The gold jewelry trend is here, and we think it should stay! As long-time lovers of all things gold (especially gold jewelry), we love seeing its warm, rich tones on runways, used in cute outfits, and out-and-about in our own city. From gold earrings to gold rings, gold necklace stacks to gold leather goods, we are excited that our main color has reached peak wearability.
If you are a fan of the gold jewelry trend, you've probably seen jewelry ads claiming that you can wear their jewelry sleeping, working out, and even swimming! "Wait, you mean I never have to take this item of gold jewelry off EVER?" We can totally relate to the idea of wearing a classic item over and over again, for sure, and while we see those same ads and are tempted to respond excitedly, we'll stay vigilant in what we know.
While these claims sound exciting (and who can doubt that they definitely are exciting claims), there are a few things you may need to take into account about these pieces of jewelry and those jewelry brands.
These companies use a process for plating their gold jewelry called PVD plating, and if you've seen their jewelry ads, you've seen that they preach the gospel about the wonders of it. "It's tarnish resistant!" "It will never fade!" "You'll never buy any other jewelry, like, EVER!" So, what is PVD plating, you may be wondering? PVD plating is a process of plating stainless steel that provides a hard coating to the plating. One of the biggest things to note when considering PVD plating is it does NOT require using real gold. PVD uses a combo of other metals and gases, known to cause reactions in those with metal allergies, to mimic gold color.
But how can I tell if they use real gold or only a gold colored coating? We've got a great tip for you! Look closely at the verbiage of the listings on their website and see if they use phrases like, "gold-like," "gold color," and "golden tone." These are all ways of sneakily saying, "NOT REAL GOLD." Companies using real gold will say so and make a big deal about it! Why? Because it's worth more, more expensive, and a higher quality for your skin and longevity.
When it comes to our jewelry, we prefer electroplating our gold stud earrings. Electroplating is a more trusted way of plating when using precious metals, and we think it's a better bang for your buck as well as far prettier. Here are some other reason we love electroplating:
It's more reliable: Gold plating is a tried-and-true metal finishing technique that has delivered consistent long-term results for decades. On the other hand, mass-production PVD coating is still a relatively new process without an extensive track record.
The gold coats more uniformly: Electroplating can cover recessed areas that most PVD processes can’t reach. As a result, gold plating can often provide a more even, uniform surface coating.
Avoiding a varied thickness of gold: Gold plating offers more flexibility for achieving the ideal coating thickness. Using this method, it’s possible to produce a coating ranging from very thin to extremely thick. We like adding an extra thick, 1 micron to be exact, layer of 14k gold to our earrings.
Lower energy consumption: Gold plating requires a low-voltage electrical current for electrodeposition to occur. In contrast, physical vapor deposition often occurs at a temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The increased consumption of energy has an effect on our planet. Why not stick with a process that is a far more earth-loving way of making gold jewelry?
One last reason we make our jewelry the way we do is that we feel it is important to actually use real gold.
Even better? You can wear our jewelry in the shower, swimming, and working out AND you don't have to sacrifice wearing real gold! There is a small trade off, however - we suggest that for an even longer life to your gold earrings, taking them off during particularly wet situations is always preferable. Even if you don't they should stay looking like new for years and years. Thin k about it like brushing your teeth! They won't fall out if you miss brushing them a few times, but they'll be stronger and serve you better in the future if you take care of them every day.
When redesigning our best-selling Geo Studs, we had lots of decisions to make about the plating, base metals, and thickness of materials. We made several decisions that we feel gives flexibility in needs and price while never sacrificing true quality.
Our studs are electro gold plated using 14k gold. Our 14k gold has a small mix of hypoallergenic alloyed metals to make the gold plating stronger while also showing a beautiful light golden tone instead of a deeper yellow gold tone. Another choice we made consciously is that the 14k gold plating is 1 micron thick - that's about 20 times thicker than most gold plating, and because of this, our gold plating will last a lifetime. Just ask those PVD plated trendy gold jewelry companies how thick their gold is - they'll say, "it's not real gold AND even if it was, 0.05 microns thick."
One of our favorite things about our new line of 14k gold plated stud earrings is that we offer them with your choice of two base metals. Our standard studs come equipped with a pure brass base metal. Pure brass is great because it's strong, durable, and the vast majority of people aren't allergic to it because it contains no nickel or lead. It also is a less expensive metal, so while you won't see it or react to it, it allows us to keep our prices affordable. With a brass base metal + a 14k gold plating, 95% of folks with metal allergies will have no problem at all wearing these studs.
For our extra special customers out there who are part of the 5% of metal allergies that can only wear pure metals, we now offer our best-selling geo studs with a sterling silver base metal (you can even check the post for a little "925" stamp proving it's sterling silver). For only a slight increase in price, you can choose sterling silver in your desired stud listing and add to cart. What all of this means is that not only is the base metal perfect for metal allergy-havers, but it's plated with real 14k gold AND it's an affordable piece of sterling silver jewelry! Kiss your itchy, red ears goodbye. Who needs allergic reactions? Not us!