What does 18k gold plated mean?

There is no doubt that women love jewelry, but today also more and more men decide to wear for example gold bracelets of different kinds. The choice is really great, so everyone can get themselves a piece of nice jewelry that will match their style and price range. However, for centuries gold accessories have been appreciated the most, and nowadays golden rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets are still very popular among customers around the world. But all those products offered by sellers has different assays, and most of us do not realize what they mean. That is why, we have decided to answer the very common question, constantly asked by buyers, which is: what does 18k gold plated mean?

8.5mm GLD Link Chain in Yellow Gold

Gold jewelry – what should you know about it?

When you are watching news and some kind of experts start the discussion about the prices of gold, they mean the pure elemental gold. But unfortunately, such pure gold cannot be really used to create the jewelry we love so much. That is mainly because such jewelry wouldn’t be good in daily use. Different pieces of jewelry made of pure gold would probably lose their shapes all the time, and what is worse, the stones set in them could get loose and fall out. That is why, people responsible for creating jewelry have decide to use gold alloys.

So, what is an alloy then? It is a combination of two metals, which are firstly melt down and then mixed together. In case of gold, its alloy is created by mixing pure gold with other metals, like silver, tin or copper. And as a matter of fact, almost all jewelry available for sale today is created from gold alloys. So if you decide to buy golden ring, 18k gold plated chains, or some kind of bracelet, you may be sure that it is made of gold alloy as well. But you definitely shouldn’t think about it as a flaw! Such jewelry is still valuable and beautiful, which is the most important matter.

Iced Ball Chain in White Gold

18k gold plated jewelry – what is it?

When you want to buy some Cuban link chains and you see that they are marked as a 18k gold plated, you probably wonder what it means. Well, gold plated jewelry is not made of gold actually. The base metal in that situation is usually a copper or silver, which are much more affordable than any gold alloys. However, gold plated jewelry is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit a very thin layer of gold over that other base metal. The very important thing about this process is that we can create a golden layer as thin as 1/1000 to 3/1000 of an inch.

But you may still not be sure what does 18k gold plated mean exactly? This kind of assay indicates how much pure gold such piece of jewelry contains. So when you buy 18 karat gold plated ring, chains, necklace or bracelet, it means that the golden layer which covers it contains 75% of pure gold. Of course, you must realise that the layer is really thin, so the fact that there is a lot of pure gold in it, does not dramatically increase its value. However, if someone would ask: is 18k gold plated real gold? The answer is: yes, there is real gold on such jewelry, even if it’s just a thin layer of it.

Franco Chain (6mm)

Is 18 karat gold plated jewelry worth buying?

There is no doubt that the moment you have read that gold plated jewelry is not made of gold, you’ve started to wonder if it’s worth buying. Of course it depends on your personal needs and expectations. If you want to invest in jewelry some sum of money, you should obviously look for more valuable pieces, made of gold alloys. But for people who just love to wear golden accessories and do not care about their actual value, gold plated earrings, bracelets and necklaces will be just perfect. Especially that they do not cost much and thanks to that you can buy more of them.

Is 18k gold plated real thing? Who cares, when such jewelry looks incredible and is really affordable, so you may easily fill your drawers with it. The best quality accessories of that kind give impression of pure luxury, so if you love golden jewelry, like earrings or bracelets, it may be the perfect choice. What’s more it can also be a nice gift for a dear friend or member of family who also like to complete their outfit with great looking jewelry.

When it comes to jewelry, your own taste and needs are the most important things. Some people cannot imagine wearing cheaper accessories, even if they do look incredible. While others do not care too much about the quality and high prices of the jewelry they buy. If you want to own a lot of different pieces of golden jewelry, but do not have big sums of money on your bank account, nice looking golden plated products of that kind will be just perfect.

Of course, gold plating has some downsides, which you should be aware of. The golden layer covering the metal tend to fade and tarnish after a while. However, there are some ways to prolong the perfect look of such jewelry, so it can still fulfill its role for a very long time. And customers should also remember that gold plated accessories are made of very durable materials, like copper and silver mentioned before, which means that such pieces of jewelry are also quite resistant.