What is the difference between solid gold and gold fill?

Solid gold, gold fill, gold plate, gold vermeil, karat gold - what exactly do these terms mean?

Edited 2/6/2023

And why use one over the other?

What is Solid Gold?

This means that a piece of jewelry is gold through and through. It can be an alloy - meaning 14 karat, 18 karat, etc. And alloy just means that the gold has been mixed or blended with other metals to enhance it’s working properties or create different colors like rose gold or white gold. Sometimes you might hear solid gold referred to as karat gold, meaning that it’s a gold that isn’t 99.99% pure, but an alloy.

Some sellers also use the term solid gold when it comes to bigger, chunkier chains to indicate that the links are solid and not hollow. As gold prices have gone up significantly in the past two decades, many manufacturers have reduced the weight of their larger chains by making them with hollow links. When buying a bigger gold chain, it is worth asking them to be specific in how they define solid gold.

Solid Gold - also the name of my favorite TV show when I was a kid - I wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer when I grew up. Probably would have helped to take dance lessons?

What is Gold Fill?

A thick layer of gold that has been heat bonded to a core of base metal, usually brass. Like in the diagram on this page. With gold fill, the sheet or wire has a layer of gold bonded around the outside, but the ends, as you can see, will still have some base metal exposed on the ends. For some jewelry-wearers, this exposure to brass can cause irritation.

What is Gold Plate?

A thin layer of gold that is electroplated onto the outside of a piece of jewelry, usually covering the whole piece. The underlying metal can be almost anything, steel, brass, copper, etc. Gold plating can and likely will wear away with regular use - especially rings. Additionally, many commercial gold platers will use a layer of nickel in between the sub layer and the gold plating. This is because nickel is a hard substance and gold plating adheres nicely to it and wears better and for a longer time. However, if you are sensitive to nickel, or are unsure, you may want to avoid gold plating as you will be exposed when the gold plating wears off.

What is Gold Vermeil?

Similar to gold plate, with one HUGE exception which is that in order to be called Vermeil, it must be sterling silver underneath the gold plating. Also, the layer of gold plating is typically thicker, with some exceptions. With vermeil, if and when the gold plating wears away, you still have a piece that is solid sterling underneath. Gold vermeil may or may not have a layer of nickel in between the gold plating and the silver. Be sure to ask your jeweler beforehand.

Why pick solid gold over gold fill or gold plate?

Folks who know my jewelry well might be wondering why I, as a designer, only use solid or karat gold and not gold fill, plate or vermeil.

Lots of reasons. I always have lots of reasons.

Can base metals cause skin reactions and allergic reactions?

The irritation that some jewelry-wearers get from brass? Me. I am one of those jewelry-wearers. Because of this, wearing gold fill irritates my piercings. That is reason enough for me not to use any base metals, that way I can wear everything that I make without worrying. I am also very allergic to nickel and get a rash, yet another reason why I can’t play around with gold plated jewelry.

Why do jewelers pick solid gold over gold fill?

Working with gold fill is kind of fussy and as a material there are things that you just can’t do with it the way that you can with gold. For instance, to create some textures, that involves scratching the surface deeply to create that pattern, and if you did that to gold fill, it would expose the base metal underneath.

Gold fill can also be very finicky in the soldering process. One small misstep and you have to polish off discoloration from the soldering, which can remove too much gold and expose the base metal underneath.

Is gold fill recyclable?

I love being able to melt down and recycled metals on my own, and gold fill and plated jewelry typically needs to be refined by professionals. This is a longer process and often doesn’t result in much return on the materials. Additionally, I am mindful of the materials that I use - sourcing my stones carefully, finding recycled and Fairmined metals, and I have some concerns about the potential to waste gold when it is used only for plating.

Do gold fill and gold plated jewelry have as much longevity as solid gold?

When you consider that a solid gold piece can last you a lifetime, but that gold fill and gold plate can wear away, then believe it or not, solid gold becomes a better buy over the course of time.

If you consider that a gold plated piece will either need replating or will be discarded once the gold plating wears away, then the lifetime cost of owning gold plated jewelry goes up in price. A piece of jewelry that is gold-plated over a base metal will likely lose its gold plating and will A) discolor the whole piece, B) require replating, thereby adding to the cost of the piece or C) reveal the base metal underneath and could cause irritation.

Are you a jewelry designer trying to figure out which material to work with? Or a jewelry lover who needs guidance when shopping for jewelry? Pop your questions and comments below and I will answer!

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