Everything You Want To Know On Gold-Plated Jewelry: Gold-Plated FAQ
Gaya necklace with Horace choker
Gold-plated jewelry has been gaining popularity over the years and has now reached its peak, where it’s more popular than gold jewelry. Why? Because we perfected the gold plating with modern techniques that enable the thick gold layer to stay on the surface for a lot longer than before. The best part? You get to wear that irresistible golden shine at a fraction of the price of solid gold jewelry.
Is Gold-Plated Jewelry Worth Buying?
If you are wondering whether gold-plated jewelry is worth buying, it definitely is. It allows you to stock on beautiful pieces and show your style without breaking the bank.
However, when wondering how durable is gold-plated jewelry, it is important to do some research on where you’re buying your gold-plated pieces.
How gold-plated jewelry is made will determine how much you wear it, its quality and whether that gold-plated jewelry will make your skin green or not.
Learn How Gold-Plated Jewelry Is Made
At Agapé Studio, we craft our gold-plated jewelry with utmost care at each step of the process. You can read all about our creation process here, but here is a little summary of our approach.
What is Under Gold-Plated Jewelry?
- We 3D model our ideas and turn them into a hypoallergenic brass base.
- Then, the allergy-free brass surface is prepared by cleaning any dirt, rust, or oil.
- We polish the surface with ultrasonic bathing and solvents so that it takes on the golden layers.
- An alkaline tube is required to give brass its consistency and longevity.
- We apply a 3-micron gold layer - a thick layer of gold that adapts to every surface and ensures longevity.
- We rinse and dry each gold-plated piece and give the gold time to adapt to the surface.
The reason why our process is complex is that we want to provide you with the most long-lasting jewelry on the market. If you are wondering, can gold-plated jewelry rust, the answer is yes if the gold plating is too thin or you aren’t taking proper care of it as we’ll discuss below in this text.
Namely, always look for gold-plated jewelry that has more than 1 micron of plating gold. At Agapé, we use 3 microns of gold in order to avoid tarnishing and fading of the gold too soon.
Can Gold-Plated Jewelry Be Replated?
Gold-plated jewelry can be replated once the plating wears off. Many people wonder can gold plated jewelry fade. The answer is yes, gold-plated jewelry is known to tarnish when you’re not taking proper care of it.
Once your gold-plated jewelry shows signs of wear and tear, take it to a jewelry store and get it replated. At Agapé, we offer a 2-year warranty with all our pieces because we are confident in our process and quality.
Can You Fix Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Gold-plated jewelry can be fixed by a professional. To avoid premature tarnishing and fading of this type of jewelry, here are some steps on how to prolong its longevity, and you can read the full article on cleaning gold-plated jewelry here.
- Don’t wear it when showering or swimming in a pool or saltwater
- When wearing gold-plated jewelry, don’t spray perfume directly on it, and wear it away from makeup.
Can You Shower With Gold-Plated Jewelry?
We don’t recommend showering with gold-plated jewelry. The soap and the hard water residue may eat into the gold plating and cause your jewelry to tarnish. Also, when asked can you swim with gold-plated jewelry, we often advise our readers not to wear gold-plated jewelry in water because the chemicals from the pool water or the salt water will make the gold not shine anymore.
Does Gold-Plated Jewelry Make Your Skin Green?
Gold-plated jewelry can make your skin green if it’s made of copper. Once the gold plating wears off, the copper oxidizes in contact with your skin and turns it green. This is where a lot of allergies can appear too.
To prevent this, at Agapé, we use a hypoallergenic brass base that doesn’t cause any skin reactions. Additionally, we plate our jewelry with 3 microns of gold. A thick gold layer that stands firmly against the elements.
How To Clean Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Arielle ring, Dea necklace, Anatole II ring, Ethel ring
Cleaning gold-plated jewelry is easy if you do it regularly. We recommend cleaning it weekly if you tend to wear it daily. Here are some common questions we get on the best way to clean gold-plated jewelry.
Can You Clean Gold-Plated Jewelry With Alcohol?
Gold-plated jewelry worn regularly can become dull and lose its shine even before the gold plating wears off. Some rubbing alcohol can help restore gold-plated jewelry’s shine, but we don’t recommend it too often because it might wear off the plating. Especially if you are polishing your pieces too much.
Here’s an alternative to using alcohol to clean your gold-plated jewelry.
- Mix lukewarm water with mild dish soap in a small bowl and soak your gold-plated jewelry until the build-up starts coming off. Don’t use antibacterial soap because these chemicals are too strong for the plating and might cause it to tarnish further. Use a soft cloth to pat dry it.
Can You Clean Gold-Plated Jewelry With Baking Soda?
Marguerite ring, Zita ring, Palma ring
Yes, you can use baking soda to clean gold-plated jewelry. Here’s an easy recipe that will gently clean your gold-plated jewelry and restore its shine.
- Line a glass bowl with aluminum foil. The shiny side of the foil should be on top in contact with the jewelry.
- Add one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of baking soda to the bowl.
- The amount of water should be enough to dissolve both powders and fully submerge your gold-plated jewelry.
- Place all pieces in this solution and leave them for 5 minutes at a time. If your jewelry is severely tarnished, you can leave it inside for up to 15 minutes or until flakes start floating on the surface.
- These flakes are the sulfur that caused the oxidation of the gold layer, and they will be attracted to the foil, floating away from the jewelry.
- Once most of the tarnish has been removed, rub all pieces clean with a soft toothbrush.
- After the gentle scrubbing, wash each piece with lukewarm water and use a soft, lint-free cloth to pat dry.
You can read more about this recipe and other tips here.
Can You Use Jewelry Cleaner on Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Alceste bracelet with Gorgia ring, Thadée ring, and Zéphir ring
You can use jewelry cleaner or gold-plated jewelry, but we don’t recommend it. Using strong chemicals when polishing gold-plated jewelry can cause the layer of gold to wear away more quickly. When polishing, use a lint-free cloth dampened with a gentle, all-natural polishing liquid.
Does Clear Nail Polish Protect Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Clean nail polish can protect fake jewelry, but we don’t recommend it for gold-plated jewelry. It can damage the shine of the gold plating as the nail polish gets peeled off too.
Can You Sleep With Gold-Plated Jewelry?
Roméo bracelet, Paolina ring, Calypso II ring
No, you should not sleep with gold-plated jewelry. In fact, it is not recommended that you sleep with any jewelry on. Not only will this cause the shine to fade more quickly but it can also be dangerous for your well-being.
Gold-Plated Jewelry FAQ | Conclusion
We hope this article was helpful and we answered all your questions regarding gold-plated jewelry. By following these tips, you can prolong its life and wear your jewelry for a long, long time. Stay tuned for part two, until then, take a look at our latest gold-plated collections here.