Solid Gold vs. Gold Plated
Hi friends, welcome back to the #RequiemReportBlog !
Have you ever wondered what the differences are between a solid gold piece of jewelry and a gold plated piece? Will they tarnish? Will the plating last forever? Can I get it wet? What the heck is gold ‘vermeil’?! Today I am going to break it all down for you! After reading this post you will know all the benefits and disadvantages to these various options, and which is the best type of jewelry to invest in.
So first things first, let’s talk solid gold jewelry. Now, this one is pretty self-explanatory, but for clarity’s sake…. Solid gold jewelry means the piece is a gold alloy in its entirety. Not to confuse you, but notice I said gold “alloy”… Solid gold jewelry is rarely 100% pure gold, but rather an alloy of gold. The most commonly used gold alloy is 14 Karat, which is about 58% pure gold mixed with various other metals. Jewelry is rarely crafted out of 100% pure gold (which would be 24 Karat) because it is too soft of a material. So with that being said, if you’re buying a piece of solid gold jewelry, it just means that the piece is made up of whatever gold alloy you choose, and nothing else. So whether it’s 14 Karat, 10 Karat, or 18 Karat…. the piece of jewelry is crafted completely in that alloy!
So what are the benefits to solid gold? Well, the list is endless! You can shower in it, sweat in it, and wear it every day of your life without worrying about the piece tarnishing. Hopefully it goes without saying that, of course, you have to be careful with any piece of jewelry… but solid gold is definitely the most long lasting by far! So what are the disadvantages to solid gold? Well, there’s really only one… the price. The heavier the piece and the higher the karat, the more expensive… but really, any piece of solid gold jewelry is going to be a significant increase in price from any of the other options that we’ll dive into next.
Next up, let’s chat gold plated jewelry. This type of jewelry is made up of some sort of base metal with a very thin layer of gold on top! The base metal underneath is typically copper, brass, or nickel, or sometimes stainless steel. In most gold plated jewelry, the thin layer of gold on top measures approximately 0.5 microns thick - I know you probably have no idea how thin that is, so to put it in perspective… a single strand of human hair measures about 60 microns thick! In other words, its SUPER thin.
The two biggest disadvantages to gold plated jewelry is that as soon as the very thin layer of gold starts to break down, the piece will tarnish without a doubt. Not only that, but many people (like me!) are sensitive to the base metal underneath; so as soon as the plating starts to wear off, the metal underneath is exposed and it can be very irritating to the skin. (I seriously break out in hives from it, but my skin is probably much more sensitive than most!) The best part about most gold plated jewelry is that it is very very inexpensive, so it’s not something you really have to plan for from a financial stand point. Having said that, if you pay $10.00 for a gold-plated ring and you can only wear it 5 times before it starts to tarnish, that comes out to $2.00 per wear. If you buy a $150.00 solid gold ring, and wear it everyday for 2 years, you’re only paying about $0.20 per wear! For me personally, I’d rather invest in some staple solid gold pieces that will last and I can enjoy for years.
Finally, lets chat gold vermeil. This is another type of gold plated jewelry, but it is a step up! The reason gold vermeil is better than standard gold plating is because it has two requirements that it has to meet:
1). The first requirement is that the metal underneath the gold has to be sterling silver.
2). The second requirement is that the gold plating has to measure at least 2.5 microns thick, as opposed to the 0.5 microns thick that is standard gold plating.
These requirements are actually regulated by the Federal Trade Commission; a piece of jewelry has to meet these two requirements to legally be labeled as ‘gold vermeil’. So how is it superior? Well, because that gold plating on top is significantly thicker than that of standard gold plating, the gold takes much longer to break down and wear off. It will still wear off eventually! But it does take longer. Secondly, the metal underneath being sterling silver is definitely less irritating to the skin for most people, so even when the gold does start to break down, it shouldn’t be bothersome for most. Long story short, gold vermeil behaves very similarly to standard gold plating, it’s just a bit of a step up!
In conclusion, standard gold plating is the least expensive and will not last you many wears. Gold vermeil is still very affordable and is superior to standard plating and it will last longer, but it will not last forever. Lastly, solid gold will never tarnish, wear off, or break down - a well made solid gold piece will last a lifetime if you take care of it! My thoughts are this: If there is a super trendy piece of jewelry you’re eyeing, but you don’t foresee yourself wearing it more than a few times… don’t spend the money on a solid gold piece. But, if it’s a staple piece like a great chain or an everyday ring that you could wear all the time for years - INVEST in the real deal! Trust me, its worth it :)
As always, if you have any questions about this topic feel free to reach out, but thanks for reading y’all - see you next time!