A gold-plated necklace is a small piece of electrochemistry you can wear. Underneath the gleam is usually brass — an affordable copper-zinc alloy — transformed by a process that deposits real gold, atom by atom, onto its surface. Here is exactly how it is done.
What is brass, and why is it used as a base?
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It has three qualities that make it the workhorse of fashion jewellery: it is inexpensive, it casts and stamps into detailed shapes beautifully, and it takes plating well. Its warm yellow tone also means that as plating slowly wears over years, what shows through is a similar colour rather than a jarring grey.
What does gold-plated jewellery look like inside?
A cross-section of a typical gold-plated piece has three layers:
The barrier layer matters more than most people realise: without it, copper atoms slowly diffuse into the thin gold layer and dull it. (Nickel is the traditional barrier; if you have sensitive skin, look for nickel-free or palladium-barrier pieces — our hypoallergenic jewellery guide explains why.)
How does electroplating actually work?
The piece is cast or stamped in brass, then polished smooth
Degreasing, ultrasonic cleaning and an acid dip — plating fails on a dirty surface
A nickel or palladium layer is plated on first
In a gold-salt bath, electric current deposits gold onto the piece
Rinsing, drying and inspection — sometimes a protective top coat
The core of the process is simple physics: the jewellery is wired up as the cathode (negative electrode) and lowered into a solution containing dissolved gold. When current flows, positively charged gold ions are drawn to the piece and deposited as solid metal. Thickness is controlled by current, bath chemistry and time — longer in the bath means more gold.
What do microns mean, and why do they matter?
Plating thickness is measured in microns (thousandths of a millimetre) — and it is the single biggest factor in how long a plated finish lasts:
| Type | Typical gold thickness | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Flash / colour plating | Under 0.5 micron | Looks lovely new; wears fastest |
| Standard gold plating | Roughly 0.5–1 micron | Good life with sensible care |
| Vermeil (over sterling silver) | 2.5 microns, by the widely used standard | The most durable plated option — precious metal throughout |
Note that vermeil is gold plating over sterling silver rather than brass — the full comparison is in what is gold vermeil?. There is also a different technology altogether — PVD coating, applied in a vacuum chamber rather than a bath — which we compare in PVD coating vs gold plating.
How do you make gold-plated jewellery last?
Plating is real gold, but thin — so friction and chemistry are its enemies. Put jewellery on last, after perfume and skincare; take it off for swimming, showers and workouts (here is the honest answer on that); wipe it with a soft cloth after wear; and store pieces separately so they do not rub. Treated this way, a well-plated piece keeps its colour for a long time.
Gold-plated pieces from our collection
Infinity Sparkle Necklace — 14K gold-plated brass
Blooming Garden Set — 14K gold plated
Lumina Pearl Station Necklace — gold-plated chain
The short version
Gold-plated jewellery starts as polished brass, gets scrupulously cleaned, receives a barrier layer, and is then electroplated in a gold bath where current deposits real gold onto the surface. Thickness in microns determines lifespan, vermeil is the thicker gold-over-silver cousin, and a little care — jewellery on last, off for water — keeps the finish golden for years.