Materials and care
Gold plated vs gold filled vs vermeil
Our pieces are 925 sterling silver, or gold, rose gold or silver plating over brass, with the metal sourced from Italy. Here is what those words mean beside gold filled and vermeil, and how to keep each one bright.
What our pieces are made of
Four finishes, every one tarnish-resistant, deep-engraved rather than printed, made to order and shipped from the US.
925 sterling silver
Silver alloyed to 92.5%, the same metal at the surface and at the core, so it never wears through. It tarnishes slowly and a polishing cloth brings it back.
Gold plated
Brass with a layer of gold bonded to its surface by electroplating: the colour and shine of gold at the price of the base metal. It keeps its colour longest when it goes on after perfume and comes off before the shower.
Rose gold plated
The same plating with a gold alloy that carries more copper, which is what gives it the warm pink. Worn and cared for exactly like gold plated.
Silver plated
Silver over brass: the look of silver at the base metal's price. Bright and light, and kept like the other platings: dry, in its pouch, away from perfume.
Up close
Quality shows in the small parts: the mark, the clasp, the edge of a letter.
The 925 mark
On a sterling silver piece, the 925 engraved on the clasp says what the metal is: 92.5% silver, all the way through.
The clasp
A lobster clasp, small and smooth, sized to open with a fingertip and to stay closed while the piece is worn.
The edge of the cut
Deep-engraved, never printed. The letters are cut into the metal and their edges finished, so they catch the light.
What gold plated means
A base metal (brass, in our case) with a layer of gold bonded to its surface by electroplating: the piece is placed in a bath and a current deposits gold onto it until the layer is the thickness the maker wants. The colour and shine of gold, on a piece that weighs and costs what the base metal does.
Plating is a surface. It wears where the piece rubs (a clasp, the back of a plate against skin), and the rate depends far more on how the piece is worn and kept than on anything else. Rose-gold plating is the same process with more copper in the gold; silver plating is silver over brass.
What gold filled means
General knowledge, not a description of our catalog.
A thick sheet of gold bonded to a base metal core by heat and pressure rather than deposited from a bath. Under US rules a piece may only be called gold filled if the gold is at least a twentieth of its total weight, many times thicker than typical plating. It wears for years with ordinary care and is priced accordingly.
The pieces in our catalog are plated, not gold filled.
What gold vermeil jewelry means
General knowledge, not a description of our catalog.
Gold plating over a sterling silver base and, under US rules, plating of a set minimum thickness: 2.5 microns. The word is French and said “ver-may”. Because the base is silver, a worn vermeil piece shows silver rather than a yellow base metal.
Vermeil is a kind of gold plating; not all gold plating is vermeil. Our gold-plated pieces are plated over brass and are not vermeil.
925 sterling silver
Silver alloyed to 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper, which is what the “925” stamp means. Pure silver is too soft to hold an engraving or a clasp; the alloy is hard enough to be worked and worn and still reads as silver all the way through. It tarnishes, slowly, and polishes back.
The sterling pieces in our catalog are tarnish-resistant. Every engraved necklace is offered in sterling beside the three platings, chosen on the product page.
Plated, filled, vermeil and sterling compared
| Material | What it is | The gold | How it wears | Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 925 sterling silverIn our catalog | Silver alloy, 92.5% silver, the same metal throughout | None (it is silver) | Tarnishes slowly; never wears through | Polishing cloth; store dry |
| Gold plated over brassIn our catalog | A brass piece with gold electroplated onto it | A thin surface layer | Wears at friction points; depends on care | Mild soap and water; off for water and perfume |
| Gold filled | A gold sheet bonded to a base metal core | At least 1/20 of the weight | Years of ordinary wear | Mild soap and water; polishing cloth |
| Gold vermeil | Sterling silver with gold plating of at least 2.5 microns | A thick surface layer over silver | Longer than ordinary plating; shows silver when worn | As plated; avoid dips and ultrasonics |
925 sterling silver
In our catalog- What it is
- Silver alloy, 92.5% silver, the same metal throughout
- The gold
- None (it is silver)
- How it wears
- Tarnishes slowly; never wears through
- Care
- Polishing cloth; store dry
Gold plated over brass
In our catalog- What it is
- A brass piece with gold electroplated onto it
- The gold
- A thin surface layer
- How it wears
- Wears at friction points; depends on care
- Care
- Mild soap and water; off for water and perfume
Gold filled
- What it is
- A gold sheet bonded to a base metal core
- The gold
- At least 1/20 of the weight
- How it wears
- Years of ordinary wear
- Care
- Mild soap and water; polishing cloth
Gold vermeil
- What it is
- Sterling silver with gold plating of at least 2.5 microns
- The gold
- A thick surface layer over silver
- How it wears
- Longer than ordinary plating; shows silver when worn
- Care
- As plated; avoid dips and ultrasonics
Gold filled and vermeil are described as general knowledge; the pieces in our catalog are sterling silver or plated.
How to clean gold plated jewelry
Three steps, a minute in all. The same wash suits sterling silver; for tarnish on silver, a silver polishing cloth.
Warm water and a drop of mild soap
Dish soap without moisturiser is fine. Swirl the piece for a few seconds; do not soak it.
A soft cloth, not a brush
Wipe gently along the piece. For an engraving, a cotton bud reaches the letters without scrubbing the plate around them.
Rinse and dry completely
Pat it with a lint-free cloth and leave it out until it is dry to the touch before it goes back in the pouch.
Never: abrasive pastes, toothpaste, baking soda, polishing compounds, ultrasonic cleaners or jewelry dips. All of them are made for solid metals and take plating off along with the dirt.
Storage, water and perfume
Last on, first off
Perfume, lotion, sunscreen and hairspray go on first and dry; the jewelry goes on after. It comes off before the shower, the pool, the sea and the gym.
Dry before it is put away
Moisture in a closed pouch is what dulls plating and darkens silver fastest.
Its own pouch, lying flat
Chains tangle and plating scratches against other pieces. Every order ships in the branded pouch for exactly this reason, so tell your customer to keep using it.
Wipe after wearing
A soft cloth over the piece at the end of the day takes off the skin oils and sweat that do most of the wearing.
Put the care line on the listing
A customer who reads “take it off for the shower” before the first shower is a customer who never writes to ask why the colour changed. Put it on the listing and on the card.
Questions
What is the difference between gold plated and gold filled?
Thickness and how the gold is attached. Gold plated jewelry has a thin layer of gold bonded to a base metal by electroplating. Gold filled has a much thicker layer bonded by heat and pressure, and by US rule the gold must be at least a twentieth of the piece's weight. Gold filled lasts longer and costs more; plated is lighter on the price and, over a good base, wears well with care.
What is the difference between gold plated and gold vermeil?
The base and the thickness. Vermeil is gold plated over sterling silver, and under US rules the gold layer must be at least 2.5 microns thick. Gold plated jewelry in general is gold over any base metal, most often brass, at whatever thickness the maker chooses. Vermeil is a kind of plating; plating is not always vermeil.
Do you make gold filled or vermeil pieces?
No. Every piece in our catalog is 925 sterling silver, or gold, rose-gold or silver plating over brass. Gold filled and vermeil are explained here because your customers will ask about them, not because we make them.
Can you shower with gold plated jewelry?
Better not. Water itself is not the problem; soap, shampoo, chlorine and salt are, and they reach the plating at the same time. Take plated pieces off for showers, pools and the sea, and put them on after lotion and perfume have dried.
How do you clean gold plated jewelry?
Warm water with a drop of mild soap, a soft cloth, and a thorough dry. Nothing abrasive, no polishing compounds, no ultrasonic cleaner and no jewelry dip. Those are made for solid metals and take plating off.
Does sterling silver tarnish?
Sterling silver reacts with sulphur in the air and darkens slowly over time; that is what tarnish is. Our pieces are tarnish-resistant, which slows it, and a silver polishing cloth brings the shine back when it does appear. Storing the piece dry, in its pouch, is most of the prevention.
Sell these pieces under your name
925 sterling silver or plating over brass, four chains, six lengths. We make each piece to order and ship it from the US with your logo on the pouch and the card.
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