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16-12-2020 Written by Bieke Groenink

Gold vermeil vs gold plating

Gold vermeil and gold-plated jewelry are often compared, as they are quite similar. But there’s an important difference between the two: gold vermeil is of much higher quality than regular gold plating, ensuring your jewelry is made to last. Gold vermeil is of a higher quality than gold-plated jewelry.

Gold vermeil and gold-plated jewelry are often compared, as they are quite similar. But there’s an important difference between the two: gold vermeil is of much higher quality than regular gold plating, ensuring your jewelry is made to last. Gold vermeil is of a higher quality than gold-plated jewelry.

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So, what is gold vermeil?

Vermeil is a legally regulated term that refers to 925 sterling silver with a thick layer of gold. This allows us to craft beautiful, premium quality gold jewelry without the expense of using solid gold. Legally speaking, in order to use the gold vermeil, the quality of the jewelry in question must meet these three conditions:

1. A gold vermeil item needs to have 925 sterling silver as its base material.

2. It needs to be plated in gold that is at least 10 karats.

3. The plating needs to be at least 2.5 microns thick.

Wearing vermeil jewelry

As gold vermeil jewelry is crafted using only precious metals – we use recycled 14k gold and 925 sterling silver – it is more hypoallergenic and it gives you the option of wearing gold jewelry at a much lower cost than solid gold. The heavy gold plating ensures long-lasting wear, making it better investment than standard gold plated jewelry.

Standard gold plated jewelry does not require sterling silver to be used as the base material, and usually has a brass or copper material at its core, materials to which many people are allergic. Since the plating is usually very thin, averaging at 0.5 microns, the gold colour will wear quite quickly compared to gold vermeil.

Why we choose gold vermeil

The price of gold is one of many reasons that people are turning to vermeil as an affordable but luxurious option. It is premium-quality jewelry, but without the premium price tag. Solid gold jewelry will last you a lifetime and is therefor the more sustainable choice, but it is simply not achievable for the masses due to its price point. 

Gold is currently approximately 75 times higher than sterling silver, making it a very costly investment. Therefor, gold vermeil is the ideal choice if you love gold jewelry, but cannot afford to buy solid pieces.

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