Gold-plated vs. gold vermeil
Although not visible to the naked eye, there is indeed a difference between gold plated and gold vermeil jewellery. From the chosen base material to the thickness of the gold layer (measured in microns), we're here to explain.
What is the difference between gold plated and gold vermeil?
Both gold plated sterling silver and gold vermeil jewelery are made using a plating technique . This means that a layer of gold ( yes, real gold and in our case 18 karat) is applied over a base material. For gold plated sterling silver jewellery, the base material can in principle be anything, over which a thin layer of gold is then applied. In this way, affordable gold-colored jewelry can be made, because the basic material is a lot cheaper than solid gold.
Just like standard gold plated sterling silver jewelry, gold vermeil jewelry consists of a base material over which a layer of gold is applied. However, to be classified as gold vermeil , the base material must always be sterling silver and the gold layer must be at least 2.5 microns .
Just like our gold plated sterling silver jewelry, our gold vermeil jewelry consists of always recycled sterling silver with a layer of 18 carat gold on top . The thickness of this gold layer varies from 0.25 to 1 micron for gold plated and a minimum of 2.5 microns for gold vermeil jewellery.
