Buying Guide
Sterling Silver, Vermeil and Gold Plated: What the Words Mean
Sterling silver is solid metal — 92.5% silver, marked 925. Gold vermeil has a legal definition in the US: a sterling silver base with at least 2.5 microns of at least 10K gold. Gold plated means a gold layer over some base metal with no guaranteed thickness. Gold filled is a thicker mechanically bonded layer, at least 5% gold by weight. Only the first is solid metal throughout — every plated finish wears.
These four terms describe genuinely different things, but only some of them are legally defined, which is why the others get used loosely. Knowing which is which tells you what will happen to a piece over a few years.
Sterling silver
An alloy: 92.5% pure silver with the remaining 7.5% usually copper, which is what makes it hard enough to work with — pure silver is too soft for jewellery. The 925 stamp refers to that ratio.
It is solid metal throughout, so there is no layer to wear off. Its one characteristic is tarnish: silver reacts with sulphur compounds in the air to form a dark surface film. This is reversible with a polishing cloth and is not a defect or a sign of low quality — it is what silver does.
Gold vermeil
The one with a definition you can hold a seller to. In the US, the FTC requires three things simultaneously for a piece to be called vermeil: the base must be sterling silver, the gold layer must be at least 2.5 microns thick, and the gold must be at least 10 karat.
That thickness requirement is the whole point. It is several times what ordinary electroplating deposits, which is why vermeil holds its colour for years of regular wear rather than months. If a piece is described as vermeil and the seller can't tell you the micron thickness and karat, treat the word with suspicion.
Gold plated
A gold layer applied over a base metal. Unlike vermeil, the term carries no guarantee about how thick the layer is or what sits underneath — it might be sterling silver, it might be brass or a nickel alloy.
Two questions therefore determine what you are getting. What is the base metal, which matters both for durability and for skin sensitivity? And how thick is the layer, which determines how long the colour lasts? A thin plate over brass is a fundamentally different product from a thick plate over sterling silver, and both are sold as gold plated.
Revoulou's gold colorway is 18K gold plated over sterling silver, so the base metal question is answered and the pieces are nickel-free. Plating remains a surface layer on any piece, ours included, and wears at contact points over time.
Gold filled
A different process, not simply a thicker plate. A layer of gold is mechanically bonded to a base metal under heat and pressure, and US rules require the gold to be at least 5% of the item's total weight — considerably more gold than plating. It is durable and correspondingly less common, appearing most often in chains.
| Gold content | Base | Regulated? | Longevity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling silver | None — solid silver alloy | Solid throughout | 925 standard | Permanent; tarnishes reversibly |
| Gold vermeil | At least 2.5 microns, 10K+ | Sterling silver, required | Yes (US FTC) | Years of regular wear |
| Gold plated | No minimum | Any — ask | No thickness rule | Months to years; varies widely |
| Gold filled | At least 5% of total weight | Usually brass | Yes (US) | Very long |
What to ask before buying
For anything gold-toned that isn't solid gold, two questions settle it: what is underneath, and how thick is the gold? A seller who can answer both is describing a real specification. One who can only say gold plated is describing a colour.
And for anyone with metal sensitivity, the base matters more than the plating, because plating is what wears through. Sterling silver and nickel-free bases are the ones to look for.
