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Technical Terms
What is Vermeil?
Vermeil is a French
word long used to designate a silver, bronze or coppery object plated with
gold. Today the term is used in commerce simply to describe gold plating
on sterling silver. Gilding, the predecessor of plating, was introduced
in Europe during the Roman period and retained its importance until the
introduction of electro-plating in the mid-19th century.
What is Gold-plated?
Also referred to as electroplating. A solution containing gold particles
and disodium phosphate (the electrolyte) is placed in a metal tank. This
tank becomes the anode (or negative). The item to be plated is suspended
from a rod and becomes the cathode (positive). The rod is put in the solution.
So now we have a positive, a negative and the electrolyte all together.
A charge of electric current passes thru the solution creating an ionic
exchange and the gold particles pass from the solution to the item and it
is gold.
What is Gold-filled?
A thin layer of 12kt or 14kt gold is fused
and soldered to a base metal, usually brass. 1/20 of the total weight of
the metal is real karat gold. What actually comes in contact with the skin
is karat gold.
What is Silver-filled?
A thin layer of sterling silver is fused
and soldered to a base metal, usually brass. 1/10 of the total weight of
the metal is real sterling silver. What comes into contact with the skin is real silver.
What is Sterling Silver?
An alloy of 92.5% pure silver and
usually 7.5% copper. Pure silver is too soft for most uses and needs to
be combined with another metal. It is the copper in sterling that causes
it to tarnish.
Sue's jewelry
EAR WIRES - sterling silver or gold-filled
EAR POSTS - sterling silver
CHAIN - primarily sterling silver or gold vermeil. A few designs use silver or gold plated chains. a few others use gold-filled.
CABLES - sterling
PEARLS perfectly round white - glass
irregular shaped - freshwater
NICKEL FREE - ALL of the components in Sue's jewelry are nickel free with the exception of the clasp portion of the brooches
.