Plated Gold
Gold plating is a process that uses electricity or chemicals to deposit and bond an extremely thin layer of gold onto another metal. Most often, the base metal is silver or copper. This will give a piece of jewelry the look of gold even though it is primarily made up of another, more affordable metal. This is why most gold-plated items are significantly less expensive than pure gold or gold alloy items. While gold's ability to resist tarnishing is still present, copper and silver, unfortunately, do break down with age. The effects of this process can slowly work through the thin gold plating, causing the piece to change in appearance over time. Higher-quality gold plating processes use many different layers of metal to prolong the life of the piece and keep the gold layer intact and shining for as long as possible.

Advantages and Disadvantages to Gold Plated Jewelry

Gold-plated jewelry is also a great choice for purchasing pieces that are momentarily trendy, for they will not cost as much, and, if the trend happens to fall out of fashion in the next season, the buyer will not have spent too much money on an item that was only worn for a few months. Since the layer of gold used on gold plate is such a thin one, gold-plated jewelry does not carry the high price tag of pure gold or gold alloy jewelry. Silver that has been plated with gold will carry a slightly higher cost than gold-plated copper, however. With its low price tag also comes a lower life span: As the base metal molecules slowly transfer into the gold, the gold surface can tarnish or break down. This may take months or even years, depending on the thickness of the gold plate and whether or not other layers of metal were used between the gold and the base metal. Although these items will eventually lose their shine, it is important to remember that this is a long process.

While gold plate jewelry is not appropriate for investment since it will not hold its value, it is an excellent choice for statement pieces of jewelry or jewelry items that will be worn every day. If a person wants to build a large selection of accessories but does not have a large budget, then buying gold plate jewelry will allow him or her to purchase many pieces without breaking the bank.

What Does Gold-Plated Mean?

If you have ever purchased jewelry in the past, you may have seen the term gold-plated. Also called gold-plate, this is a method of covering another type of metal with a very thin, almost microscopic, film of pure gold by electroplating it. Some businesses refer to gold-plated jewelry as gold-overlay; however, these are essentially the same things.

Among the biggest benefits of gold-plated items is the fact that it is fairly strong. Gold is a soft metal, and it is easily susceptible to nicks, dents, and bending. Gold-plating can lend an attractive finish to a piece that must be sturdy and durable. The downside is that the gold finish on gold-plated items can begin to chip and wear away over time. Additionally, some items may be prone to tarnishing.

This pink-tinted metal is gold with an added copper alloy. The more copper alloy in the metal, the deeper the rosy tones will be. Why you'll love it: One of rose gold's especially attractive aspects is its underlying meaning. also known as pink gold, has a very subtle and delicate color that intensifies with age. Different computer monitors may show rose gold pieces at varying intensities. Also, the pink color of rose gold jewelry may show up differently when viewed under different lighting situations: natural light, incandescent light, or fluorescent light.

Before ordering, you might want to familiarize yourself with the color of rose gold. Perhaps a friend or your jeweler can show you what rose gold jewelry looks like. The famous Black Hills rose gold jewelry is a good example.

All kinds of  gold and Silver

white gold still has a very, very faint yellowish hint unless it is plated with rhodium, a common industry practice which we do not use because of the following reason: Because the rhodium plating eventually wears off in raised areas, it leaves splotches of yellowish color which show up noticeably against the unworn areas. White gold is available both in 14K and in 18K. The 14K white gold (which we use) has less of the yellow hint.

White gold is created by increasing the silver-colored alloys (zinc, silver, nickel) normally mixed with gold and decreasing the yellow-colored alloys (copper). 14K white gold contains as much gold as 14K yellow gold but is nearly white in color.

Rose Gold

White Gold

Gold is slightly reddish yellow in color, but colored gold in various other colors can be produced. Colored golds can be classified to three groups: Alloys with silver and copper in various proportions, producing white, yellow, green and red golds; typically malleable alloys

Gold