You might have noticed that a few gold pieces have found their way into Secondsister jewelry collections in the past couple of years. While gold is not traditional in the genre of jewelry I make, it is undeniably beautiful set next to turquoise and lapis. Because of the price of solid gold, I have chosen to use gold filled metal in my work.

So, what exactly is gold filled jewelry?

Buying gold filled jewelry is a great alternative to solid gold if cost is an issue. And let’s be honest, it’s almost always an issue for most of us. Gold filled jewelry will give you the look and feel of solid gold for a fraction of the price.

Despite it’s name, gold filled jewelry isn’t actually “filled” with gold. It’s made by using heat and pressure to bond a layer of solid gold to a base metal core such as jeweler’s brass. Secondsister jewelry is 14K gold filled. Some jewelers will use 12K but everything you buy from Secondsister will be 14K. The gold content of each piece is not less than 5%.

This begs the question, what is the difference between gold filled and vermeil and gold plated jewelry?

Neither gold vermeil or plating will have the pure gold content that gold filled does. Vermeil is superior to gold plating. Vermeil is a technique originating in the 19th century, where gold is applied to sterling silver. Gold vermeil is made in a similar style to gold plating but requires a thicker layer of gold. The gold layer must be above 2.5 microns, creating a finish that is five times thicker than average gold plating, and far more durable.

Gold plated jewelry items will require more care to keep brilliant but they are very affordable and they have their place in costume jewelry. As such, you will never find a Secondsister piece that is gold plated. I do occasionally use vermeil beads or other findings, but never gold plated.

Maybe someday I may make a collection from pure gold, but silver has such a rich history intertwined with the type of jewelry I’m interested in that I doubt gold will ever take center stage.

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