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We had a video explaining vermeil, but sometimes we receive inquiries about manufacturing gold filled jewelry. What exactly is gold filled?
Isn’t “gold filled” something that’s full of gold? The term is actually referring to a thin layer of gold under heat and pressure bonded to the surface of a core material, usually copper or brass. In contrast to gold plating, gold-filled jewelry is measured by its weight rather than thickness; by law, at least 5% of the total weight must be gold.
A gold-filled technique emerged from the ancient Egyptians rolling thin gold sheets into tubes and shaping them into jewelry. Nowadays, most manufacturers no longer employ this old-fashioned method due to its time-consuming nature. Gold-filled items have a layer of gold 5-10 times thicker than that produced by regular gold plating, but the gold layer will still wear off over time. In fact, modern techniques such as e-coating only on plated items or plating more gold content such as 3-5 microns, can extend the life of it.
The limitations of gold filled limit the outcome. Gold filled cannot be cast. “Casting” is the process of pouring a molten material into a mould so that it takes shape. This is usually done with metals such as sterling silver or gold. Gold filled cannot be melted because melting it would not retain the gold layers on the metal core.
Gold filled can only be fabricated in 3 forms: wire, tube, and sheet, limiting the structure and style of items that can be made. Another limitation of gold filled compared to plating is the inability to customize the gold tone. The color of gold filled is fixed based on the top layer of gold, while plating can customize different shades of gold. There are some amazing 3D designs of jewelry available on the market named gold filled. Do these limitations make us question whether they are genuine gold filled products?
In any lineup, solid gold is always the best option. Given all the limitations above, gold vermeil, in our opinion, would be a better alternative to gold filled for brands seeking flexibility in design with traceable quality. Talk with our jewelry experts today about how we can produce your next plated jewelry collection by following the links in the description. Stay tuned for the next video!
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