, gold-plated jewelry is a good option for a special occasion or something you wear occasionally. With the right care, they will remain in great condition.