There are many types of jewelry that claim to contain gold. These Among these types of jewelry one in particular, vermeil jewelry, can sometimes catch our interest thinking it is made of pure gold. In other words, what is the total amount of gold really present in these jewelry pieces?
To put it in simple terms, vermeil (pronounced “ver-MAY”) is basically sterling silver plated with gold. Vermeil is a French a French word which means “gilded silver”, exported by the French in the 19th century to replace the usual term silver-gilt; this term is mostly used in the United States. In the middle of the 18th century a method for adhering a layer of gold to sterling silver was developed by the French, but it was quickly abandoned: mercury had to be vaporized in order to make gold stick to the silver, causing many artisans to become blind in the process.
Vermeil used in jewelry today is produced by electrolysis, a far safer process when compared to the original fire-gilding method. This process uses a DC current in an electrolytic bath to produce a non-spontaneous chemical reaction; in the case of Vermeil fusing and attaching a thin layer of gold to sterling silver.
Not all Vermeil is created equal. In order to be considered actual gold vermeil and not an inferior gold-plated item, the jewelry, tableware or industry product must meet a set of requirements. These requirements are spelled out in the US Code of Federal Regulations 16, Part 23.5 defining vermeil as a product consisting of a sterling silver base, coated with a gold or gold alloy layer of a minimum thickness of 2.5 microns. In addition, the gold used must be at least 10-karat (42%) gold. This means that if sterling silver is not used, or if sterling silver is covered with a base metal plated with gold it can’t be marketed as vermeil.
Be careful, and don’t confuse Vermeil jewelry with gold-filled or gold-plated items. Gold-filled jewelry is actually not filled with gold, it is but a base of brass or copper covered by mechanically-applied sheets of gold. Similarly, gold-plated items are created by applying a thin layer of gold on top of steel or brass in an electroplating solution. Some jewelry pieces created by these methods might be in fact more expensive than vermeil, just make sure to select vermeil jewelry if what you are looking for is sterling silver jewelry with gold.
The beauty of vermeil jewelry is that its appearance and artisanship is akin to pure gold jewelry. In addition, Vermeil is safe for people with allergic reactions because it can only contain sterling silver and gold. And, did we mention that Vermeil is also far more economical than pure gold jewelry? Looking almost as great but without the hefty price tag. Just make sure to take the same precautions as with any other piece of fine jewelry -that means no swimming, showering or doing house chores with the jewelry on- and vermeil jewelry may last for a long time.
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