tips | caring for gold-filled jewellery
Going Gold-filled
Have you ever wondered about the differences between gold-plated, gold-filled or solid gold jewellery? When cleaned and treated carefully, gold-filled jewellery provides longstanding wear despite being much more affordable than solid gold.
Caring for Gold-Filled Jewellery
Gold-filled jewellery is worth the investment because of its resistance to wear and tarnish. It will, however, pick up dirt and oils from wear and poor storage. Like all jewellery, prolonged exposure to water, air and other contaminants will dull its surface.
Avoid sleeping, bathing or swimming in your jewellery. While I stand behind the construction of my jewellery, repeated tugging or twisting will weaken delicate chain or wire links
Gently polish your piece with a specially treated soft cloth for this purpose. Don’t have a polishing cloth? Ask me for recommended brands and local suppliers. All pieces bought through the website ship with a small piece
Never file, grind or use an abrasive polishing compound on your gold-filled jewellery! This will shorten the lifespan of the 1/20 of gold bonded to the base metal
Basic cleaning and upkeep
To keep the jewellery looking bright and new, run some lukewarm water into a small bowl and prepare a sudsy solution with some gentle soap
Use a soft brush, such as the wire-free parts of a disposable mascara wand, to clean in small corners
If you have a particularly prominent gemstone facet or metal surface, dry it gently with a cotton bud
Use the cotton bud to swab into hard-to-get areas to “sip” away the water, then gently use a lint-free cloth to dry the piece
To avoid it picking up dust and exposure to oxidizing be sure to store when completely dry
If your jewellery piece has gemstones in it, be sure to check care instructions for the specific gemstone.
about gold plate
The only real advantage of gold-plated jewellery over gold-filled jewellery is its affordability, and this comes at its own price. Gold-plating electrically bonds a single layer of gold atoms over a base metal. In most mass-manufactured fashion jewellery, this gold layer is flimsy, with a tendency to chip, and does not stand up to everyday wear for long. Once the gold plate wears off, the base metal will show through. Even high-quality plating processes, however, can require the use of a nickel strike or substrate layer — meaning the base metal is plated with a layer of nickel, to which the gold layer is then applied. This increases the longevity of the plate, but introduces a harmful allergen to the equation, as a good six percent of the adult population is allergic to the nickel salts that form when it comes into contact with perspiration or saltwater.
There is also a disadvantage in that this gold is seldom reclaimable in any form.
about gold-filled jewellery
Gold-filled jewellery materials (sheet, wire) and findings (clasps, most chain) are industrially manufactured by bonding gold to the surface of a base metal (usually brass, pure copper or silver). While it is sometimes likened to being “plate, but on steroids,” the gold layer can be several hundred times thicker. For a product to be labelled gold-filled, 1/20 of the piece’s metal weight must be a gold alloy. 14-karat yellow gold is generally favoured for jewellery – its warm tone is complemented by a balance of strength and affordability.
Advancements in the process have rendered the usual nickel substrate requirement obsolete, and all gold-filled pieces are nickel free.