Gold plated, vermeil or solid: what you are actually buying

Professional Jeweller published a piece on 3 March 2026 by Harriet Whitaker titled Rising gold prices creates a delicate balancing act for industry. When bullion moves, it argued, every jeweller must decide how much of the increase to absorb and how much appears on the ticket, and it asked the trade for "strategic discipline and very clear communication with customers". That second part is what I can do this morning, so here is what the words on a gold listing mean, mine included.

I have made jewellery by hand in London for 22 years. It started with a stall on Portobello Road, and the work has since sat in Liberty, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. In all that time the question I am asked most is not about design. It is some version of: is this real gold.

Three answers, three prices

Gold plated means a thin layer of gold deposited onto another metal by electroplating. The base can be brass, copper or sterling silver, and a listing does not always say which. It looks beautiful and costs little. Worn daily, the layer thins at the high points in time. That is not a fault. It is what plating is.

Gold vermeil has 2 conditions. The metal underneath must be sterling silver, never brass, and the gold layer must be properly thick, which is why the standard most of the trade works to asks for a minimum of 2.5 microns at 10kt or finer. Vermeil is the honest middle: the colour and weight of gold over a precious metal, at a fraction of the money.

Solid gold is alloyed the whole way through, so there is no layer to wear off. 9kt is 37.5% gold, 14kt is 58.5% and 18kt is 75%. The rest is alloy, giving the metal its hardness and colour. In the UK anything sold as gold over 1 gram must carry a hallmark, an independent assay office confirming the fineness rather than the maker's own word for it.

The same necklace, in all of them

The difference is clearest on one design. The Personalised Name Necklace is cut to order in the workshop in every one of these metals: silver plated at £45, gold plated at £50, sterling silver at £95, gold vermeil at £125, and 14kt solid yellow or white gold at £525. Same hand, same name, same font. Only the metal changes, and with it what the piece is doing in 10 years. Solid gold is quoted on the weight of the finished name, so the figure moves with the market.

Most people who ask are not after the dearest thing in the shop. They are trying not to be caught out. They want to know whether a necklace for a 16 year old will look tired by spring, and whether one for a 60th will still be there in 30 years. Only one of those needs solid gold.

If the gold price is why you are hesitating

There is a route that is not on any price list: use the gold you already own. Most households have some in a drawer, in a shape nobody wears. A broken chain, odd earrings, a grandmother’s ring 2 sizes out. Second Life Jewellery is the remodelling and resetting service I run from the London studio. I lift the stones, reuse the metal and remake the piece by hand. The estimate is free, from a photograph. When bullion is expensive, gold you already paid for is the best value in the room. The reasoning sits on recycling your jewellery.

Two more ways in

For the gold look without the outlay, the Alphabet Letter Necklace is £42.50 in sterling silver or gold vermeil, on a chain from 14 to 22 inches. The chain guide covers lengths if you are buying for someone else. At £25 a sterling silver Initial Charm is the smallest way to start, and it hangs on a chain you already own.

At the other end, the Second Life TBar Gemstone Necklace is £325 in gold vermeil, set with raw black onyx or pearlised moonstone. Everything in solid gold sits in the 9kt Solid Gold collection, 91 pieces.

The second life is the real one.

If you have gold in a drawer and no idea what it could become, send me a photograph through Second Life Jewellery and I will tell you honestly what is worth doing.

Questions I get asked

Does gold vermeil tarnish?
The gold does not, but vermeil is sterling silver underneath, and silver tarnishes where it is exposed, usually at a clasp or a worn edge. Keep it dry, away from perfume and chlorine, and put it on last. A soft dry cloth handles most marks. The personalised collection offers both.

Is 9kt gold worth buying, or should I save for 18kt?
9kt is genuinely solid gold and harder than 18kt, which makes it sensible for a piece worn every day, particularly a fine chain or a child’s necklace. 18kt is richer in colour and softer. Neither is a compromise. They are different metals for different lives.

Can old gold be melted into something new?
Often yes, and usually for less than buying the same weight today. Old gold can be refined and reused, and stones lifted and reset into a new design. Every piece arrives different, so it is quoted individually. A photograph through Second Life starts it.