What you should know when buying gold jewelry.
How long your gold jewelry will keep its color depends on what kind of gold is being used. Here are the various kinds from the least expensive to the most.
Gold Plated – The gold content is usually less than 1%. The piece is base metal and is quickly dipped in a gold bath. Most fashion jewelry is gold-plated, is the least expensive and is often quick to fade when washed, rinsed, or rubbed too hard.
Vermeil – is made from a base of Sterling Silver that is coated or plated on its surfaces with gold that is at least 2.5 microns thick. The gold is “painted†or “flash dippedâ€.  The gold on Vermeil jewelry is applied by an electroplating process, which with time and wear will often eventually fade and disappear.
Gold Filled – is brass base and goes through a pressure and heat bonding process. By law, gold filled jewelry must contain 5% gold by weight which means the gold coating is generally much thicker than that of Vermeil or plated jewelry and will last longer due to the more durable manufacturing process. Gold filled is more expensive, due to the complex & time consuming process of heat & pressure bonding, but is the better choice due to its quality and longevity. If Gold filled jewelry becomes tarnished it can be washed in mild soapy water or with a polishing cloth.
Gold Overlay – by Los Angeles based company “Goddess of the Realm†is produced by applying an average of 20 to 30 mils of 24kt gold onto the surface of high quality brass based chain, charms and components utilizing an advanced acid gold Electro-Depositing process.
Gold Overlay jewelry is finished with an acid gold application that is 5-7 times the thickness of basic decorative (cyanide) gold electroplated technique used in costume jewelry and has excellent long term wearing qualities. Acid gold is a harder gold plating formula which produces a durable finish and was pioneered by the electronics industry. This is probably the finest alternative to solid 14kt jewelry.
Gold – in its most pure form (24k) is soft and too weak to work with. Because of this, alloys are added to create a more structurally sound metal when mixed together. 14k means that there are 14 parts pure gold to 10 parts other alloys. This is the most expensive and the most durable of the ways you can purchase gold jewelry.
The gold pieces used in Amasor jewelry are exclusively created with gold-filled wire. Chains and findings used are are either gold-filled or gold overlay. On occasion gold plated pieces are used when the gold applied is more that 2.5 microns. Amasor jewelry philosophy is to use the the best materials that will wear and stand the test of time.