Does Jeweller's Loupe sell vermeil/gold-plated jewellery?
Here, at Jeweller’s Loupe we only create jewellery that is made from 100% sustainable precious metals - Fairtrade silver, Fairtrade gold and recycled platinum.
We NEVER use vermeil/ gold-plated metals.
Why?
Because using 100% ethically-sourced precious metal means that your jewellery is:
- hardwearing and won’t tarnish, fade or ‘peel’
- longer lasting so worth the investment
- robust and does not need removing for washing
- sustainably sourced so better for the planet
What is vermeil/gold-plated jewellery?
If you’ve ever bought jewellery (not from us!) that after a few wears becomes dull, faded, tarnished or begins to change colour - it will be vermeil/ gold-plated jewellery.
Gold-plating is a common method of making jewellery. It uses cheap, non-precious metal like copper or pewter as the base metal. Then, it is coated with a thin layer of plating. This thin layer is easily worn away and often leaves you with green skin.
Vermeil jewellery uses silver as its base metal which is more hypoallergenic and it has a thicker layer of plating than standard gold-plating. You will often see 'vermeil' sold online and in stores that sell fine jewellery. However, it can be easy to be fooled by its fancy name. Although vermeil will last slightly longer than gold-plated jewellery, it is still a coated metal and so will fade and change colour over time.
What are you paying for with vermeil and gold-plated jewellery?
In terms of manufacturing, non-precious metals are very cheap, soft metals. Prices can start from around £3 per ring. The plating process itself then costs around £1 - £2. So the total sum of your jewellery piece to be made could be as little as £4 or £5. Everything on top of this is a mark-up price from the seller.
The verdict
Like with any purchase, the price-tag plays an important role when it comes to buying new jewellery. It is easy to choose the cheaper option and sometimes this is the best decision for the purpose of your jewellery piece.
However, if you are looking for a durable, beautiful jewellery piece that will remain sparkling forever, make sure to look for 100% precious metal jewellery and avoid vermeil/ gold-plated.
As you may know, we’re unprepared to compromise on our JL quality for a cheap deal. We know that all our jewellery has been consciously and properly created so it will last you a lifetime. We believe in heirlooms, not fast fashion.
For tips on how to look after your Jeweller’s Loupe jewellery, please click here.
