Confused about gold-toned jewellery

[riverpebbles]

My dd14 likes gold-toned jewellery but is finding that the finish wears off cheap jewellery and turns her skin green (not surprising as it is usually very VERY cheap, supermarket-bargain-rack cheap, she's a teenager). My question is: if I buy her a somewhat more expensive necklace or ring for Christmas, say £15/£25, that says it is gold-plated brass, will the finish wear off that quickly as well? Also, what is gold vermeil? And what about carats? I don't mind spending a bit more for jewelery that will last but she would be freaked out by an expensive item that she might lose.

Look at jewellery on QVC as they have good quality items and a robust returns policy.

Gold plated brass (like Z for Accessorize level/price range) will wear, but not as quickly as the supermarket stuff, which won't have any gold in it at all. It also depends on the item - necklaces and earrings will wear less than rings and bracelets, as they get less wear and tear.

Gold vermeil is gold plated sterling silver and lasts pretty well. Good places to buy it are Missoma, Monica Vinader or Astley Clarke - but prices more for a birthday :)

Gold filled is another option (lots on Etsy)
Guide to types of gold plating here: [https://simpleanddainty.com/blogs/guides/types-of-gold-jewelry]]

Karats are a measure of the gold's purity. 9k is the cheapest and hardest wearing and usually 18k is the purest - you can get 24k from overseas (that's 100% gold) but I don't think we tend to have it in the UK. They come out as slightly different colours too, due to the amount of actual gold in the metal.

Thanks! I guess I just don't know what words to look out for as an indicator of quality (or lack of!)?

So if I saw a Lisa Angel necklace, say, that was gold-plated brass, is that going to rub off?

This article looks useful.

cadcamnyc.com/blogs/our-blog/vermeil-vs-gold-plated-vs-gold-filled-which-is-better

I guess I shouldn't assume that gold-plated anything will withstand wear.

I wonder about this type of gold-plated necklace. 18k gold over silver?

www.astridandmiyu.com/collections/pendant-necklaces/products/infinite-pendant-necklace-in-gold#

Missoma gold plated/finished jewellery to my surprise has not worn or tarnished.

Make sure she doesn’t spray perfume or body sprays etc anywhere near the jewellery.

All plated items have the potential to wear off. If they are sterling silver underneath that can possibly be re gold plated via a jeweller. This may cost a similar amount to buying the item in the first place.

Some people react more to non real jewellery (they get green skin) more than others. It's the nature of their sweat.

Minimise the wearing of the item if so e.g. remove for showers, sleep and wear for going out only.

Anything that’s plated will wear off eventually. Rings wear a lot faster than necklaces because hands get rubbed more. If you must buy something plated, choose gold vermeil because that will last the longest. But personally I would stretch to £100 and buy a 9ct gold ring that will last for ever.

Tbh you can usually go off price - I'd expect the Astrid & Miyu necklace to last longer than a Lisa Angel one. However the A&M necklace doesn't say gold vermeil so I'm guessing it's a thinner plating on silver, too thin to be classed as vermeil. It might be that the gold plating on each is the same, but that you're paying for the silver over the brass.

I would say though, with a necklace, it's not really the gold rubbing off you have to worry about (a necklace doesn't rub against your skin that much), more the tarnishing.

I'd probably buy cheap gold plated jewellery (like Accessorize) or proper gold vermeil but nothing in between. Since that A&M necklace clearly isn't vermeil but is priced like it is, I'd avoid.

@BlairWaldorfLovesShopping
Thanks so much everyone, this is all helpful. Her taste is settling down now so it might be a good time to spend a bit more on something proper.

On the meantime, clear nail varnish can stop the green skin effect from the cheap stuff.

Gold-plated M&S jewellery is pretty good. I don't know if they'll have anything that a teenager will like though.

@BaronessBomburst

Gold-plated M&S jewellery is pretty good. I don't know if they'll have anything that a teenager will like though.

I’ve still had gold plated stuff wear off from M&S. IME gold plated does wear Off, would she consider silver jewellery? It’s much cheaper and if it tarnished through (sweat,wear over time, chlorine etc) it can be easily removed and polished again?