Solid Gold
Solid gold jewellery is the highest in price and purity. Solid gold’s value comes from its radiant color and shine. It is also highly valued because it doesn’t tarnish or fade with time. Often gold is made into an alloy by mixing it with other metals in order to create a stronger metal like 9K, 14K, 21K and 24K as pure gold is too soft and mutable to be used for everyday jewellery. These alloys are often cheaper than pure gold as the carat (the measure of the purity of the gold) decreases. However, these alloys retain the desirable properties that jewellery wearers desire of pure solid gold- its shine, color, and inability to tarnish- all while creating a more practical metal for jewellery.
Gold Plated/ Vermeil
Gold Plated jewellery is the best option for wearers who are jewellery obsessed but need to stay in a budget (pretty much everyone out there). It gives the impression of luxury while not causing you to break the bank every time you like to purchase jewellery. Gold plated jewellery is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit and bond a thin layer of gold over another metal. This process creates a layer as thin as 1/1000 to 3/1000 of an inch of gold over a more affordable metal, usually silver or copper. Vermeil is a name for a more resistant gold plating on 925 sterling silver jewellery.
