Not all gold jewellery is created equal.
At first glance, solid gold and gold plated jewellery can similar. The difference lies beneath the surface, and it's a difference that impacts how your jewellery wears, lasts, and ultimately holds its value over time.
What Is Solid Gold?
Solid gold jewellery is made from gold all the way through. While gold is often alloyed with other metals for strength, the gold content remains part of the material itself, not simply a surface coating. This means your jewellery can be worn, polished, resized, repaired, and treasured for decades to come.
In short: solid gold is designed to last, and holds it's value.
What Is Gold Plated Jewellery?
Gold plated jewellery starts with a base metal, often brass, copper, or sterling silver, which is coated with a very thin layer of gold.
The gold sits only on the surface.
While plated jewellery can be a more accessible option upfront, the coating naturally wears away over time through everyday contact with skin, water, friction, lotions, and perfumes. Once the plating wears off, the base metal underneath becomes visible.
Why Does Gold Plating Wear Off?
Because plating is exactly that: a coating.
No matter how carefully it is worn, the gold layer will gradually fade through daily use. Rings, bracelets, and frequently worn pieces tend to show wear the fastest because they experience the most friction. Eventually, plated jewellery requires re-plating to restore its appearance.
A Quick Comparison of Solid Gold and Gold Plating
| Solid Gold | Gold Plated |
|---|---|
| Gold throughout | Thin gold coating over base metal |
| Designed to last decades | Coating wears away over time |
| Can be polished and restored | Requires re-plating |
| Suitable for everyday wear | Better suited to occasional wear |
| Holds long-term value | Low to no long-term value |
| Future heirloom potential | Temporary by nature |
| Can be melted down and re-cast | Cannot be recycled |
Why We Only Create in Solid Gold
At RUUSK, we believe jewellery should become part of your story.
We create pieces to celebrate engagements, anniversaries, birthdays, new chapters, and the special moments in between. These are not temporary milestones, so we don't believe the jewellery marking them should be temporary either.
Solid gold allows us to create modern heirlooms – pieces that can be worn every day, evolve with their owner, and one day be passed on to the next generation. Because when something is designed to last a lifetime, what's beneath the surface matters.
Learn more about solid gold jewellery and why we choose it here.
