Flash Plating

very thin layer of gold - 0.175 micron
poor quality of base material
will fade after few wears only
may irritate sensitive skin


Gold Plated

thin layer of gold - 0.5 micron
won't last long
will fade eventually
may irritate sensitive skin


Gold Plating (PVD)

thick layer of gold - 1 to 5 microns
stainless steel base
color will last for at least a year
good for all skin types – hypoallergenic


Gold Filled

5% solid 14K gold
brass base
color will last for at least a year
good for all skin types - hypoallergenic


Gold Plated

Our pieces of jewelry are made of stainless steel with PVD gold coatings, an eco-friendly coating process that produces a beautiful and durable gold finish.

What is gold plating?

Gold plating is used in the manufacture of jewelry and it is a process in which a layer of gold is bonded to a base metal. The thickness of gold plating on jewellery is noted in microns (or micro-meters). To be considered gold plated, the gold layer should measure at least 0.5 microns. The thickness of the gold layer determines how long the gold plating will last with usage.


What are the different qualities of gold plating?

Flash Plating
Very thin layer of gold (<0.5 micron), often applied on a cheap material.
This is the lowest quality of plating available.
The layer of gold will tarnish after only few wears.

Gold plating / Electroplating
The gold layer measures at least 0.5 micron.
The layer of gold will tarnish eventually but will last significantly longer than flash plating.


What is Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)?

Physical Vapor Deposition, or PVD, describes a variety of vacuum deposition methods which produce gold coating that utilizes titanium nitride providing an extremely durable coating.
PVD coatings are more resistant to corrosion from sweat and regular wear than gold plating.


What is the Difference between Gold Plating and Gold Coating (PVD)?


PVD coating and traditional gold plating are similar, both belong to the category of surface treatment, both cover the surface of a material with a layer of gold. The difference between the two is that PVD coating film layer and the surface of the workpiece have higher binding force, higher hardness of the film layer, better wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and a more stable performance of the film layer than gold plating.Also, PVD coating does not produce toxic or polluting substances.


Benefits of PVD Coatings:

𖤓 10x thicker than a regular gold plating
𖤓 Environmentally friendly
𖤓 Waterproof, color will last at least one year
𖤓 Allergy Friendly
𖤓 Durable and corrosion resistant
𖤓 Longer lifetime than other gold plating methods
𖤓 Harder and more corrosion-resistant than gold plating

Note, luxury brands such as Rolex and Cartier use the same process. A real gold PVD coating uses actual gold (18K) where PVD gold colour is simply yellow gold colouring.


What is gold filled jewelry?

Unlike gold plated jewelry, gold filled jewelry has a much thicker layer of gold over a base of brass.
The layer of gold is not measured in thickness but instead in weight and it must contribute at least 5% to the item’s total weight. This makes a big difference in terms of the ability to resist wear and tear long term.


As point of reference, we generally use 18K gold PVD coating over a base of Stainless Steel on our jewelry, and our gold filled pieces have 5% of solid 14K gold over a base of brass.