Within the jewellery industry, there are many different approaches to creating jewellery. For example, craftsmen use techniques like alloying different metals in varying amounts to give their pieces the exact characteristics they want. Often, what seems like a solid gold piece is gold alloyed with other metals to give it a powerful shine or increased scratch resistance. Today, we’ll examine another popular jewellery crafting technique by explaining what gold-filled jewellery is, how it is used to create durable pieces, and how it differs from other types of gold products.
What is Gold-Filled?
So, what exactly is gold-filled jewellery?
Well, it is a layered gold product that is quickly gaining popularity in the Americas, Europe and Asia. A quality material, gold-filled products are easy to care for and maintain a golden shine for many years. At the core of any gold-filled product is jeweller’s brass, to which a jewellery maker adheres a surface layer of gold.
When all the gold content adheres in a single layer on only one side of the brass core, it is known as single clad. On the other hand, a gold alloy whose contents are split into surface layers into both sides of the brass core is known as double-clad.
Here’s a helpful diagram to show you what gold-filled jewellery looks like:
Now that we understand how gold-filled jewellery works, we can compare it to other types of gold products.
Gold-Filled V. Gold-Plated
A gold-plated product is composed of a very thin layer of solid gold bonded to a brass base. This plating does not make up any measurable proportion of a product’s total weight and is estimated to only be 0.05 per cent or less of the product.
Gold-filled and gold-plated products are different in several ways. First off, gold-filled pieces are legally required to contain more gold than gold plated – at least 5% or 1/20 gold by weight. Second, gold-plated items are less durable as the plating wears off fast and exposes the core brass metal. This is because it does not resist heat, water, and wear over time as well as gold-filled jewellery.
The Difference Between Gold-Filled and Solid Gold
The main difference between a gold-filled and solid gold product is that one is a layered product while the other is an alloyed product. The way solid gold is formed by alloying pure gold with other metals to make it harder and easier to work with. Pure gold on its own is simply too soft to hold its shape or wear well.
Another way they differ is that karate is measured differently on gold-filled products as they are legally required to be at least 5% or 1/20 gold by weight. This 5% is represented by the karat age of gold alloy on a gold-filled piece. For example, most gold-filled material is 12kt or 14kt and is labelled as 14/20 or 12/20 while if it were a solid gold product it would be labelled 14/24 or 12/24 as the pure gold it is alloyed with is 24kt.
We hope this information helps to clear up some of the confusion between the many types of gold products available. Be sure to review and this information as you shop for your next gold piece.
