SOC Pearls and Rubies!

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pkinnew

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Jan 30, 2014
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No, I'm not receiving kick backs from vendors lol but check out Kojima Pearls SOC and ruby earrings! Stunning!
 
I know! I love my necklace! And I bought a pendant for my sister last year but she didn't like it so I have that too! I haven't worn it yet (she received it for Christmas) so I think I'll try it on a long chain with a turtleneck.
 
pkinnew said:
I know! I love my necklace! And I bought a pendant for my sister last year but she didn't like it so I have that too! I haven't worn it yet (she received it for Christmas) so I think I'll try it on a long chain with a turtleneck.
Click to expand...

I think you have hit on a good plan there :)
 
Gold filled is base metal with a plating (bonded by heat and pressure) of gold that makes up 5% by weight. In other words, it's durable-- not at all like gold electroplating.
 
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Well that's interesting. Does anyone know if "rolled gold" is the same as gold filled?
 
Thank you for the explanation....I'm new to the world of rolled or filled gold. It sounds a little like gold over resin/silicone that some retailers sell. I'd prefer to either have just 14k or sterling in that setting, given the asking price. The earrings are beautiful, for sure...just not sure about the metal.
 
I understand why you would prefer 14K or sterling silver. Who wouldn't?

That said, gold filled is durable for items that are not worn daily, if one needs to keep costs down. I find gold filled wire and findings perfectly acceptable for bead jewelry I make for myself, when I want yellow metal. Vermeil (gold plated over silver) is also fine. I could use 14K but then I would have to make fewer items. This is just a hobby and my wallet has limits. :rolleyes: But when buying ready-made jewelry, I personally would only buy gold filled if it were a handcrafted piece, as this is a common material used by crafters.

I had not heard of gold over resin or gold over silicone until your post, but having Googled it and read a little about it just now, I gather gold filled is sturdier. I don't think I'd want to buy any resin-filled or silicone-filled gold. It would not surprise me if the thickness of the gold were actually thinner than in gold filled.

Here is a page I found from Ross-Simons about gold alternatives:
http://www.ross-simons.com/content/jewelry-resource-center/metals/alternatives-to-gold-jewelry.htm
 
Art Leah points out the difference also involves an intermediate layer between metals, and why, and tells a personal story:

"In gold-filled metal there is an intermediate layer of gold alloy between the gold and the basic metal (which is why it’s called “gold-filled”). This layer is missing in gold-plated metal.

The intermediate layer plays a key role in the durability of the gold look. Gold tends to “diffuse” or mix in with the atoms of other metals. In gold-plate this intermingling happens rather easily, allowing the base metal to rise to the surface and causing the gold look to fade. The intermediate layer in gold-fill, made of a blend of gold and brass, captures and holds atoms in the top gold layer and the bottom brass layer.

This interlocking action makes the gold diffusion process slow and gradual, together with there being more gold to start with! In the long run, the beauty of gold-filled jewelry lasts many years longer, making its higher price more worthwhile.

The lesson of my husband’s cuff links.

When we still lived in Vilnius (Lithuania), I bought my man a set of beautiful cuff links as a gift. They were made from gold-plated silver and inset with rock crystal. He thanked me, put the cuff links back in their box... and never touched them again. Oh, well.

Some years later, already in Israel, I was sorting through things and come across this box. I opened it, and was very surprised to see pure-white cuff links inset with rock crystal. The gold layer had completely disappeared, even though the cuff links had never been worn even once.

So diffusion is unstoppable, no matter how carefully you clean and store your gold-plated jewelry. If you love the color of gold, invest your hard-earned money in gold-filled pieces to avoid disappointment."
http://artleah2010.blogspot.com/2011/12/gold-plated-gold-filled-what-does-it.html#.VMSDNpB0yM8
 
That is so interesting, GemGeek!

But now I have a question: the author of the blog wrote about her husband's cuff links being gold plated silver. Vermeil, then? But I have not seen any loss of gold color from the gold-over-silver clasps of the vintage strands of Majorica I own. I wonder how long it would take for vermeil to turn white?

Edit: I came across this page with illustrations that help one understand gold-filled:
http://artisanplating.com/overview-of-gold-filled-processes/

So having read that I see that rolled gold has less gold than gold-filled.
 
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I used to think that rolled and filled were the same. A while back I read that Gold filled by law has to be at least 1/20 gold where Rolled gold can be less than 5% of the weight ..but both are bonded. The Vermeil , gold over sterling, does has a basic standard to be called Vermeil legally has to be at least 10kt and be 2.5 microns. However the term can be thrown around a bit..I have queried suppliers about the gold layer on their Vermiel beads and been told its 1 micron and they still call it Vermeil . But then they are in Asia and perhaps the law is different. Some suppliers use 3 - 4 microns and I've never had a problem with any of that .. tho it's only been a few years... the beads still look gold.

So perhaps the cufflinks just has a micron of gold and that's why it faded away.
 
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