All That Glitters is Not Gold

24-carat gold is used to make jewellery because of its soft and shiny nature. However, due to the sky-high prices of gold, not everyone can afford such trinkets. Hence, there are a lot of variations available in the market, where  jewelers offer ornaments made in 14k, 18k or 22k, the most popular being gold alloy of 18k gold and 25% copper. However, a new segment has developed over the years and has gained momentum in the past few years. This segment consists of gold plated jewellery.

Gold Plating

The metal used in this kind of jewellery has a very thin layer of gold on the surface which is applied by the process of electroplating. This gives a shiny finish to the ornament and easily transforms a valueless metal like copper into a valuable piece of jewellery. The process of gold plating has the advantage of lending durability of the base metal and finish of gold. 

The thickness of the gold layer varies from piece to piece, depending on customer demand and price of the product. Since gold is a soft metal, it is easily affected by bending, denting and tarnishing. The downside of such ornaments is that they usually fade, flake and wear over time and thus become valueless after some years. Hence, gold plated jewellery has a much lower resale value than real gold jewellery. 

Considerations before buying Gold plated Jewellery

Customers should make an informed decision while purchasing such ornaments. They should look for the G.E.P. mark that stands for “gold electro plated” and should only buy from professional sellers to avoid accounts of fraud. In addition, they should take as much information on the product as possible. The thickness of gold layer should be measured and verified before buying. Acid test is a good way of conducting gold test.

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