Wear and care
Gold-plated, vermeil, gold-filled: what the words mean
What is the difference between gold-plated, vermeil and gold-filled? Each puts gold on top of another metal, in very different amounts. The best-known definitions come from the US Federal Trade Commission. Vermeil needs sterling silver under at least 2.5 micrometres of gold. In gold-filled jewellery, gold makes up at least one twentieth of the weight. We found no Swiss minimum thickness for gold-plated. How long a layer lasts depends on its thickness and on how you wear it.
In short
What is the difference between gold-plated, vermeil and gold-filled? Each puts gold on top of another metal, in very different amounts. The best-known definitions come from the US Federal Trade Commission. Vermeil needs sterling silver under at least 2.5 micrometres of gold. In gold-filled jewellery, gold makes up at least one twentieth of the weight. We found no Swiss minimum thickness for gold-plated. How long a layer lasts depends on its thickness and on how you wear it.
Perhaps you are on the sofa tonight with three shops open on your phone. Each one puts a different word under its earrings, and the prices are miles apart. Here is what the words stand for, and what is on record.
What does gold-plated mean?
Gold-plated means another metal carries a layer of gold. Usually that layer is applied by electroplating, in a bath with an electric current. Underneath there may be silver or a base metal such as brass.
The FTC sorts plating by thickness in its jewellery guides. A layer of at least 10 karat gold counts as gold electroplate from about 0.175 micrometres of fine gold, and as heavy gold electroplate from 2.5 micrometres (paraphrased from 16 CFR § 23.3). These rules apply in the US, yet they show how wide the range behind one word can be.
In Switzerland, the precious metals control law also covers goods plated with precious metal, according to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security. We found no minimum thickness for gold-plated in Swiss law. If you want to know, ask the seller for the layer thickness in micrometres.
What is vermeil?
Vermeil is gold-plated sterling silver with a minimum thickness. Under the FTC guides, the base has to be sterling silver, and all significant surfaces carry gold or gold alloy of at least 10 karat. The layer has to be equivalent to at least 2.5 micrometres of fine gold throughout (paraphrased from 16 CFR § 23.4).
So vermeil has silver under the gold, and the gold is at least as thick as what the FTC calls heavy electroplate. It is an American term too, and we know of no Swiss definition for it.
What does gold-filled mean?
In gold-filled jewellery, the gold is bonded mechanically to the metal beneath it, instead of being electroplated. Under the FTC guides, a piece may be called gold-filled when the gold makes up at least one twentieth of the weight of all the metal in the piece (paraphrased from 16 CFR § 23.3). At one fortieth or more, the guides call it gold plate. With rolled gold plate, the fraction belongs in the name, so you can see the gold content.
Because the amount is set by weight, gold-filled usually carries more gold than an electroplated layer. What lies underneath is something the term alone does not tell you.
What about solid gold, and what does karat tell you?
Solid gold is a gold alloy all the way through. The karat number says how much fine gold that alloy contains. On a plated piece, a karat number only describes what the layer is made of. It says nothing about how thick the layer is, so on its own it tells you little about plated jewellery.
And rhodium-plated?
Rhodium-plated means a thin layer of rhodium sits on the metal, usually on silver. Rhodium belongs to the platinum group of metals and gives silver a bright, cool shine. Rhodium plating stays bright, while bare silver may darken over time. Here too, the metal underneath shows where the layer rubs off.
All the terms compared
| Term | Underneath | On top | FTC minimum | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold-plated (gold electroplate) | any metal, for example silver or brass | electroplated gold, at least 10 karat | about 0.175 micrometres of fine gold | no minimum thickness known |
| Vermeil | sterling silver | gold, at least 10 karat | 2.5 micrometres of fine gold | no definition of its own known |
| Gold-filled | another metal | mechanically bonded gold | one twentieth of the metal weight | no definition of its own known |
| Rhodium-plated | usually silver | rhodium | none named in these guides | no rule known |
| Solid gold | nothing else | nothing, the piece is gold alloy | karat gives the gold content | fineness in thousandths and a responsibility mark |
How long does each one last?
There is no reliable number. Lifespan figures come almost entirely from sellers, and we found no independent test. Only the direction is clear. A thicker layer has more gold to wear away before the metal underneath shows.
How quickly that happens depends on how you wear it. Friction from collars, scarves and hair wears the surface down, and perfume and cream attack it. Chlorine and salt water are hard on silver, which is why you take silver out before swimming, as Swimming and showering with earrings in explains. An earring usually has an easier life than a ring that rubs against door handles and keyboards all day.
What shows through depends on the metal beneath. On gold-plated silver it is silver, and that can darken like any bare silver. Caring for sterling silver when you sweat a lot covers silver care in full. For gold plating, one sentence is enough. It only wants a soft, dry cloth, because polishing cloths and pastes rub the gold away.
What Baqless is made of
At Baqless the layer on the head sits on sterling silver 925, gold plating or rhodium depending on the model, and the product page tells you which. Every layer wears with time, and on the head it is silver that then shows through. Post and anchor carry a rhodium layer on every pair, even on pairs with a golden head. That wear is normal, and our guarantee does not cover it. You can report a fault within two years from delivery with a photo, and your statutory rights remain.
Each pair is held by an anchor in the post, there is no back, and Backless earrings shows how that works. Two shapes come in both finishes, so you can see the difference on the same design:
- Honesty Floral Gold Stud, clover with cubic zirconia, gold-plated, CHF 94
- Honesty Floral Silver Stud, clover with cubic zirconia, rhodium-plated, CHF 94
- Embrace Onyx Gold Hoop with a row of black stones, gold-plated, CHF 108
- Embrace Onyx Silver Hoop with a row of black stones, rhodium-plated, CHF 108
The collections Gold-plated and Silver have more shapes. If you are still deciding on a colour, read Gold or silver: which earrings suit you.
Keep reading
Questions
Does gold-plated silver tarnish?
As long as the gold layer is intact, you see gold. Where it wears thin, silver comes through, and that can darken over time like bare silver. It is happiest stored dry in its tin.
Can earrings be replated?
Many goldsmiths replate jewellery. Whether it is worth it for a small pair is best settled with them beforehand, with the piece in your hand.
Is vermeil better than gold-plated?
By the FTC measure, vermeil has more gold, with silver underneath. That points to a longer life, but it does not guarantee one. And vermeil is an American term, with no Swiss definition that we know of.
What does 925 mean?
925 thousandths of the metal are silver, which is sterling silver. In Switzerland, precious metal goods need a legal fineness in thousandths and a responsibility mark, according to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security.
Can I clean gold plating with a silver polishing cloth?
Better not, because cloths and pastes made for silver wear the gold layer down. A soft, dry cloth is all it needs.
Last checked on 13 November 2026.
