Lesson 30 · Metals & Finishes · 41 seconds
Gold plated, gold filled and vermeil
Gold plated means a layer of gold over a base metal, and plating can wear away. Gold filled is not filled with gold: a layer of karat gold is bonded onto a base-metal core, at least one twentieth of the metal's weight under U.S. guidelines. Vermeil starts with sterling silver, with U.S. minimums for its gold karat and thickness.
What this lesson shows
Same gold color, three constructions.
Three matching gold-colored bands and one cut open to show its cross-section lead into simplified, not-to-scale diagrams: a gold layer over a base-metal core, karat gold bonded onto a base-metal core, and a gold layer over a sterling silver core.
Three quick takeaways
What to actually do when you shop
- Gold plated means a layer of gold over a base metal, and plating can wear away.
- Gold filled is not filled with gold: karat gold is bonded onto a base-metal core. Vermeil starts with sterling silver, with U.S. minimums for its gold karat and thickness.
- Ask what is underneath, and how the gold was applied.
Read the transcript
Three gold-colored pieces. Three different constructions. Gold plated means a layer of gold over a base metal, and plating can wear away. Gold filled isn't filled with gold. A layer of karat gold is bonded onto a base-metal core: at least one twentieth of the metal's weight, under U.S. guidelines. Vermeil starts with sterling silver, with U.S. minimums for its gold karat and thickness. So ask what's underneath, and how the gold was applied. Explore more in the Aydins Jewelry Learning Center.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, buying platinum, gold and silver jewelry: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-platinum-gold-and-silver-jewelry
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 16 CFR 23.3 (gold): www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/23.3
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 16 CFR 23.4 (vermeil): www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/23.4
Related lessons
10K vs 14K vs 18K gold explained · what a karat stamp means.
What is under white gold's bright finish? · another surface layer over the metal underneath.
Solid versus hollow gold chain · construction is not the same as karat.
Next step
Know what the karat number means.
The gold karat lesson explains what a karat number counts.