What Is Gold Filled Jewelry Made Of

The core metal is jewelers brass.

What is gold filled jewelry made of.

Gold filled jewelry is not solid gold. The related terms rolled gold plate and gold overlay may legally be used in some contexts if the layer of gold constitutes less than 5 of the item s weight. Gold plated jewelry is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit and bond a very thin layer of gold over another metal. Electroplating gold onto jewelry is more complex than the method for making rolled gold and gold filled.

Gold filled jewelry is made by wrapping a very thin sheet of gold around a base made of another material such as nickel or brass. Heat is used to attach the gold coating on top of the non gold core. Also the base metal used for gold filled items is often a gold alloy. 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.

Gold filled is constructed in two or three layers. Unlike plated aka electroplated or dipped metals gold filled is legally required to contain 5 or 1 20 gold by weight. The most common method of gold plating is electroplating. A gold alloy is then bonded to one or both surfaces of the brass core with heat and pressure.

For most gold plating a microscopic layer of gold is adhered to a base metal using an electric current. It contains more gold as the gold coating is quite thick. Gold filled jewelry is jewelry composed of a solid layer of gold typically constituting at least 5 of the item s total weight mechanically bonded to a base of either sterling silver or some base metal. The term gold filled is used to describe a piece that is made of a non gold metal covered with a thick layer of gold.