Gold-Filled vs Gold Vermeil vs Gold Plated Jewellery
When it comes to choosing jewellery, the type of metal can significantly impact its quality, appearance, and price. Three popular options you'll encounter are gold-filled, gold vermeil, and gold-plated jewellery. At Cunningfolk, we use gold filled fastings for our enchanted gemstone jewellery. We'll dive into the differences between these three types of jewellery, explain why we prefer gold filled fastings and help you make an informed choice that suits your style and budget.
Gold-Filled Jewellery: Affordable Durability
Gold-filled jewellery offers an attractive balance between affordability and durability. Here's what you need to know:
Composition: Gold-filled jewellery consists of a thick layer of gold (usually 14k or 18k) that is mechanically bonded to a base metal core, such as brass or copper.
Durability: Due to the thicker layer of gold, gold-filled jewellery is more resistant to wear and tear compared to gold-plated jewellery. With proper care, it can last a lifetime.
Hypoallergenic: It's generally hypoallergenic, making it suitable for people with sensitive skin.
Price Point: Gold-filled jewellery is more affordable than solid gold, making it an excellent choice for those looking for quality on a budget.
Gold Vermeil Jewellery: Luxurious and Layered
Gold vermeil jewellery offers a layer of luxury without the solid gold price tag:
Composition: Gold vermeil features a thicker layer of gold (often 18k or 22k) than gold-plated jewellery. This gold layer is electroplated onto a sterling silver base.
Quality: Gold vermeil jewellery has the look and feel of solid gold, with the added benefit of sterling silver's quality.
Durability: While more durable than gold-plated jewellery, gold vermeil is not as robust as gold-filled jewellery. It may require more care to maintain its luster.
Affordability: Gold vermeil is more affordable than solid gold but typically more expensive than gold-filled or gold-plated options.
Gold-Plated Jewellery: Budget-Friendly Glamour
Gold-plated jewellery offers a budget-friendly way to enjoy the glimmer of gold:
Composition: Gold-plated jewellery consists of a thin layer of gold electroplated onto a base metal, often brass or copper.
Affordability: It is the most affordable option, making it accessible for those on a tight budget.
Durability: Gold-plated jewellery is less durable than both gold-filled and gold vermeil options. The thin gold layer can wear off over time, revealing the base metal beneath.
Regular Maintenance: To extend the life of gold-plated jewellery, it may require more frequent cleaning and careful storage to prevent tarnishing.
Which Should You Choose?
The choice between gold-filled, gold vermeil, and gold-plated jewellery ultimately depends on your budget, style preferences, and how you plan to wear and care for your jewellery.
Choose Gold-Filled for: Durability, affordability, and hypoallergenic qualities.
Choose Gold Vermeil for: Luxurious looks, quality, and affordability relative to solid gold.
Choose Gold-Plated for: Budget-friendly options with a glamorous appearance, understanding that they may require more maintenance.
Why does Cunningfolk use gold filled fastings?
Fastings are the ‘gold’ parts of your jewellery — the clasps, chains and other metal pieces that make jewellery ‘work’.
Many jewellery brands use gold plated fastings. But here at Cunningfolk? We’ve opted for gold filled.
We made this decision because gold filled fastings are less expensive than solid 9 or 14 carat gold, which meant we could make our handmade gem jewellery more affordable for the people that needed it.
Many jewellers would choose to use gold-plated fastings, because they’re much cheaper than gold filled — which means bigger profits for the jewellery designer. But Cunningfolk gemstone jewellery is intended to wear everyday — after all, they’re spells that are intended to help you through your life.
Gold filled fastings are much more durable than gold plating, and are unlikely to tarnish or chip even with constant wear. In the shower, in the sea, at the gym. It’s not ‘recommended’ to wear your gemstone jewellery in these places, but we understand what life is like. So we made our jewellery robust enough to survive it.