What's the difference between Solid Gold and Gold Plated?Updated a year ago
Many of our "In Stock" rings are made with gold plating. This is what makes them so much more affordable than solid gold rings. These are alternative metal (tungsten, cobalt chrome, black zirconium, etc) rings dipped in gold, and the gold plating does tend to fade over time as it mixes with your skin’s oils. Exposing these rings to harsh chemicals (bleach, lysol, hand santizer, nail polish remover, etc) will speed up this process, so keep your gold plated ring away from these.
Solid Gold will oxidize a little over time but it will never fade the way gold plating does. The price tag is certainly higher, but Solid Gold is made to last and does retain its value, unlike it's plated friend.
Comparing the two:
Long term, plated jewelry will need more care than Solid Gold. With all plated jewelry, you can plan to take it to a local jeweler about every 2 years or so and have it re-plated. This is usually a nominal fee. You will also want to keep it away from harsh chemicals (bleach, Lysol, hand sanitizer) as those will fade the gold plating faster than normal. If the plating is wearing after less than a year, that is covered under our one year warranty, so we are happy to replace it. More on the warranty here.