Gold Plated vs. Gold Finished vs. Gold Filled...What does it all mean?

In my journey as a designer working with precious metals I realized how little I knew about this subject. Among this confusion landed the question...What is the difference between gold/silver filled, gold/silver finished, and gold/silver plated jewelry?

I found the answer!

Gold/Silver Plated- If it is gold or silver plated than this means it is a mixture of a base metals that has a very thin coating of either a karat gold or .925 silver around the mixed metal base. Commonly the mixed metals are either copper or silver and they can be chemically or electrochemically plated with genuine gold or silver. With plated jewelry the atoms of copper will eventually break through the gold or silver plate causing the plated item to tarnish. In higher quality plating, nickel is often added to prevent the oxidation of these metals as well as act as a filler or armor to absorb the porousness of gold in particular. There are legally governed standards for the amount of gold or silver a 'plated' or 'filled' item should contain. Some information from the U.S. Trade Commission is listed below.  (Note the Red circle in the image above, this image is from a wholesale jewelry supply company, they have listed the % of silver contained in the item.)

We have all struggled with this!

This image is originally found at 
cutedogsandhugs.wordpress.com
In a blog with some great 'old-school' toothpaste tricks!





For tips on how to avoid premature wear and tarnish on costume jewelry as well as easy and safe cleaning tips stay tuned for my next blog... 

Okay now let's talk about Gold/Silver filled...

Gold/Silver Filled- Exactly the same idea of mixed metals except that in this case there is a small amount of 'filler' metal such as copper with a significantly larger bonded gold filling base for the rest of the shape of the filled jewellery item.

Here are some standards regulated by the U.S. Trades Commission which is stated below:

If the gold layer is 10 kt fineness- minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/10 the weight of the total item.

If the gold layer is 12 kt or higher- the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 the weight of the total item.

The most common stamps found on gold-filled jewelry are 1/20 12kt GF and 1/20 14kt GF. Also common is 1/10 10kt.

Did you know?   

Gold filled jewelry is considered to be pretty high quality as it lasts a very, very long time if not indefinitely, it has the exact same look as solid gold and it is for a fraction of the cost.

NEXT....The stuff costume jewelry is made of!

24kt gold finished seed beads by Dynamite

Gold Finished- This can be a pretty word for gold plated but you have to look in the description for a reference to the karat of the gold or confirmation of it containing a precious metal. Otherwise this term simply means the exact same thing as gold toned or gold colored. For an example of a gold finished item that contains a karat of gold click below.
24 kt gold finished 11/0 seedbeads

Gold Tone/Colored- Simply a gold color finish of another metal or medium that does not contain any gold or precious metal at all.

There are 2 more metals less common but definitely worth noting...

Vermeil - Which is a sterling silver base coated or plated with gold.
Palladium- In the platinum family, it is a bright silvery metal with the same qualities as platinum except it has a lower melting point and it is less dense. For an image of beads made with palladium click below...
Palladium Beads

Common abbreviations for various metals
Gold Plated (GLP)
Gold Finished (GLF)
Gold Filled (GF)
Silver Finished (SLF)
Silver Plated (SLP)

To purchase great quality gold and silver jewellery supplies visit my shop at
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Palladium finished hex beads.