They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but for the ages, Gold has been the ultimate symbol of elegance and beauty for both men and women alike. It is, therefore, essential to be aware at the time of purchasing a gold ring, the various terminologies that are commonly used. The most popular terms used are solid Gold, Gold plated, and gold-filled when describing pieces of a gold ring.
Sold Gold is the most expensive and highest in purity and quality. Then it is being ranked as Gold-filled as it allows for a cheaper but still valuable alternative to solid Gold. Gold plated, moreover significantly cheaper than the solid Gold, but still a valuable alternative to solid Gold. Gold plated, moreover, is significantly cheaper than solid Gold, which allows for quality Gold appearing jewelry to be more affordable and accessible to the greater public.
Table of Contents
Solid Gold
A solid gold ring is the highest in purity and price. Solid gold value comes from its radiant color and shine. It is also very highly valued because it does not tarnish or fade from time to time. But it is exciting and interesting to note that solid Gold may not always be the best option when shopping for your desired gold accessory. The downside of pure solid gold is that is very soft and malleable and is therefore not recommended for the ring intended for daily wear.
Often Gold is made into an alloy by mixing it with some other metals in order to create a stronger metal than pure Gold. These alloys are often cheaper than pure Gold as the karat decreases. Moreover, these alloys retain the desirable properties that ring wearers’ desire of the pure solid Gold – its shine, color, and inability to tarnish – all while creating a more practical metal for the ring.
Jewelry Hallmarking is done only in Solid Gold. So, when you are going for solid gold, there will be a certainty for its reality.
Gold Filled
At the time of purchasing the ring, a more economical than solid Gold but still beautiful option is a Gold-filled piece. Jewelers create Gold filled ring by pressure bonding an actual layer of Gold to another metal. Although a Gold-filled piece of the ring is not solid Gold, it has the same desirable properties and looks like solid Real Gold.
It would not tarnish and will not rub off or turn colors. Wearers who are highly sensitive to certain metals can wear Gold-filled without worries of an allergic reaction. Although the layer of Gold in Gold filled pieces varies depending on the manufacturer, it is in all cases significantly thicker than the regular gold plating. Gold-filled accessories can be worn even daily without any fear of fading or rubbing off for many cases as long as 30 years.
Gold Plating
The gold plated ring is the best option for wearers who are jewelry obsessed but need to stay within a budget. It gives the highlight and impression of luxury while not causing you to break the bank every time you see a cute, trendy necklace or bracelet. The gold plated ring is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit and bond a very thin layer of gold over another metal. This process creates a layer as thin as 1/1000 of an inch of Gold over a more affordable metal, usually copper or silver.
The limitation of gold plating is that the gold layer fades and tarnishes over time. The main reason being that molecules of the base metals slowly transfer into the thin layer of Gold, causing it to break down.
What to Buy?
When debating over whether to purchase a solid gold, Gold platted, or Gold filled, several factors should be taken into consideration. Solid Gold, even gold alloys, despite their higher price tags, are a great for romantic gifts for a truly special someone.
It also makes for a huge investment or infusion as solid Gold retains its value, and forever will hold its allure in the world of jewelry. Gold-filled, although not as highly valuable as solid Gold is still a great option for gift giving and accessories you love.
You should not discredit the Gold plated ring. It even also allows you to dress up with all the recent, hottest jewelry trends without causing you to stress out too much about the cost.
FAQs
Q1: Does Gold Filled Mean solid Gold?
Ans: Gold-filled is not the same as Solid Gold. It is a huge fraction of the cost of solid gold and is made by bonding Gold to a base metal to give it the appearance of Gold. Moreover, over time, Gold filled jewelry does not wear well and does not hold the value like Solid Gold does.
Q2: Is Gold Filled worth more than Gold plated?
Ans: The base metal for this type of jewelry can be brass, copper, or silver. Because the gold filling is much more intense and consumes Gold in a higher quantity, the price tag of the Gold filled jewelry is often higher than that of the Gold plated pieces.
Q3: Is Gold Filled worth money?
Ans: Additionally, since there is very little gold content in these items, the energy and time to refine the precious metal from the other metals are greater than with the solid Gold. Given this, the highly Gold filled jewelry is typically not worth very much unless you have very large quantities of it.
