Do you love the lustrous aesthetics of gold jewelry and wish you could afford it? Well, now you can.
Gold vermeil jewelry looks like plain, old gold, but is much cheaper.
The technique has been around since the 18th century but still sounds foreign to many.
Gold vermeil has the goodness of two of the most desirable metals- gold and silver.
The sterling silver base makes it durable, and a 2.5-micron thick layer of gold makes it shiny and desirable.
The best thing about gold vermeil is that unlike gold plated or gold-filled jewelry, it has a set of specifications that a jeweler must follow.
You can take Legal action against those who try to sell an item having a gold coating thinner than 2.5 microns as gold vermeil.
Since Gold vermeil jewelry has a base of hypoallergenic material, its users do not complain about developing allergies.
It does not leave green stains on skin, unlike other cheaper metals.
Gold vermeil has all the good qualities, but whether it’s worth buying depends on your goals and priorities.
If you see an item of jewelry as an investment only, gold vermeil is useless for you.
It does not have good resale value as it only has a coat of gold.
Real gold, on the other hand, has a higher resale value, and the price of gold increases with time.
But if your goal is to mesmerize people with your stunning jewelry pieces, gold vermeil is the right choice for you because it looks just like gold and is much more reasonable in terms of price.
How Long Will Gold Vermeil Last?
Vermeil is a good option for those who wish for the luster of gold at affordable prices.
Jewelry made out of vermeil looks astounding, but is it long-lasting?
This depends on the thickness of its gold coating and its purity.
You see, the beauty of vermeil jewelry lies in the gold that coats it. The thicker the coat, the longer it takes to erode.
Since the minimum thickness of the gold coating is 2.5 microns for vermeil, it is wearable for years if you store it correctly.
The purity of the gold coating also plays a crucial part. Pure gold is soft and erodes faster than impure gold.
Since 24k gold has the least amount of impurities, jewelry coated with that loses its luster sooner.
So it is recommended to be vermeil having a coating of 10k, 14k, or 18k gold.
The minimum life of gold vermeil is six months, but greater thickness, lesser gold purity, and suitable storage can make it last up to twenty years.
Is Gold-plated Or Gold Vermeil Better?
People often confuse gold-plated jewelry with gold vermeil, and rightly so.
Both have a coat of gold on top of the base metal, then how are they different, and which one is better?
First, let’s talk about what makes them different.
- Base Metal:
Gold-plated jewelry often has inexpensive base metals like copper or brass. Gold vermeil, on the other hand, uses sterling silver as its base metal.
- The thickness of the Gold Layer:
When it comes to the thickness of the gold layer, there are no set specifications for gold-plated jewelry. It is common for gold-plated jewelry to have a layer as thick as 0.5 microns.
This, however, is not the case with Gold vermeil. In the United States, you can not call a piece of jewelry vermeil unless it has a coat of 10k-24k gold, with a minimum thickness of 2.5 microns.
In Canada, the thickness has to be at least 1 micron, so you should check the origin of the vermeil before buying it.
Now that you know the difference between their composition, it’s time to discuss their pros and cons.
Many people are allergic to metals like copper and nickel. When they wear gold-plated jewelry, they can develop allergies. Gold vermeil does not cause such problems.
Copper and nickel tend to oxidize fast. So when the gold layer wears off, gold-plated jewelry starts to leave green stains on your skin. No such incident is reported about gold vermeil.
Since gold-plated jewelry has such a thin layer of gold, it wears out faster, meaning you can wear them for only a few months. Vermeil has a five times thicker gold layer, making it long-lasting.
Using cheap metal and thin gold layers makes gold-plated jewelry an inexpensive option. Gold vermeil costs more in its comparison.
So the conclusion is that gold-plated jewelry is inexpensive, but it is not better than gold vermeil in any other aspect.
Can You Shower In Gold Vermeil?
If you have gold vermeil jewelry that you wear even in the shower, there is a chance that the gold layer will wear out faster than expected.
The reason behind this is chemicals in your water and body wash. No matter the thickness of the gold layer, contact with chemicals will deplete it.
The rate at which it wears out depends on two factors. The harshness of chemicals and the purity of the coating material.
If you shower with mild soaps, your gold vermeil jewelry will tarnish slowly, but contact with strong chemicals may cause it to tarnish immediately.
Next, let’s talk about the purity of gold. Your vermeil jewelry may have a coat of 10k gold, which is the least pure form, 14k, containing over 40% percent impurities, or 24k containing only 0.1% impurities.
If you wish to wear your jewelry in the shower, you should buy the one coated with 10k because that wears outs slower than 24k gold, which is 99.9% pure.
Does Gold Vermeil Look Fake?
Gold vermeil has a sterling silver base and m 2.5-micron thick gold coating. Since this coating is of the actual metal, it gives the impression of actual gold.
The two look so similar that if you keep them side by side, no one will be able to detect the real gold.
In short, Vermeil gold does not look fake and is the best option for anyone who loves shiny, lustrous metal but can not afford it.
