Does Gold Plated Brass Tarnish?

You saw a nice piece of gold plated brass jewelry, and you’re very tempted to buy it. However, you are worrying over will it ever tarnish.

Gold plated brass jewelry does tarnish. This will happen only after the plating wears off. Then, brass’s copper will react with oxygen and humidity tarnishing the piece.

Yet, there are much more questions other than if gold plated brass does tarnish or not.

You’ll find the answers to the most important ones in this post!

 

What Is Gold Plated Brass?

These pieces are obtained by covering a cheaper core base with a layer of gold.

In our case, the initial material is made of brass.

Had it been sterling silver inside, we’d call it vermeil.

Make sure you don’t mistake plated jewelry for a regular alloy.

An alloy is a mixture of at least two metals.

And a gold-brass alloy is different than gold plated brass jewelry.

For example, stainless steel is an alloy of iron and chromium or rose gold is an alloy of yellow gold and copper.

Brass itself is an alloy of copper and zinc.

When a metal core is plated, it receives a thin coating around its surface.

Generally, the outer metal is much more expensive.

It is often a precious metal like gold or silver.

People usually seek this kind of jewelry because it’s much cheaper with the same look.

Just for the sake of giving an example, think of a 100 gr gold bracelet and a 100 gr gold-plated bracelet.

While the gold weight in the first one is 100 gr – obviously, the latter will have much much less.

That makes a huge difference in price.

Note that there are different types of gold like 10k, 14k, 18k and 24k gold.

These have all different purity levels which will heavily impact price.

24k gold is 100% pure precious yellow metal. 14k gold is 58.3% rich in gold.

18 karat gold has 75% purity, while 10k has 41.7% gold content. That’s nearly half of the former higher karat alloy.

Check this post on 10k vs 14k vs 18k gold for more.

So, if you are looking for a better deal than a solid gold piece, then this jewelry may be just the right option for you.

It is totally legit, and no one has to know it has a core made of base metals!

Does Gold Plated Brass Tarnish?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes, it does.

It has a very thin layer surrounding the brass underneath.

The removal of the coating opens the door to tarnish.

With everyday wear and tear, they will tarnish as the coating wears off .

Another factor is friction between pieces in your jewelry box. As the pieces touches and clashes in the box, the coating will fade away more easily.

So, keeping pieces separate in individual soft bags is good practice that will help keeping your jewelry in their best shape.

Basically, when plating starts diminishing, brass gets interacting with oxygen and humidity in the air. This will pave the way to tarnish.

How Long Does Gold Plated Brass Last?

For the sake of giving non-bonding period, you can take 2 years as the lifetime of the plating.

But, how long your jewelry will last, depends on various factors.

First of all, it depends on how much plating the piece has.

Some pieces of jewelry have heavier flash plating.

And if the plating is thick enough, it will last a little longer as it will endure more physical impacts and chemical agents like perfumes and deodorants.

After all, a plating of thickness 4 microns of gold will last longer than a 3 microns of gold layer.

This is why, if you want to get a custom made plated jewelry, you should ask the manufacturer to use an additional layer, increasing the protection.

This will ensure the piece lasting for a longer time.

However, if the layer is thin, around 0.5 microns, then expect it to tarnish considerably faster, especially if you prefer it for daily wear.

The karatage of the gold used is also important.

As we saw above, 14k gold is harder and more durable than 18k gold.

Thus, a 14k gold coating has more scratch resistance thus longer serving period than a higher karat gold layer.

Other factors that come into play about how long the plating lasts, is where and how often you wear your bling.

For instance, gold plated jewelry is not recommended for outdoor sports, gym, garden work, pool or water activities in general.

Encounters with harder objects like stainless steel pieces trees or stones will scratch the gold coating.

If you immerse such a piece in water for too long, the gold layer may completely go away – and this will happen even if you’re at the pool or just taking a shower.

Shampoos are commercial products with many chemical molecules, yet swimming pool water not innocent.

Pools possess many chemicals like chlorine, bromine, pH adjusters and many more.

Furthermore, they contain unintended substances like leaves, dust, sweat and more.

Not to mention that it shouldn’t be worn constantly.

Because it’s plated, it may get scratched or chip more easily, which will ruin it.

Lastly, you must be careful where you store this kind of jewelry.

When you don’t wear it, you should keep it by separately in a soft cloth bag or a ziplock bag.

This will prevent friction pieces in your jewelry box and help keep them scratch-free.

Another tip to remember is that you should avoid wearing the jewelry piece if you used perfume in that body area.

The chemicals in the fragrance will react with the piece and quicken tarnish.

Can Gold Plated Brass Turn Your Skin Green?

Gold plated brass jewelry can turn your skin green, when the coating wears off.

Brass is a copper alloy that forms copper oxide, in the presence of oxygen.

This leaves a black-greenish color.

Despite the copper content may turn your skin green, it’s important to note that it won’t happen from the get-go.

The plating will prevent discoloring as it cuts contact from air and your skin.

Nevertheless, once the plating disappears and oxidation occurs, you will notice discoloring.

How much is gold plated brass worth? Is it worth anything?

You may be thinking that reselling such a jewelry piece would bring you some additional cash but in reality, it’s not worth that much.

It does contain real gold but only very thin layer amount.  This is not enough to bring you a fortune at the pawn shop, like a solid pure jewelry.

There are just a few microns of plating, so it’s not really advantageous trying to resell it.

As for recycling the plating, it’s hardly worth the hassle in the long run.

How to Clean Gold Plated Jewelry?

Cleaning gold plated brass jewelry is not that difficult. But, you need to be careful not to use any water or harsh chemicals when doing it.

In order to clean such an item, you should only use a cotton ball or a soft cloth.

To get rid of potential oil and grime, be as gentle as possible so that you don’t scratch the plating.

Does Gold Plated Brass Rust?

Gold or brass do not rust.

Rust occur after the oxidation of iron and iron alloys. Brass does not include iron, thus it does not rust.

This is one of the reasons why brass is a popular material used in jewelry making.

Because this material is not an iron-bearing one, you will not have to worry about any potential issues.

It will only corrode after a long while, which is more of concern for outdoor brass sculptures and pipes.

Is Gold Plated Brass Hypoallergenic?

Gold is hypoallergenic but the brass underneath is not hypoallergenic.

Basically, it contains nickel or lead, which may cause allergic reactions for people with sensitive skin and metal allergies.

Having said that, if you’re prone to allergies, you should be careful with jewelry and prefer more pure and hypoallergenic metals to stay on the safe side.

Even if the jewelry piece is protected by coating, remember that this will diminish with every day wear and tear, and you may not even notice it.

When the brass comes under day light it will also get into direct contact with your skin.

This may be the start of allergic reactions.

The Verdict

Gold plated jewelry is a wonderful choice for people who want the gold look but don’t have the budget for the full package.

This material carries the beauty of the precious yellow metal.

It is great to wear for special occasions where bling gets high attention.

However, there are cons to to gold plated brass too.

Keep in mind that it is not recommended for everyday wear because the gold plating may wear off more easily.

Hey, but if you don’t care a re-plating session from time to time, this might be the deal you’re looking for.

Simply ask your local jewelry store for a re-plating session and demand multiple layers for prolonged use. Ticker plating, longer wear time, simple.

Make sure to keep it away from outdoor activities and physically demanding work, water, including shower, pool and a day at the beach.

So, if you think you can rock a gold-plated brass jewelry piece and don’t have metal allergies, then you can give it a go!