Everything You Need to Know About Vermeil
Vermeil is a thick layer of gold over sterling grade silver (925) or higher; silver is always the base metal for vermeil (pronounced as ver-may).
Why choose vermeil jewellery?
Vermeil offers you a luxuriant, lighter, durable and affordable way to add gold into your jewellery collection.
Is vermeil real gold?
Yes, vermeil is real gold. It should be 14k or above.
What carat gold do you use?
My vermeil jewellery is 18k gold over sterling silver.
How long does it last?
It is much longer lasting than standard gold plating as vermeil is, at a minimum, 5 times thicker than gold plating. Vermeil is usually 2.5microns plus thick whereas, standard gold plating is around 0.5microns thick.
Vermeil is durable when compared to gold plate alone. However, if you wear a vermeil piece continuously the gold can begin to wear away after around 6 months but this can vary.
It’s important to be aware that vermeil doesn’t wear off uniformly and you will see more wear in areas of contact i.e with other jewellery or where the piece makes contact with other surfaces on a regular basis.
To extend the life of your vermeil plating, you can choose not to wear the piece every day; remove it before any activities where it will make contact with hard surfaces or be scratched like gardening or working out at the gym.
I also recommend you take off your vermeil jewellery when swimming or showering – this is a general care recommendation for all jewellery, and you can read more on my jewellery care blog.
Does vermeil tarnish?
Yes, it can tarnish but there are easy ways to remove it.
Vermeil tarnishes because of the sterling silver base. When sterling silver comes into contact with moisture, air, or chemicals (including body chemistry) it can react and form a dark layer which can show through the gold layer, causing the tarnished appearance.
How can you minimise tarnish or remove tarnish?
Can I have vermeil re-applied to my jewellery?
Yes. Contact me at [email protected] and I’ll guide you on next steps and cost.
Please contact me if you have any other questions about vermeil. I’d be happy to help.
Thanks for reading, from Emma at My Jewellery Garden