When buying a piece of gold either in a store or online you will find in the product description certain terms not entirely clear when you just want a golden jewel. One of these terms is “gold plating“.
Simple as it seems this term, the plated gold jewelry such as rings, pendants or earrings are made with electrochemical processes to international standards (in terms of tone color). This is done through a series of alkaline electrolytic bath (usually up to 3). The number of bathrooms in a particular piece allows you to achieve a good thickness of gold plating. But do not think that this layer is very thick, on average being sought between 3 and 4 micron thick gold. If it is a white gold plated, it protects and enhances color with a layer of rhodium applied under a process similar to plating.
Material basis of a gold-plated
The question then knows what is on the plating base material of the piece of jewelry. If we draw conclusions, this is not gold. And to avoid allergic reactions in many buyers, many jewelry manufacturers use nickel brass in place. The brass is an alloy that contains no gold, but if it contains other metals such as silver resulting in the same weight and hardness than gold.
Another characteristic of a piece of gold plating is the price usually is reduced by one third or a quarter of its equivalent in gold. However, the price may vary according to design.
Finally, their gold-plated jewelry will last a long time according to the care given to them. If you have a layer of rhodium, these will have to undergo another rhodium bath every 12 months to keep them in top condition.