What is 'plating'?
Plating is a method of disguising jewelry with another material. For example, all Belmia jewelry is made from 925 sterling silver, above that, gold jewelry is veiled in 14 karat gold or rhodium. This has a positive effect on the quality and price of the jewellery.
Depending on the thickness of the plating, gold and rhodium plated jewelry can last for years.
Gold plated jewellery
The gold used to plate Belmia jewelry is real gold. Depending on the carat of the gold, the jewel has a different shade. The higher the carat, the warmer/yellower the gold. The two most popular types in the jewelry industry are 14 carats and 18 carats, which indicates how much pure gold the jewel contains. Below is an overview of the carats of gold that are used:
- 24 carat gold: 99.99% pure gold (marked 999)
- 22 carat gold: 91.6% pure gold (marked 916)
- 20 carat gold: 83.3% pure gold (marked 833)
- 18 carat gold: 75% pure gold (marked 750)
- 14 karat gold: 58.5% pure gold (marked 585)
- 9 carats: 37.5% pure gold (marked 375)
- 8 carats: 33.3% pure gold (marked 333)
Rhodium plated jewellery
In addition to gold plating, it is also possible to plated jewelry in rhodium. Rhodium makes the jewel extra shiny and lays a protective layer around the jewel that protects silver against oxidation, among other things.
So, now you can look for the right jewelry with the right knowledge. Happy shopping!
