And you got yourself thinking which one is the best or better?
No worries, we got you!
We will break down the differences between these 4 types of jewelry materials.
Plated
Gold plated jewelry means that its gold content is usually just less than 1%. It is more metal-based which is often brass or silver which goes through a quick gold bath, hence it’s plated.
The thing about gold-plated jewelry is that it tarnishes after wear especially when often worn when washing, rinsing, or rubbing too hard.
Most fashion jewelry pieces are just gold-plated because it is way more affordable.
Filled
Gold-filled jewelry pieces are also made with usually brass or silver metal-base. However, its gold content is much thicker than that of gold plated. To be considered as a piece of gold-filled jewelry, it has to have at least 5% of gold. The gold here is melted into the base metal and not just dipped like the plated ones.
Gold-filled pieces can keep their shine and luster for quite long but still will tarnish after long wear.
Vermeil
Vermeil is another type of gold plating. Also known as “Silver Gilt”, it is made of high-quality sterling silver that is plated with a fine thin layer of gold.
To be recognized as true vermeil jewelry, the piece has to reach certain requirements. For example, the gold on the piece has to be at least 2.5 microns thick, and 10k or higher.
Vermeil is also more hypoallergenic and has a thicker coating of gold than just the normal gold plating. However, with enough scrapes and scratches, the plating can still wear off.
Solid
Solid Gold Jewelry is made entirely of gold – inside and out – no other metal bases. It’s the most valuable and long-lasting among the other types of fine gold jewelry.
Solid gold pieces can be either 10K, 14K, 18K, or 24K. Karats (K) are percentages of real gold in the jewelry piece. While fine jewelry from European producers uses another numbering system than karats. European jewelry has numbers engraved like 417, 585, 750, and 999 for pure gold. These numbers represent the percentages of gold content in the alloy—like karats.
So, which one to choose?
Well, it all depends on the use and your budget and also quantity versus quality. If you just need fancy jewelry that you can wear for events or everyday use, you can go for the plated and filled ones. But again, they tarnish quickly.
If you want to get more quality jewelry, then vermeil or solid gold are your best options.
But if you think of value and investment, always go for the solid ones.