What is gold filled jewellery and how does it compare to gold plated and solid gold?
These are the definitions:
Gold filled is also known as ‘rolled gold’ or ‘gold bonded’,. It’s made by mechanically bonding a layer of gold to a layer of base metal (usually brass). The gold is then bonded to the surface of the brass using heat and pressure. The bond made is permanent and so the gold won’t flake, peel or fall off the core.
I use gold filled items in my designs because they are higher quality than gold plated, but are much more affordable than solid gold. For example, the total weight of any gold filled item has to contain 5% (or 1/20) of gold, by law whereas, gold plated items usually contains only 0.05% gold.
In fact, the quality of gold filled items is so good that, unlike gold plated items, they can last a lifetime if taken care of properly. Gold filled items are also tarnish-free under normal conditions*, and unaffected by humidity and temperature.
Caring for gold filled jewellery
Cleaning your gold filled jewellery is very simple, but take care not to use anything that might scratch the surface. You can use either of the following methods to keep the gold filled jewellery clean and shiny:
1. Gently clean with mild soapy water and a soft toothbrush: This method will remove and marks and fingerprints and leave a bright and shiny finish.
2. Gently polish to a shine with a soft cotton cloth: Any clean and soft cotton cloth is perfect to polish your gold filled creations to a shiny finish. The cloth provided with your Robin and Wren Jewellery is ideal. Take care though: some cloths contain chemicals that are not recommended on gold filled jewellery, so check that they are suitable.
You'll find gold filled beads in a number of my more recent earring designs, adding a touch of luxury at an affordable price...
