Have you looked inside your jewelry box lately? We’re not talking about your “top pieces” that you wear on a regular basis. We’re talking about the jewelry that has been relegated to the bottom of your jewelry box. There are quite a few pieces at the bottom of your jewelry box that were a favorite of yours at one time or another, aren’t there?
Why have you abandoned those pieces? Maybe you don’t wear them anymore because they’re silver, and you now wear gold. Perhaps, they’re silver and you just don’t have the time or desire to clean the tarnish all the time.
You may even not wear them because they just don’t shine like they used to. How would you like to learn about a way that can take some of your old favorites and get them from the bottom of your jewelry box and put them right at the top again?
You can breathe new life into your jewelry by taking them to a professional and have the jewelry gold plated. A professional will be able to take your silver jewelry and transform it into a beautiful gold piece. Also, a professional will be able to take any gold jewelry that you have which has lost its luster and restore it back to the original shine and dazzle that it once had.
What is gold plating?
Gold plating is when real gold is adhered to another metal. Gold plating jewelry is a complex process. You should only allow a professional who knows exactly what they are doing to gold plate your jewelry.
What you need to know before taking your jewelry to a professional
If you are taking silver jewelry in to be gold plated, ask them how they plan on gold plating it. If they tell you they are going to apply the gold plating directly to the silver, run, do not walk out of there.
Gold and silver react with each other. The gold will mix into the silver and the silver will push its way to the top. When this happens, people think the gold is wearing off. However, in reality, the gold isn’t wearing off; the silver is pushing its way to the top, as the gold pushes its way down into the silver.
They may tell you that they will add a layer of copper over the silver then apply the gold over the copper. While this is an acceptable and reasonable practice, it may not be the best process for you in the long run.
Copper also reacts with gold. However, the reaction isn’t as severe as it is with silver. If copper is used, there is a good chance that the gold will lose its color over a period of time.
A piece of jewelry can be gold plated with copper and not lose color if nickel is used. The professional who is gold plating your jewelry can add a layer of copper over the silver then put a layer of nickel over the copper and add the gold. Or, they can put nickel over the silver and put the gold over the nickel. Either way will work and will ensure the gold doesn’t wear off. The only downside to using nickel and or copper is some people have negative reactions to copper and or nickel. So, be sure that you aren’t allergic to nickel or copper before you have this done. If you have a piece of gold jewelry you would like restored by having it gold plated, you don’t have to worry about any of this. Gold can be applied directly to gold.
By giving some of your old jewelry a second chance by having it gold plated, you may be able to save yourself a lot of money on new jewelry while adding some old favorites back into your new favorites.
