The rate of pure gold jewellery is soaring high and buying even a small gold jewellery item can make customers baulk seeing the price tag. Whether you are looking for a gold-like gold alternative or a good jewellery deal, you may turn your interest in gold-plated jewellery. One common question that comes to mind is how long can gold-plated jewellery last.
Gold-plated jewellery is a gorgeous alternative to real gold jewellery and is more durable and affordable. For many shoppers, this type of jewellery attracts more than traditional gold jewellery! If you are one of them, here are all the details you need to know!
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What is Gold Plated Jewellery?
Gold plated jewellery is a gold-toned jewellery with a base metal, covering a thin sheet of real gold. The making process of this type of jewellery is popular for creating a wide variety of jewellery pieces with various metals that fascinate the eyes. The layer of gold plating can be either thinner or thicker based on the items being created. As gold-plated jewellery contains a tiny amount of gold, you can easily get them at a more affordable price than pure gold jewellery.
Nonetheless, an artfully crafted piece of gold plated jewellery offers a nearly identical look of real gold jewellery. So, if you are planning to save a hefty amount or buy trendy or traditional designer pieces, try gold-plated jewellery.
Does gold-plated jewellery tarnish?
It usually depends from where you purchase gold plated jewellery to know if your jewellery will have a noticeable fading and tarnishing over time. If you are wondering whether your gold plated jewellery will tarnish or not, the answer depends on the making process of the maker. Gold-plated jewellery is made of certain types of base metal, like stainless steel, that fend off the metal from tarnishing over time. The rate at which a gold-plated piece starts to fade or tarnish will depend on the quality of the gold plating. If the piece of jewellery has heavy gold plating, it won’t easily fade away.
However, if the plating layer is thin, tarnishing can occur at a faster rate. In case the base metal starts to change colour and the layer of gold is worn out, tarnishing takes place. So, the thicker the layer of gold plating used to create the jewellery, the longer it will take to fade or tarnish. So, next time you buy such jewellery items, you know what to check to rule out the question of “How long can gold-plated jewellery last?”
Does Gold electroplated jewellery tarnish?
Yes, over time, gold electroplated jewellery can even tarnish. Nevertheless, there are some solid reasons behind it.
#1. Chemical reaction
Because gold plated jewellery has a thin layer of gold, the pieces react with air, dirt, dust, moisture and various other external factors. This leads to jewellery oxidation and beginning to complete tarnishing.
#2. Exposing base metal
The thin layer of gold plating can wear away anytime, exposing the base metal to air and moisture. These factors lead to frequent fading and tarnishing.
#3. Silver atoms
Silver atoms can disperse into the layer of gold plating. This can result in colour fading and surface tarnishing.
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Do Gold Plated Bangles tarnish quickly?
Manufacturers usually make bangles with thicker gold plated layers. That’s because bangles tend to receive a lot of friction. However, this doesn’t make it tarnish-free. Once the plating wears down, tarnishing happens on the bangles with gold plating.
Does Gold Plated Jewellery Remain the Same?
Manufacturers usually make bangles with thicker gold plated layers. That’s because bangles tend to receive a lot of friction. However, this doesn’t make it tarnish-free. Once the plating wears down, tarnishing happens on the bangles with gold plating.
Unlike solid gold jewellery or silver jewellery, gold plated jewellery doesn’t come with a tarnish-free and non-fading guarantee. While fine jewellery items made of precious metals are a smart investment that you can pass on to future generations as a family heirloom, no gold plated jewellery can retain its value with time. So, when buying gold plated jewellery, you would save money, but sacrifice on value.
In addition, the quality of the gold plating layer also matters. That’s why some jewellery items fade and tarnish sooner than the other ones. Generally, most jewellery items of gold plated begin to tarnish when used regularly for a few years.
The good part about gold plated jewellery is that you can easily repair it at a nominal cost. Yes, if you see any signs of fading or tarnishing in your gold plated jewellery, you can easily give it to a jeweller for replating the gold layer. The repair process is easy and quick. Try it and give your favourite gold plated jewellery a brand-new look!
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What are the benefits of buying gold-plated jewellery over solid gold?
Mostly, shoppers prefer buying gold-plated jewellery to avoid spending a hefty amount on a single jewellery piece. Plus, they can spend less than half of the money to buy a variety of gold-plated jewellery for every occasion. The appearance of both pure gold jewellery and gold-plated jewellery is identical. However, the amount one needs to pay for a gold-plated jewellery is just a fraction of the total cost.
What are the disadvantages of buying gold plated jewellery?
You may save money while buying gold plated jewellery, but cannot get any resale value. In fact, gold plated jewellery will not hold any value over time. Moreover, the truth is most of the gold plated jewellery you buy will fade, deteriorate, and tarnish over time. Regular use can rub away the gold plating and directly expose your skin to the base metal. As a consequence, you may experience an allergic reaction to the item.
How different is gold filled jewellery, gold plated jewellery and gold vermeil from each other?
Gold filled jewellery is a gold plated jewellery that uses a unique process to produce the products. It’s bonded to the base metal under high pressure and heat. Gold vermeil is also a kind of gold plated jewellery that differs from gold filled jewellery. Sterling silver forms its base metal. Compared to gold vermeil jewellery, gold filled jewellery seems to have more durability.
How to increase the longevity of gold plated jewellery?
The more you use or your gold plated jewellery gets rubbed, the faster the gold plate will fade away. So, if you want to increase its tarnish-free era, keep it in a place where no external factors can influence the plating.
How to clean gold plated jewellery?
Cleaning gold plated jewellery isn’t a hard task. Take the jewellery and soak it inside a bowl of warm water and soap for sometime.
If you don’t want to try DIY, take it to a professional and ask them to clean or re-plate the jewellery item.