A great way to treat yourself to jewelry with your favorite gold glitter at a reasonable price is to purchase gilded silver. Reviews of such products are mostly positive. With proper care, such things are worn for a long time and do not lose their luster. Today, they have learned very well how to use gold to decorate other metals. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to get acquainted with the features of gilding, caring for it. Also, for comparison, it is worth considering reviews of gilded silver "Sokolov", "Sunlight," Krasnaya Presnya".
What is gold-plated silver?
Gilding is the application of a thin layer of 999-carat metal. The thickness of such a coating is only 5-10 microns. Sometimes a layer is made between silver and gold, for example, from platinum.
A protective coating is applied over gold, which makes the product more wear-resistant. 925 sterling silver is often used as the basis for jewelry. Reviews of gilded jewelry indicate that at first glance it really resembles gold. It is worth paying attention to it, because it is much cheaper.
Sometimes, for greater brilliance of gilded items, they are polished with a special agate stone. Not only jewelry, but also cutlery is made of gilded silver. Such dinner sets are much lighter than usual, so they are convenient to use. Gold-plated silver does not corrode.
Benefits of gilding and how to apply it
Reviews of gilded silver prove that it retains its original appearance for a long time. International, European and Russian state standards have established the color 4N for gilding. It is worth listing the main advantages of gold plating:
- Absolutely safe for he alth.
- Has attractive appearance similar to gold.
- Little exposed to external aggressive influences: does not oxidize, does not corrode.
- Has a democratic value, much cheaper than gold.
Gilding was practiced in ancient times. Then the domes of the church, cutlery, embellishments and dishes were decorated with precious metal. It was at that time that hot and cold gilding was invented. The cold method is stuffing or gluing the thinnest layers of gold leaf onto silver.
For hot gilding you need fire. Only such gilding turned out to be dangerous, because mercury was used for it. It was soon abandoned in order not to be poisoned by dangerous mercury fumes.
Types of electroplated gold plating
Today, gilding with sodium, ethereal solution, and contact with zinc are considered the main methods of gilding. But the most effective is the galvanic method. It is most suitable for decorating jewelry. In order to apply particles of gold to the surface of silver, it is immersed in an aqueous solution of s alts and subjected to an electric current. The item to be coated is the cathode, and the anode is gold particles.
If silver jewelry is subject to chemical changes (oxidize), then gilded items are protected from them. The gilding process is something like this:
- Electrolyte is poured into small containers.
- Gold is dissolved in it.
- Jewelry is immersed in this solution and left for a while.
- Oxides begin to settle on products in a thin layer.
- Removing jewelry, waiting for drying, polishing or coating with a protective layer.
In industry, electroplating is used to make a product with a layer of gold. Gold plating can be pink, imitating 585-carat metal. Such products are almost impossible to distinguish from gold. There is also yellow plating. It includes not only gold, but also nickel. This yellow color is reminiscent of pure gold.
How is gilded silver applied?
Gold plating is used not only in jewelry. Reviews of gilded silver confirm that it can be used in the following cases:
- Production of souvenirs: figurines, caskets, key chains, photo frames.
- As cutlery: sets, spoons, forks.
- To create various silver accessories: cufflinks, buttons, brooches.
- For the production of unusual, gold-plated equipment: iphone or MP3 players.
Reviews of gilded silver prove that it is not only people with small earnings who buy it. Even some millionaires do not refuse to purchase such items, because it is visually very difficult to distinguish them from gold ones.
The right choice of gold-plated jewelry
So what do you need to know about choosing gold-plated jewelry? Paramount in this matter is the material that is under spraying. It is important that it is 925 sterling silver. It is this fact that speaks of the value of the product. Sometimes spraying can be applied to aluminum, copper, tin. Such works are valued even cheaper than silver ones.
How to determine what kind of jewelry is in front of you: from gilded silver or another metal? First, examine the product from all sides, find the stamp and marking. To do this, familiarize yourself with the samples of silver and hallmark standards in advance. In the Russian Federation, the following samples are established for silver: 999th, 960th, 925th, 875th, 830th, 800th. The most commonly used for gilding is silver.925th test. Since Soviet times, silver jewelry has been marked with a barrel-shaped brand.
What you need to know about foreign gilding?
Slightly different markings are imported products with gold plating. The most common sample designations are:
- KGP - gold plating from 12 to 24 carats.
- HGE - electroplating, measured in carats.
- Goldmult is a German plating, which indicates not only the marking, but also the thickness of the gold layer.
This knowledge will help you decide on the choice of imported gilded silver.
Cleaning and care instructions
There is an opinion that gilding is short-lived. But proper care and careful operation will help to wear gilded silver for a long time.
Store gold items in a jewelry box. Before water procedures, washing dishes, playing sports, do not forget to remove them. To give such products shine, wipe them with a piece of suede. You can clean the coating with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol. Gilding is not afraid of this at all.
To improve the appearance of products will help a solution prepared from a few drops of ammonia, dishwashing detergent (1 tsp) and 1 liter of water. Leave the jewelry in this solution for half an hour, then rinse with water and wipe with a soft cloth.
Of course, the best way to clean gilded items is a professional approach in a jewelry workshop. Don't be lazygive a ring or earrings to an experienced craftsman a year.
Silver with gilding "Sokolov"
A wide range of goods is offered by the jewelry brand Sokolov. Reviews about the gilded silver of this company are very good. Many are pleased with affordable prices for products. Jewelry with various pebbles looks especially beautiful. Reviews of the gilded silver "Sokolov" indicate that it shines very beautifully for a long period. New products are not at all different from gold ones. Some consumers even buy gold-plated engagement rings from this company. The most positive feedback received a beautiful ring in the form of a crown. Such models are very popular today.
Reviews on 925 gold-plated silver "Sunlight"
Recently, more and more consumers prefer silver. Therefore, reviews about gilded silver: whether this coating is erased or not, it is interesting for many to know.
Sunlight is an excellent silver plated company. Earrings are considered the most durable to wear. Many customers wear them without taking them off for several months. Then just wipe them with alcohol and they shine like new again.
Reviews of the gilded silver "Sunlight" say that the company constantly holds various promotions with gifts, sends SMS messages to customers with offers. Everyone is pleased to receive a small bonus. Sometimes there are discounts on jewelry up to 50%. The company offers both the simplestmodels of gold-plated jewelry, as well as more luxurious options.
Reviews of gilded silver "Krasnaya Presnya"
No matter how sad it may sound, but sooner or later any product with gilding will lose its attractiveness. Under the influence of various factors, the gold layer is erased. But before that happens, you will be able to show off chic things like real gold for a long time.
Many items covered with gold are offered by Krasnaya Presnya company. Often such jewelry is bought by girls going on a trip. The gilding from "Krasnaya Presnya" is very high quality. These products with a gold coating will not bring any harm to the body; earlobes do not swell from them. In general, we can conclude that the gold-plated jewelry from Krasnaya Presnya looks very worthy.
