Most of you may find the term “gold vermeil” unique but this isn’t true. This word has been in the market for years. If you have ever heard of gold-plated jewelry, you must have come across its expensive alternative, gold vermeil jewelry which is nothing but jewelry with a thick coating of gold (at least 10k/12k) on either sterling or pure silver as base metal due to which vermeil is also called by the name silver gilt or gilded silver. If you want to know more about this gold vermeil, keep reading this article where you’ll learn:
Table of Contents
What is gold vermeil?
Pronounced as ver-may, gold vermeil is an age-old coating technique developed in France in the 18th century. It involves rendering a thick coating of gold (at least 10k) on sterling silver through electrolysis. The thickness of this coating needs to be at least 2.5 microns or 0.0025 millimeters against the usual thickness of 0.5 microns to be termed as gold vermeil, else it’ll only be called gold-plated jewelry. You can choose different colors for gold vermeil like rose gold, white gold, or Hamilton gold as per your preference and style.
How is gold vermeil made?
To create gold vermeil jewelry, the article is crafted out of either pure silver (99.9% pure) or sterling silver (92.5% pure) and then it’s coated with gold through the process of electrolysis. Earlier, a method called fire-gilding was used instead of electrolysis but owing to its poor coating quality and severe health hazards (particularly the mercury lead blindness), it was banned. Moreover, electrolysis offered several advantages like a consistent and long-lasting thickness, less time-consuming, etc.
Does gold vermeil tarnish over time?
It depends on the purity of gold used for the purpose. For example, as pure or 24k gold doesn’t tarnish at all, if your jewelry has a coating of 24k gold, be assured of its long life. Now, anything less than 24k gold like 22k, 18k, 14k, 12k, or 10k may tarnish or lose its shine with time due to contact with chemicals present in make-up material, perfumes, lotions, sweat, etc.
However, there is no need to worry. The following are some ways of keeping your silver gilt jewelry safe and secure for a long time.
How to take care of gilded silver jewelry?
It is possible to maintain the sparkle and shine of your gold vermeil jewelry for several years by following our below maintenance tips.
- As silver gilt jewelry has a silver base, it’s prone to oxidation after coming into contact with air and water. So, in case you’re not putting on your jewelry, store it in a fabric-lined airtight jewelry box.
- Don’t bring your jewelry close to extreme temperatures as this might cause its discoloration.
- After every use, don’t forget to clean it thoroughly with a soft cloth to remove any accumulated sweat, oil, grime, etc. from its surface.
- Don’t use any harsh chemicals for cleaning your gold vermeil jewelry.
These tips will help you in keeping the coating intact for years to come.
How is gold vermeil unique to gold-plated and gold-filled techniques?
While a decent budget will allow you to go for silver gilt jewelry, gold plated or gold filled jewelry aren’t a bad choice either, and here’s why.
Gold-plated jewelry
Gold-plated jewelry carries a thin coating of gold over a variety of metals. Owing to its thickness, such jewelry is more likely to wear out and chip after some time.
Gold-filled jewelry
More valuable than gold-plated jewelry, gold-filled jewelry has a much thicker gold coating on a gold alloy that doesn’t tarnish even under extreme circumstances.
Of these three gold-plating techniques, the majority of the buyers often go with either gold-filled or gold vermeil jewelry.
Is there any allergic reaction associated with gold vermeil?
Although most of the gold vermeil jewelry is free from allergy-causing metals like copper, nickel, cobalt, chromium, etc., you need not worry about any allergic reaction due to it.
However, in low-grade gold vermeil jewelry, a small quantity of the above metals is added which gives rise to various allergic reactions. So, make sure to ask the seller for the presence of any of these allergic metals.
What are the benefits of gilded silver?
As gold is known to have social, physical, and emotional health benefits, the same benefits are there with silver gilt as well. It improves blood circulation, arthritis, skin cancer, heart disease, eye issues, common spinal problems, TB, and vascular diseases. It eradicates negative energies around you along with conflicts and fear. In terms of social powers, it is seen as a symbol of wealth and prosperity in the society you live in. Hence, if you’re an ardent fan of gold but can not afford its valuables, it’s good to go for gold vermeil.
FAQs
What is gold vermeil?
It’s an age-old coating technique developed in France in the 18th century. It involves rendering a thick coating of gold (at least 10k) on sterling silver through electrolysis. The thickness of this coating needs to be at least 2.5 microns.
Which is better: gold-plated or gold-filled or gold vermeil?
Well, if your budget allows, you can choose anyone between gold-filled or silver gilt as both are almost identical. In the scenario your budget is tight, gold-plated jewelry will suit you better.
What are the various gold vermeil jewelry you can buy?
Can I wear gold vermeil every day?
Yes, you can wear your jewelry every day but make sure you keep its maintenance your top priority by following the ways mentioned above.
