You’ve probably come across the term “gold fill” before when shopping for fine jewelry, like our wide range of gold filled pieces. Perhaps you’ve heard it once or twice and you don’t know what it really means, or maybe you know the basics but you’re not at all sure about how to care for this type of jewelry. Either way, no worries - we’re here to help!

What is Yellow Gold Fill?

Yellow gold filled jewelry is a good quality, more affordable alternative to solid gold. Also known as “rolled gold” or “gold overlay”, it’s easily confused with gold plating; however, the key difference is that it’s filled with solid gold, hence the name!

In terms of construction of gold filled jewelry, the layer of solid gold is bonded to a base metal (such as brass, rhodium, copper or sterling silver) using a specific amount of heat and pressure. The jewelry piece has to have solid gold content of at least 5% of its total weight, otherwise it’s not classed as gold filled.

“Yellow gold” refers to the specific coloring of the jewelry which, in this case, is widely recognized as the traditional gold hue. You can also get “white gold” (silver) filled jewelry, as well as “rose gold”.

What is Rose Gold Fill?

Rose gold jewelry is becoming increasingly popular of late, and the “go-to” color of choice for the fashion-conscious, manufactured from a gold and copper alloy. The copper makes it pinkish-orange - but, when combined with solid gold fill, this turns the jewelry piece into its beautiful, distinctive rose gold hue.

You can get a lot of different variations of rose gold filled jewelry, based on the percentage of copper and solid gold used during construction. For example, 14K red, rose and pink gold have 58% gold fill – and 18K red, rose and pink gold have 75%! If you want your rose gold filled jewelry piece to be the prettiest pink possible, simply add more copper!

What are the Benefits of Gold Filled Jewelry?

Solid gold jewelry is a substantial investment; but, simply put, buying gold filled jewelry over solid gold is definitely going to save you a few bucks! It’s also much more valuable than purchasing gold plating. Unlike gold plating, gold filled jewelry is tarnish resistant and won’t turn your skin green!

Furthermore, if you care for gold filled jewelry properly, it will last you a life time.

How to Care for Gold Filled Jewelry

Caring for gold filled jewelry is not too much different from caring for other types of fine jewelry. Here are our top tips:

• Clean your gold filled jewelry regularly using warm water to wash and a soft cloth to pat dry. Never rub it after washing as this can cause discoloring.
• Avoid wearing your gold filled jewelry in the ocean or swimming pools, as the salt water and chlorine can cause damage.
• Keep your gold filled jewelry as dry as possible and away from pesky humidity! Make sure you store it individually in an air-tight plastic bag as rubbing it against other jewelry can cause it to lose its sheen.
• Avoid wearing your gold filled jewelry when cleaning. Exposure to heavy detergents and cleaning agents can be detrimental.
• Be mindful that perfume, hairspray and hand lotions may tarnish your gold filled jewelry due to the harsh chemicals they contain.
• Gently wipe your gold filled piece with a jewelry polishing, non-scratch cloth every now and again to promote shine.
• Excessive touching of gold filled jewelry, whether by yourself or other people, can lead to surface friction and discoloring – so try to avoid the temptation!

When it comes to fine jewelry, the choices are endless! But, like with anything, it’s best to have all of the information before you proceed with your decision. Whether you’re a gold filled jewelry convert or not, the most important thing is that you consider it as an option. Not only is it well-made, high quality, affordable and easy to care for – but it comes in a beautiful array of colors. We still can’t decide whether we prefer yellow gold fill or rose gold fill… Perhaps we’ll just have to get both!

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