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What is vermeil?
Vermeil or vermeille (pronounced either ver-meel' or ver-MAY') is gold-plating process developed in France in the mid-1700s. Early-day vermeil involved the use of mercury. Modern-day vermeil is produced by a safe electrolytic process. The inside core is sterling silver and the outside is a coating of gold. Gold plate adheres OK, but not perfectly to silver. Where the plating has not bonded, the silver will tarnish underneath the plating. On the gold-plated surface, this will appear as dark, blotchy spots. The gold-plate will darken over time, and will eventually wear off. On highly decorated surfaces such as Bali beads, the irregular darkening adds an antique effect to the piece. If you are mixing vermeil and gold-filled pieces together, remember that the vermeil will darken, but the gold-filled will not. What exactly is sterling silver jewelry or 925 sterling silver? Silver, even that has been fully work-hardened, gradually recrystallizes and softens at room temperature. To maintain hardness, other metals are added to form alloys that are harder, stronger, and less susceptible to scratching and marring. The best-known copper-silver alloy is sterling, which is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper (hence the name 925 sterling silver). There are countries that use alloys not acceptable to US standards, although are readily imported to our country. What is gold filled jewelry (GF)? Gold filled is a process of pressure bonding a thin layer of gold to a base metal core (usually brass). Gold filled (unlike gold plating) has an actual layer of gold, giving it more value and making it tarnish-resistant |
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