Gold jewelry definitely can be termed as one of the most desired and sought after one. It has been associated with a powerful social status since the advent of civilization, one of the most expensive metals till today. The captivating attraction of this metal is quite enough to make it a preferred choice of many a million people around the whole world. But still there are some who are a victim of gold adherence but can not afford it. The solution for such devout followers is gold plated jewelry. It has the gold look as it is being layered with gold but is available at a lower price rather quite cheap as compared to the other gold jewelry. This kind of jewelry is only for very occasional use.
Gold plated jewelry is basically a metal base with a coating of gold on its surface. Thin or thick layers of gold are being deposited on the exterior of another metal. This process is executed either through chemical or electro chemical method. Silver and copper are the two widely used metals for this purpose. 10k is the minimum gold weightage required for this purpose Silver and copper, both are able to get transfused into the gold layer so a thick layer of nickel is also applied to keep the breech between the two. But that is not a permanent solution. After span of certain time period, discoloring starts to show off.
Gold plated jewelry is not for a daily based usage. It gets tarnished and fades away quicker and gives in to scaling if not used occasionally. It does not have the capacity to go through the rough wear and tear despite of a much thickened layer of gold. There are some people who are allergic to the nickel so now many jewelers are opting for nickel free gold plating though the guarantee regarding the discoloring is not given at all. It can be the matter of the months and it can take years also. It depends on the quality and thickness of the layering.
All the jewelry items can be gold plated through this procedure so there is an extensive variety and range available of these products. Bangles, earrings, rings, bracelets even wedding sets are gold plated. But you need to be very careful while selecting these items. There are many such products that are not gold plated rather they are being termed as gold washed. A very thin layer (that is 10k gold most of the times) is applied just to give a glistening look like gold. Such jewelry items wear off very quickly. Some jewelers mention it and they are very cheap to buy but there are those jewelers and shops also that sell these items as gold plated and charge more than the worth of the jewelry pieces.
Gold plated jewelry no doubt looks very eye catchy and serves as a cheaper substitute for the real gold jewelry. It is absolutely for the occasional use and requires a lot of care in order to keep its sheen sustained for a longer period of time.
