I had always known about solid gold and gold-plated jewellery but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I discovered gold-filled and vermeil gold options. So what is the difference?
Solid Gold
This means that the piece of jewellery is gold inside and out. This is the best quality of gold that there is. It is great for sensitive skin and everyday wear but it does come with an expensive price tag.
Pure 24-karat gold is very malleable so it's mixed with other metals to make it stronger. The most common types are 10k, 14k and 18k. This means if an item is 14k, it is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals. The higher the karat the more expensive the piece of jewellery is.
Gold Filled
Gold-filled is composed of a solid layer of gold (typically 14k) pressure bonded onto a base metal. It is defined as having 1/20th or 5% of gold by weight. When compared to gold plated jewellery it has 100 times more gold.
Because of its thicker layer of gold, it won't wear down to the base layer exposing your skin to the base metals. This is great for those with sensitive skin and you won't have to worry about your skin turning green. If looked after properly gold-filled jewellery will last a lifetime.
And it's easy to care for. Just wash in warm soapy water and then dry off thoroughly.
Vermeil Gold
Vermeil is composed of a thick layer of gold on top of sterling silver. Industry standards dictate that the gold portion must be 10k or above and be 2.5 microns thick. It's hypoallergenic so it is great for those with skin sensitivities.
Like Gold filled it lasts a long time, however with excessive use the gold can start to wear away in areas with a lot of contact.
Gold Plated
The most economic of the options. This is composed of a thin layer of gold on the surface of another metal. This layer of gold makes up 0.05% of weight or less. Because this gold layer is so thin it is prone to tarnishing and wearing away, especially when exposed to the elements.
To summarise the main points I have created the chart below.
At Classique Jewellery we love using gold-filled. It has a lower price point than solid gold but will last and is suitable for day-to-day wear.
I hope you have found this interesting and have learned something too!
Melissa x