Crystals and Jewelry Q & A

What is gold filled?

QUESTION: "What is vermeil and how do you say it?"

MY ANSWER: "Vermeil is sterling silver that is coated with heavy 22k or 24k gold electroplate that is used in jewelry making. It is used as an economical alternative to solid gold. After all, a 24k gold piece of jewelry would not only be soft since pure gold is soft, it would also be pretty darned costly. As for how you say it, I've heard it said all kinds of ways. The correct way to say it from what I've been able to determine from research is 'ver-MAY' since it's originally a French term. I hope that helps!" January 23, 2005

UPDATE 7/22/08: Thanks to a reader, I'm updating this Q&A. The FTC says at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.shtm that this is the definition of the metals content of Vermeil: "An industry product may be described or marked as "vermeil" if it consists of a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold, or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat fineness, that is of substantial thickness and a minimum thickness throughout equivalent to two and one half (2 1/2) microns (or approximately 100/1,000,000ths of an inch) of fine gold."

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