We ♡ Gold Filled and You Should Too
TL;DR
- SOLID LAYER OF GOLD: When you put on a gold filled piece, only pure gold is touching your skin.
- 100X MORE: You get up to 100x more pure gold with gold filled gold plated
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Less Irritation, More Smiles: Gold filled pieces typically steer clear of irritating core metals making them friendlier to sensitive skin.
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Shine On: Gold plating can easily tarnish, gold filled can last years with a little love & care.
At May Martin, our jewelry is always inexpensive, never cheap.
Every piece of jewelry we create is designed and made to survive well past the end of this season. In the last few years, fast fashion has pushed people to buy cheap clothes, jewelry and accessories that fall apart and have to be replaced every month or two. Turnover is the name of their game and we’re not playing.
While we believe in the healing properties of retail therapy, when you bring a May Martin piece into your life, we want to see you wearing it years from now.
We Build Your Jewelry to Last a Lifetime… And Then Some
Not only do we offer lifetime repairs on all of our pieces, we use the highest-quality materials that get better with age and don’t unhinge your bank account.
All of our collections feature fabulous gold filled pieces. And, after years of questions about the material, what it is, whether it contains real gold, how it compares with gold plating, how to care for it, and how durable it is, we decided to give you a guide!
Gold Filled vs. Gold Plated
We get this question pretty regularly and want to make sure you know what you’re wearing when you put on a gold filled May Martin necklace, bracelet, anklet, ring, or pair of earrings.
We choose gold filled over gold plated whenever possible for a few reasons:
Because of how the material is made, gold filled pieces are typically 5% gold alloy while gold plating only gives you around .05% (half of one percent) of gold alloy.
2. Gold filled pieces are simply made better
When a gold filled piece is made, the core metal (usually sterling silver or jeweler’s brass) is sandwiched between two hefty layers of solid gold then compressed by powerful rollers. The pressure applied through this process bonds the gold alloy to the core metal and ensures that the entire piece is surrounded by the shiny goodness we love so much.
Gold plating, on the other hand, uses an electric current to charge particles of gold so they bond to the core metal. This process gives you a thin dusting of gold around the piece that can easily tarnish and wear off.
3. Gold filled jewelry's easier on sensitive skin
Because of the way the material is made and the amount of gold surrounding the core metal on gold filled pieces and the higher quality core metals typically used, they're usually easier on sensitive skin than gold plated pieces.
4. No one likes high-maintenance jewelry
Although 14 karat Gold Filled jewelry will not tarnish quickly, it will get dirty. The oils from your skin and dirt from the environment around you will transfer to the metal and need to be washed away.
The easiest way to clean your handmade gold filled piece is to scrub it with soft jewelry brush and unscented dish soap. Rinse well, pat dry, and let it air dry.
Then, just make sure your jewelry is completely dry before putting it away.
Keep it Close, Keep it Safe
Take them everywhere you go and make them an integral part of your life.
They’ll keep up and keep shining through every season.