Have you ever wondered why the price of gold-plated jewellery differs so much?
We have a huge collection of different types of gold-plated jewellery at Treasures of Brazil, ranging from just £30 for our Natural Semi Precious Stone Adjustable rings to £109 for our Gold-Plated Emerald earrings.
So, what’s the reason for this difference in price? Before I started working with jewellery, I had no idea there were so many variations of gold-plated jewellery. Let me explain…
What is Gold Plated Jewellery?
Let’s start with the basics. What is gold-plated jewellery?
Simply put, gold-plated jewellery is a very light layer of gold on top of a base metal like brass or copper. The first person to carry out this process, plating a thin coat of gold onto silver, was an Italian chemist called Luigi Brugnatelli in 1805.
This is the reason you’ll often find gold-plated jewellery is less expensive than other types of gold jewellery. It’s often a great, budget-friendly way to get a stylish and on-trend look without the high price tag that often comes with gold.
However, as I mentioned at the start of this blog post, gold-plating comes in various levels of quality, which depends a lot on:
- the thickness of the gold coating;
- the base metal used underneath, and;
- the quality of craftsmanship.
Why does the price of gold-plated jewellery differ so much?
When it comes to gold-plated jewellery, the difference in price is mostly due to the thickness of the layer of gold used.
At the lower end of the scale, you have gold flash jewellery, like our Natural Semi Precious Stone Adjustable rings. These are gold-plated using between 3 and 5 micrometres of gold. Gold flash jewellery is better used for pieces that don’t get much wear and tear, like pendants and earrings.
At the higher end of the scale, you’ll find thicker coated jewellery, such as our Gold-Plated Emerald earrings which are gold-plated using 15 micrometres of gold and are also nickel free.
Anything above 10 micrometres of gold is considered luxury jewellery, which is why you’ll find a higher price tag on these types of jewellery.
Does gold plating fade and tarnish?
As you’d expect, the thinner the gold-plating, the more susceptible to tarnishing and fading a piece of jewellery will be.
This is due to metal used under the gold, rather than the gold itself.
However, there are ways to keep your gold-plated jewellery looking bright and lustrous for longer…
How to wear gold-plated jewellery
The great thing about gold-plated jewellery is that you can hardly tell the difference between gold-plated jewellery and solid gold jewellery just by looking at it!
Gold plated jewellery has come to change the high street. You can easily get away with teaming your gold-plated jewellery with high-end fashion because no one will know.
Here are a few reasons why we LOVE gold-plated jewellery so much…
- It looks like solid gold - to the average person, you can’t even tell that it isn’t.
- It’s affordable - we have a huge range of gold-plated jewellery so you’ll find something in our online store to suit every budget.
- It’s versatile - you can wear gold-plated jewellery to work, on a night out, to a social event, on a special occasion…the possibilities are endless.
- There are lots of designs to choose from - because gold-plated jewellery is easy to make, there is a huge choice of pieces to choose from, no matter what your style.
- It’s strong and long-lasting - because gold-plated jewellery is a base metal with a layer of gold covering it, the base metal is often stronger than solid gold would be, meaning it can handle daily use and wear and tear rather well.
How to care for your gold-plated jewellery
Follow these steps and your beautiful gold plated-jewellery will last much longer…
- Don’t use harsh chemicals to clean your gold-plated jewellery, use a mild liquid soap or a professional jewellery cleaning solution instead.
- Put on your gold-plated jewellery last, after applying your makeup, hair products and perfumes.
- Don’t expose your gold-plated jewellery to chlorinated or salty water - take it off before you go swimming in a pool or in the sea.
- Keep your gold-plated jewellery away from direct sunlight and heat.
Shop our gold-plated jewellery range
Check out our range of stunning gold-plated jewellery here.
Until next time,
Daiane x
