Gold Jewelry Knowledge | How to Choose the Right Gold Jewelry?
Generally, gold jewelry can be divided into four types: solid gold, gold-plated, gold vermeil, and gold-filled.
The purest gold jewelry on the market is 24K, with a gold content of nearly 99.9%. However, due to the soft nature of gold, it is easily deformed and scratched, so it is rarely made into jewelry. The second is 18K gold, with a gold content of 75%. Silver, copper, nickel, platinum and other alloys are added to increase the hardness and retain the value of gold. Then, it is 14K gold, with a gold content of 58%. In recent years, light jewelry has more 10K gold, with a gold content of 42%.
✍🏼Pure gold summary: The higher the gold content is, the higher the value is. The lower the gold content is, the harder the product is. In addition, because of the high purity of gold, it is less likely to cause allergies.
Gold-plated (GP) is to use electroplating to plate a thin layer of gold on the metal surface (such as nickel, zinc, brass, etc.). The thicker the gold is, the higher the value is, but most of them on the market are only 0.5 µm thick. Because the surface layer is extremely thin, it is easy to scratch and peel off with use, exposing the inner metal layer.
✍🏼Gold-plated summary: Due to the difference in gold thickness and inner metal, the value and durability of gold plating are also different. Because of electroplating, it is easier to fade. People who are prone to sensitivity should also pay attention to whether they will be sensitive to the inner metal.
Gold vermeil (GV) is also use electroplating methods to plate gold on other metals, but the difference is that the inner metal must be sterling silver, the thickness must reach 2.5 µm, and 14K or more gold is used.
✍🏼Gold vermeil summary: vermeil can actually be said to be a type of gold-plating. Because the content of sterling silver and thicker gold will be higher in value and durable, it is also more suitable for sensitive people.
Gold-filled (GF) is the use of mechanical pressure and heat to "dissolve" the surface of gold and other metals (mostly silver/brass) together, so the bond is stronger than gold plating. The purity of gold used is mostly 10K or 14K, and the proportion must be at least 5% of the whole.
✍🏼Gold-filled summary: Because gold is added to other metal surfaces in a physical way, it has high wear resistance and is not easy to peel off. It can maintain the color after long-term wearing. The price is much more affordable than pure gold, and a little more expensive than gold plating.
Last but not least, I will use a chart to help you quickly summarize the method of choosing gold jewelry.
