Gold Vermeil VS Gold Plating
| Gold Plating | Gold Vermeil | |
| Core Material | Any metal | Silver |
| Plating Thickness | No restriction | 2.5+ microns |
| Price | Less Expensive | Expensive |
| Durability | Depending on the karat of the gold plating, its thickness, and core material | Depending on the karat of the gold plating, its thickness, and core material |
| Gold karat of Riyena Jewelries | 14/18 Karat | 14/18 Karat |
| Core Material of Riyena Jewelries | Copper | 925 Silver |
| Plating Thickness of Riyena Jewelries | 2.5+ microns | 2.5+ microns |
Additional Explanation:
About the Price:
Usually, vermeil pieces are more expensive than gold-plated ones of similar weight or size.
Part of the reason for this is that gold vermeil jewelry is made with silver, whereas many gold-plated pieces are made with cheaper metals than silver that are used to create the core under the plating.
However, vermeil items do not always cost more, because some gold plated jewelries maybe made of silver or some expensive metals. There is no restriction nor requirement of core metal that used in gold plated items.
About the Durability:
The durability of vermeil and gold-plated jewelry depends mainly on the karat of the gold plating, its thickness, and the composition of the alloy used to make the core.
Silver is a soft metal, and this is why you can expect a vermeil piece to be relatively easy to bend unless its core contains other metals that improve its hardness.
Whether a gold-plated piece would be harder (compared with vermeil) depends on the metals it is made up of – some items may not be much harder than vermeil.
The karat of the gold plating will determine whether its surface will be easy to scratch – higher-karat gold is softer and less durable, whereas lower-karat alloys do not scratch and wear out as easily.
In this respect, a vermeil piece can be more or less durable compared with a gold-plated item depending on the gold used to plate each piece.
As for the thickness of the plating, you can have a vermeil piece whose gold layer is thicker than that of a gold-plated piece, or the situation could be reversed.
Whichever the case, the thicker plating is likely to last longer (provided that it is not much softer because of its karat).
