Gold Filled is fast growing in popularity within the jewellery making world, giving the look and feel of gold with a more affordable price tag. I had the chance to work with some gold filled products for my latest Cooksongold tutorial (which you can find here: https://www.cooksongold.com/blog/project/make-a-gold-filled-heart/), and I was really impressed with how lovely the products were to work with. Once the tutorial piece was finished, it wasn’t possible to tell any difference from using solid 14k gold in the jewellery design. Given that gold filled can be soldered and hand stamped, this versatile metal will definitely be making it’s way into my designs- so I thought I’d tell you a little more about the benefits of gold filled jewellery, and why I think it’s a great alternative to solid gold.

‘Gold Filled’ is the term used when a gold alloy (usually 12k and 14k gold) is bonded to the surface of a core metal (such as brass) with heat and pressure.

Gold Filled is a long lasting product when well cared for, because the bonded gold layer is thick- it has 100x more gold in than gold plated jewellery! By law, the amount of gold is 5% of the weight of the item. As the gold layer is on the surface, gold filled offers great protection from tarnish and wear.

Gold filled jewellery is a reasonably priced alternative to solid gold, giving you the same look and great durability for a more affordable price point.

Gold filled is most often made from recycled gold, creating an ethical material which reduces the need for further gold mining.

Gold Filled is much better for people with metal sensitivities than gold plated, due to the thicker gold layer, which is just like wearing solid gold next to the skin. But of course, if you are allergic/ unable to wear gold jewellery, then gold filled will cause the same effect.

Gold filled is perfect to use for meaningful gifts, birthdays etc, as it can be worn daily and lasts for decades.

Gold Filled is also known as ‘rolled gold’ or ‘bonded gold’, and can be soldered and hand stamped.

Gold plated jewellery is a very small amount of gold plated onto a brass base, which means that the plating wears off much faster than gold filled, and wearing daily is not advised.

Gold plating contains no measurable portion of the products weight in gold (0.5%), whereas Gold Filled contains 5%- 100x more gold! So gold plated jewellery is best for fashion and costume jewellery.

I hope that’s given you a nice insight into why gold filled jewellery has grown so much in popularity, and is a great alternative to solid gold for your jewellery pieces! Any questions- please do drop me a message!

Much love,

Kirsty Xx