Your Guide for Buying Vermeil Jewelry
Posted by Deven Davis on
Your Guide for Buying Vermeil Jewelry
If your jewelry collection needs an upgrade, you're in the right place. Click here to learn more about buying vermeil jewelry.
Keyword(s): vermeil jewelry
With the rising prices of gold, lots of women are searching for a way to get the look they love at the price they need. The good news? High-quality jewelry doesn't have to break the bank.
Vermeil jewelry (hint: it's pronounced vur-MAY) is a beautiful style of premium quality gold-plated jewelry that will last for years. With this jewelry, there's no need to worry about low quality or the gold flaking off.
Vermeil originally became popular back in the Victorian Era, but it continues to gain fans today. There's even an entire room in the White House dedicated to the presidential vermeil collection!
If you're ready to upgrade your jewelry collection, you'll have to know what to look for when you're buying vermeil either in stores or online. Read on for your guide to buying vermeil jewelry.
What Is Vermeil Jewelry?
Before we dive into how to buy vermeil jewelry, let's first make sure we're on the same page about what it is.
Vermeil isn't pure gold - that would be 24 karat gold, which is super soft and a poor choice for making jewelry. The base of vermeil is solid sterling silver, which is then carefully coated with a thick layer of real gold.
To claim the vermeil title, jewelry makers have to use at least 10 karat gold, and the coating has to be at least 2.5 microns thick. This helps ensure the pieces are high-quality, durable, and beautiful.
You're not limited to just yellow gold. You can also find colors like rose gold if that fits your style better.
Also, keep in mind that just because jewelry is "gold-plated" doesn't necessarily make it vermeil. Gold-plated jewelry can technically use any metal as a base. Vermeil is only for sterling silver pieces. Don't let yourself get tricked!
Now that we've covered what vermeil jewelry is, let's move on to what you should pay attention to once you're ready to buy.
What to Look For
There are a few factors that you can and should look for when you're buying a piece of vermeil jewelry. Here are six that we think you should keep in mind.
Price
Real vermeil pieces should fall somewhere between the cost of real gold pieces and run-of-the-mill gold-plated jewelry.
Because of the quality of the jewelry, vermeil is more expensive than regular gold-plated or gold-covered pieces. For the price, you get better jewelry and the guarantee that the gold won't start flaking off after you've worn it a few times.
On the other end of the spectrum, it's not as expensive as real gold since it's not a pure gold jewelry piece. It's a truly happy medium - you don't have to compromise on beauty or quality for a fantastic price.
This is a great way to gauge if it's real vermeil if you're not in a store to look at it in person.
.925 Label
Sterling silver, the base of vermeil jewelry, is 92.5% pure silver. Because sterling silver alone is so popular, there's a labeling system you can look for to make sure you're getting real silver.
Anything that claims to be authentic sterling silver should be marked as .925 or 925 (that 92.5% reference) or sterling. If you can't find this on the jewelry you're looking at, it's probably gold-plated and not actually vermeil.
Thickness
Whether you're buying in stores or online, the seller should list the thickness of the piece. To be considered vermeil, the gold coating should be at least 2.5 microns thick.
Make sure you pay close attention when you're checking the thickness of your piece. Some people will try to pass off something that's been flash-plated as real vermeil.
Flash-plated jewelry didn't spend a lot of time being coated, so it's .25 microns thick or less. This is the type of gold coating that will flake after you've worn it a couple times.
If you're buying a watch, go even higher and look for 5.0 microns.
Knowing what to look for will help make sure that you buy the jewelry you really want!
Durability
How long do you want your jewelry to last? Are you hoping for a piece that you can pass on to your daughter, or are you just looking for something that will change up your collection?
All vermeil pieces are durable, but there's a range to what you can get.
If you want your jewelry to last a lifetime, go for a higher thickness and lower quality gold. The purer the gold is, the softer it will be. That puts you at risk of scratches or discoloration.
14 karat to 18 karat gold vermeil is perfect for long-lasting jewelry. Thicker pieces are also more durable.
Other Metals
Vermeil jewelry is great for people with metal allergies. Since high-quality vermeil should only be made with sterling silver and gold, you can wear it without worrying about allergic reactions.
However, be sure to buy from a reputable company. Some consumers have been tricked into buying inferior pieces that have had other metals mixed in with the "vermeil." Cheaper knock-offs will frequently have nickel or copper added to the mix at some point. The vendor is supposed to list the metals if anything other than silver and gold has been added, but that doesn't always happen.
It's always best to protect yourself!
Seller Reputation
Finally, the last thing you want is to be excited about a new piece of jewelry, only to be disappointed because of false advertising.
You can protect yourself from this by checking the seller's reputation before you make any purchases. If there are reviews available, read those before you click "buy."
Are there angry customers who said that the gold started to flake after they started wearing it, or do people seem happy with what they got? If you see lots of negative reviews, run.
Vermeil is strictly regulated, but there will always be people who try to cut corners. Protect yourself from them and buy from someone reputable.
Browse Our Vermeil Jewelry Collection
Ready to find a gold vermeil piece of your own? Look no further than costumeiscounters. Our collection has a range of items that will suit any personal style or price range.
We're confident that you'll find something perfect for you that you'll want to show off to all your friends - just remember to pronounce it correctly as you're bragging!
