Rolled Gold, Gold Fill v Gold Plated and Gold Vermeil

Rolled Gold & Gold Fill.

Gold filled aka rolled gold, gold vermeil and gold plated are all different categories of gold finish and vary in very important ways.  Each type has a gold layer on the surface, so it’s easy to confuse them but we mostly use and always prefer rolled gold also known as gold fill for the following reasons

Rolled gold was first created in England in the 19th century.

It is made by fusing thin sheets of 9ct to18ct gold either side of a base metal, usually silver. The metals are heat bonded then rolled into flat sheets.

Unlike gold plated jewellery or gold vermeil, rolled gold has around 100 times more gold content and it is the fusing method as opposed to the plating method that also makes the difference in the quality.

All Badger's Velvet rolled gold / gold-filled pieces have the same appearance as high carat gold and even with daily wear should last a lifetime. Many of our re-purposed pieces of rolled gold are already over 100 years old.

Despite gold plated jewellery being more commonly known we do not use it as the lack of gold in its composition makes it far less durable, wearing off over time revealing the metal beneath.

Maintenance

Contemporary 14k gold-fill may tarnish if exposed to too much salt, or chemicals, however it can be easily cleaned with a cloth and warm soapy water or a specialist gold cloth.

Gold plated v Gold vermeil

Gold Vermeil contains a significantly high amount of gold and has a thicker layer applied than standard gold plating. But both types are plated not fused, meaning the gold is added on top of a base metal.

Gold plated jewellery will be made from a cheaper base metal too,  ie aluminium or brass,  Gold Vermeil is always gold plated onto sterling or pure Silver but the gold layer is added after the piece is finished in both types.