What is Gold Vermeil?

 

GOLD VERMEIL ✨

Gold Vermeil jewellery is composed of a Sterling Silver base metal, heavily plated in 2.5 microns of gold plate, in our case 14K gold plate. 2.5 microns of gold plate, is an extremely thick and durable coating meaning it is longer lasting. Gold Vermeil is the most durable gold-plating option available for jewellery and if cared for correctly can last for years.

The 14K in gold vermeil refers to the gold content that lies in the plating, as we use 14K this means more than half of our plating is gold content. We have specifically chosen 14K gold vermeil for our jewellery as the colour of the gold hue is exactly what we were after! The higher the Karat in Gold Vermeil the more ‘yellow gold’ the jewellery will appear.

Additionally, increasing the karat of the gold content in the vermeil plating does not strengthen or improve the design, mixing it with other properties just controls the hue of the gold. People tend to believe the purer the gold the stronger it will be, this isn’t the case as pure gold can be quite soft, therefore mixing it with other materials strengthens it to improve it for jewellery purposes.

Despite the durability of Gold Vermeil if it is continuously worn you may experience the gold plate beginning to wear away after 6ish months. Particularly rings as they are exposed to much more wear and tear and natural oils and sweats from our hands.

Gold plate reduction is simply a natural cause of wear and tear and therefore is not a fault with Gold Vermeil jewellery, in this instance you can have your jewellery replated. If you have seen a particular piece of jewellery in our collection that you wish to continuously wear please contact us for a quote to have it made in your preferred carat of Solid Gold. Alternatively, if you love Silver just as much as Gold if/when the thick gold plate has completely worn away and reduced back to the Sterling Silver base you will be left with a silver piece of jewellery. Keeping and wearing your Gold Vermeil ‘for best’ will give you the best longevity for your jewellery and dependent on amount of wear can last for multiple years.

Due to the Sterling Silver components, Gold Vermeil will oxidise overtime from contact with the air and moisture, this is easily rectified by gently using a polishing cloth to restore its sparkle and shine.

Please note Gold Vermeil items only need a gentle rub, continuous harsh rubbing can cause the layers of gold plate to wear away. Equally , do not polishing agents, liquids, machines or silver polishing cloths as these methods are too abrasive. 

Click here to view our polishing cloths. 

 

What is Gold Vermeil?

Gold Vermeil is pronounced Gold ‘ver-may’. Globally, there are many requirements for jewellery to be sold as Gold Vermeil, this includes:

 

All gold vermeil items will have a 925 sterling silver base metal, this is what makes it substantially better than any other gold plated jewellery. As flash gold plated jewellery, otherwise known as fast fashion jewellery, tends to have a base metal of either copper or zinc and a very thin gold plating over the top usually only 0.5 microns thick (a micron is 1/1000th of a millimetre), hence the name ‘flash’ gold plating.

Because the gold plating is so thin it easily wears away and reduces back to the base metal of copper or zinc and shortly in time these metals will stain your skin a greeny-blue colour. Unlike flash gold plated jewellery, gold vermeil will not turn your skin a greeny-blue colour, even if all plating has reduced back to the base metal. This is because sterling silver is the base metal which is a quality base metal that doesn’t produce any skin staining. 

Gold vermeil is superior to any other gold plating as we use 2.5 microns worth of plating. So, in comparison to flash plating that typically uses 0.5 micron this is substantially thicker. Although, do bare in mind a micron is 1/1000th of a millimetre so Gold Vermeil is still dainty and delicate but durable. So our Gold Vermeil jewellery will not be thick, heavy and clumpy.

Gold Vermeil can come in many different karats. At NAKED PALM, we chose 14K Gold Vermeil as we really enjoy the gold hue it expresses. Increasing the karat of the gold in the Gold Vermeil plating won’t strengthen the design, instead the higher the karat, typically the softer the gold. Using a lower karat of gold means other properties are used to strengthen the metal. Nonetheless, using 14K means more than half of the gold plating is gold content.

 

Gold Vermeil is the best quality gold jewellery you can get before purchasing Solid Gold itself. All of our Gold Vermeil products will have a sterling silver base, be 14K Gold Vermeil plating and 2.5 microns thick.