Gold Costume Jewellery

What is known as costume jewellery first made its appearance during the 1930s. It was meant to be disposable and cheap and to be worn with a particular clothing outfit. The idea was for it to be fashionable just for as long as the outfit it was worn with was fashionable. For each new style or outfit, new costume jewellery would be purchased during this era. Costume jewellery then and now has been made from materials that are less valuable than “real” jewellery like fake stones, glass, plastic, and base metals rather than precious stones and metals.

Gold costume jewellery is a perfect example of this style jewellery, although most people buy it to wear with anything, not just with one particular outfit. Generally, those who buy gold costume jewellery do so because they can’t afford genuine 9, 18, or 22-carat gold jewellery. Most gold costume jewellery is either gold filled or gold plated.

WHAT IS GOLD FILLED JEWELLERY?
Gold filled jewellery is made of a solid layer of gold bonded by heat and pressure to a base metal – often brass. Some gold filled jewellery has the look of 18-carat gold. Gold filled jewellery made these days is marked to indicate how much gold is in them and what type of gold was used for that layer of gold. For example, if a piece of gold costume jewellery is marked “1/20 12K G.F.” that means that the piece is one-twentieth of 12 carat gold by weight.

Gold filled jewellery can last anywhere from 5 to 30 years worn daily before it wears through. Purchasing an attractive piece of gold-filled jewellery that is worn occasionally can last a long time and most people won’t be aware that it isn’t true gold.

WHAT IS GOLD PLATED JEWELLERY?
Gold plated jewellery is made with several plates of metal that are laminated onto a base metal by brazing, soldering, or welding. The layer of gold used on this type of jewellery is very thin, but several layers of gold of different thicknesses can be added to the base metal in order to make it more durable. The gold covering on gold plated jewellery is usually thinner than that on gold-filled jewellery, making it less expensive. Markings similar to those on gold-filled jewellery designate how much gold is in gold plated costume jewellery. Gold-plated jewellery generally wears much faster than its gold-filled counterpart.

Gold-plated jewellery loses its colour over time. This can happen in as little as a year if the plates are the normal thickness. Gold plating is usually added over silver. Silver and gold react together in a way that allows the gold to eventually spread over the silver making more and more of the silver show through. Once the silver is exposed, the jewellery can also tarnish. This problem is usually solved by putting copper or nickel over the silver before the gold plating is added. The gold colouring will last longer when copper is added to the process and even longer when nickel is used.

Most gold costume jewellery is gold plated. There is a huge variety of gold plated costume jewellery in just about any design you may want. Gold chains in all of the standard styles are available as well as cuff, link, bangle, and chain bracelets. Charms and earrings galore can be found. For women and men on a budget who love gold jewellery, gold costume jewellery can be the perfect fit for their jewellery needs forever or until they can save their money to buy the genuine gold articles they love.