What Is Gold Filled Jewelry Made Of

The most common method of gold plating is electroplating.

What is gold filled jewelry made of.

Gold filled jewelry is made by wrapping a very thin sheet of gold around a base made of another material such as nickel or brass. Unlike plated aka electroplated or dipped metals gold filled is legally required to contain 5 or 1 20 gold by weight. Gold plated jewelry is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit and bond a very thin layer of gold over another metal. Gold filled jewelry is not solid gold.

For most gold plating a microscopic layer of gold is adhered to a base metal using an electric current. The term gold filled is used to describe a piece that is made of a non gold metal covered with a thick layer of gold. Also the base metal used for gold filled items is often a gold alloy. Gold filled is constructed in two or three layers.

Gold filled jewelry is jewelry composed of a solid layer of gold typically constituting at least 5 of the item s total weight mechanically bonded to a base of either sterling silver or some base metal. It is usually cheaper than solid gold jewelry of the same karat. The related terms rolled gold plate and gold overlay may legally be used in some contexts if the layer of gold constitutes less than 5 of the item s weight. It contains more gold as the gold coating is quite thick.

Heat is used to attach the gold coating on top of the non gold core. A gold alloy is then bonded to one or both surfaces of the brass core with heat and pressure. Electroplating gold onto jewelry is more complex than the method for making rolled gold and gold filled. Gold filled jewelry is also referred to as rolled gold gold overlay or rolled gold plate.