Going for Gold: Gold Vermeil Jewellery

No matter what trends come and go, people will never tire of gold. Beautiful, timeless, but expensive.

Whilst gold plate can be cheap, it is not always of good quality and the thin layer of plate can wear off quickly. Gold vermeil is different and provides the durability that is not available from standard gold-plated pieces.

So how does it work?

Ordinary gold plate is simply a thin layer of gold over any base metal. To qualify as 'gold vermeil' on the other hand a piece of jewellery must meet certain criteria. The base metal must be pure sterling silver, the gold layer with which the silver is plated must be at least 10 carat gold, and the layer of gold must be heavy - at least two and a half microns in thickness (gold plate can be as little as half a micron or less).

All my gold vermeil jewellery bears the hallmark for Sterling Silver and is heavy plated to a minimum of 2.5 microns with 18 carat gold. Nothing less.

Using gold vermeil for some of my jewellery means each piece is comparable to pure gold in appearance and craftsmanship, but offers a more affordable alternative to the pure gold pieces without compromising the quality.

Care of gold vermeil jewellery...

Whilst gold vermeil is heavily plated with gold, if you’ve owned your gold vermeil jewellery for some time and worn & loved it lots, you may find that over time it will need to be re-plated in gold. To minimise the wear of gold vermeil be careful to not shower or swim while wearing it, and be careful with hairspray, perfume, cosmetics, and lotions on your jewellery, or anything that may cause abrasion.  If you must clean your gold vermeil jewellery, use a very soft cloth or gentle hand soap and water. Don't use tarnish remover or jewellery polish as the abrasives & chemicals will strip the gold layer more quickly.

Catherine Budd Jewellery offers one complimentary re-plating to customers who have bought a gold vermeil piece. If you would like to have your piece re-plated, please contact me.