How Long Does Gold Plated Brass Last?

The journey of gold-plated brass jewelry starts with a brass core, which will get covered by real gold.

This is not an everlasting thick layer that defies time.

With everyday wear and tear, gold thickness will decrease, and it will slowly wear off.

How long gold plating brass lasts will depend on many factors. The diminishing period depends on the thickness of the plating, its gold karat, wearing frequency, how long you put on, outside physical effects like scratching and impacts.

Happily, you can take measures to prevent and postpone it. And, there is a solution to restore the initial gold shine back.

Let’s dive in.

What is gold-plated brass?

Gold-plated plated brass is different from solid gold jewelry.

Solid gold jewelry means it is the same metal inside out, and it is not hollow.

While a hollow gold piece is made from real gold, it may lack durability.

A 14k rose gold ring is totally made of rose gold. Rose gold is an alloy of real gold with base metal copper. It is the latter metal that gives the pink rosy color. Even if it does get scratched, you’ll come across the same metal beneath the surface.

Gold-plated brass means that a brass base is covered with a layer of gold. If it gets scratched or if the plating wears off, you’ll see the brass inside.

There are also other alloys used as the core such as gold plated sterling silver, which is precious metal alloys in and out.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. These are not precious metals like gold.

Thus, they are less expensive.

Check out post on bronze vs copper jewelry for other 2 alternative choices.

Brass is not the only starting choice for affordable jewelry. There are many gold-plated items like tungsten, titanium, nickel and zinc core items.

If the base is sterling silver, things get more detailed.

How long will the gold-plated brass last?

How long gold plating brass lasts depends on the thickness of the plating, its gold karat, wearing frequency, how long you put it on, outside physical effects like scratching and impacts.

Thicker plating will take a longer time to disappear.

It will stand against the test of time and impact much better.

Just as an example, a 5 micron plating will last longer than a 4 micron gold plating.

24k gold is fine gold which is too soft for jewelry.

This is why gold alloys with various metals are produced to make jewelry.

These have smaller gold purity levels but with higher durability and strength.

As the gold content measured in karat value decreases, the scratch resistance will increase.

For example, 14k gold plating will last longer than 18k, under the same conditions.

Obviously, the more often you wear and the shorter duration you carry your jewelry, the less it will be open to daily wear and tear.

Lastly, the more you can avoid physical impacts, your gold-plated brass jewelry will serve much longer.

What is vermeil?

Vermeil is a special gold-plated item, which has its own rules.

If the inner metal is sterling silver and the plating is gold or gold alloy with at least 22k purity, with a thickness of at least 2.5 micron, it is called “vermeil” or “gold vermeil”.

Check article 23.4 in this document for further information.

The main benefit of gold-plated jewelry is getting the bright yellow gold shine at a fraction of the price of a solid gold item.

This means you can include more variety in your jewelry collection without moving the budget.

There are different plating methods, like electroplating, mechanical plating and more. The result of this operation should not be mistaken for an alloy. Gold plating is a thin layer of gold measured in microns or one one-thousandth of a millimeter.

Electroplating is a popular method for producing plated pieces. The object which is to be coated is submerged into a bath containing metal ions. Then, an electric current is given to the object. This causes it to act as a cathode and attract ions of gold or other metal.

Items produced in an electroplating bath, must have at least 0.175 micron thick layer of gold and at least 10 karat level.

If the gold percentage is less than 5% of the total weight, the producer must place a marking stating the percentage and the karat level.

For example, say a 18k gold-plated brass bracelet has 2% gold. The manufacturer should stamp it with a mark similar to “1/50 18K gold overlay”.

When gold and copper get mixed into an alloy, they blend totally. However, in the case of plated pieces, there are 2 distinct metals.

The benefit of having gold-plated brass is creating a more affordable shiny gold look.

The downside is the plating will wear off depending on various factors.

Don’t mistake gold-filled for gold-plated. Gold filled items have much more thick layers of gold. Of course, more gold will come at a higher price.

Here, the naming can be misleading: gold filled items are not void pieces filled with gold.

Does gold-plated brass rust?

Rust is the red-black color fruit of oxidation of iron and iron alloys.

Gold does not rust. It is one of the most inert metals.

Similarly, brass does not rust. It has no iron in its composition.

Thus, gold-plated brass does not rust.

Does gold-plated brass tarnish?

Gold does not tarnish, but when the plating wears off, things change.

Gold-plated brass does tarnish.

The thin gold layer can get scratched and damaged from physical impacts.

This will lead to a gradually diminishing of the gold layer.

This absence of the plating will lead the path to brass interacting with oxygen and humidity. This will eventually initiate tarnish.

How do you keep gold-plated brass from tarnishing?

With proper care, you can postpone tarnishing as much as possible and make better use of your jewelry.

Following the simple measures below, will increase the period of time your piece serves you.

1. Don’t put your gold-plated brass jewelry on heavy outdoor activities, water sports, pool, gym sessions, showers or during garden work. Pay attention to preventing physical impacts.
2. Don’t clean your jewelry with hard brushes or other objects that can cause scratches and damage the surface.
3. Don’t try to clean it with harsh chemicals. Use a soft cloth to remove dirt and grime without damaging or scratching the gold coating.
4. Don’t throw your pieces randomly into the jewelry box. Keep them in separate soft pouches or ziplock bags. This prevents occasional scratches by cutting contact with other harder items.
5. When you notice a color change and see the brass inside, consult your jeweler for a re-plating session.

Is gold-plated brass hypoallergenic?

Gold is hypoallergenic, but brass is not.

Brass is not a pure metal. It is a copper alloy with zinc, and it can include other metals, indirectly.

It may have trace amounts of nickel and lead. These are 2 of the most allergenic metals.

In particular, nickel may cause unease for people with sensitive skin.

Approximately, 10% of the US population is sensitive to nickel.

This is a good enough reason to avoid nickel pieces.

Take the cautious side and always prefer nickel-free jewelry.

Your best bet is choosing jewelry made from hypoallergenic metals.

These are very unlikely to initiate metal allergies and cause any skin irritation.

Check this post on hypoallergenic metals for more.

Does gold-plated brass turn the skin green?

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

As we said above, brass is a copper alloy.

When copper comes into contact with air and your skin, the conditions for oxidation are set.

Copper reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere and forms copper oxide.

Heat, humidity, your skin oil and cosmetics you put on contribute to these reactions.

The fruit is discoloration. This is a dark-greenish color on your ring finger.