Gold plated chain tarnish

[ashleygleed]

Has anyone here had any problems with the gold plated chain tarnishing from Rings & Things?  I've bought so many types of chain(not from here), and about 8 times out of 10 it tarnishes badly and quickly.  I'm wondering if the stuff from here is better quality?  Thanks!

[Polly]

That is a good question -- hey Readers, if you've bought plated chain from us, how has it worked out for you?

Our plated bulk chain has a nice long-lasting lacquer finish, which helps prevent tarnishing. 

I've had GREAT luck with our silver-plated chain on spools, and silver plated chain normally has a bad reputation.  My favorite style (40-099-27-3 14mm flat ring chain), I've used for necklaces and belts, and they've held up great.  I've had the necklace a few years, and wear it a LOT in the summer. The belts I created for doing recycling at craft shows - so on them, I was toting a bag with my heavy old-school cell phone, plus a few keys and some cash, and have with no breakage or visible wear

But I don't have much experience with the gold plate... so I'd love to hear what others say.  If the gold plate doesn't hold up as well, I bet we can talk to the manufacturer about a different finish.

[Russ Nobbs]

Good question, Ashley.

I also hope we get replies from users.

There are many qualities and thicknesses of plated finishes. We think we have good plating done for us on these chains but that could change from shipment to shipment so we are very glad to hear when there is any problem.

The  silver plate is actual silver metal. We know that sterling silver tarnishes so we have that finish covered with an anti-tarnish coating.
We have had a couple of complaints about a couple of the heavier styles( used for purses) in the silver finish getting a yellow tint. If so we may have to go to a better (longer lasting) anti tarnish finish. We've got 3 spools laying out in a sunny window after being handled to see if we can recreate the problem.

All plated finishes wear out after enough time and wear. How long they last is the measure of the quality. As described in the catalog, some chains are made from steel while others are brass. The finishes on both are basically the same.

[Arvel Major]

The sad truth is that gold plating eventually wears off. Gold doesn't tarnish, but gold plating wears off, leaving the base metal underneath visible. So the true answer to your question is "by not wearing it".
pearl jewelry

[rcf925]

The reason gold or silver plating wears off is the plate itself is about 1/30th the thickness of a sheet of paper.

[Polly]

It's true that plating is a relatively thin layer of metal, and will always wear through ... eventually. It is not like a solid gold piece ... but then again, you don't (or shouldn't) pay the price of a solid gold or platinum piece either!

It is also true that there are a variety of plating qualities out there. The plating on some pieces of jewelry, wears off before you get home.  We don't want to sell that type of chain.  You put your hard work and creativity into the pieces you make, with our components.  We want customers coming back to you because they want to buy MORE, not because they are angry that it fell apart or the plating wore off while they were still shopping at the show.

We're not promising that jewelry created with our chain this year, will be handed down through the generations like an 18kt gold brooch from previous centuries.  But we do promise that it is a lot more affordable, and will still last much better than the cheap chain that turns color before you get home from a hot arts & crafts fair.

And, it can be very fun to pick up an inexpensive (but not cheap) new necklace that meets the trends you're seeing in magazines -- multiple mixed-media strands, faux pearls, semi-precious gemstones, or mixed metals -- and perfectly matches the new shirt you picked up in this season's hot colors, AND is hand-crafted with love from a creative jewelry-maker.

Because of this, we welcome questions and feedback about the quality of our plated bulk jewelry chain.

[Luann Udell]

Nice response, Polly, well put! 

Traditionally, gold-FILLED is a more durable option than gold PLATE.  Gold-fill is an actual "sandwich" of metals--the "bread" is usually 14K gold, with a "filling" of base metal (often brass).  The layer of gold is usually thicker than plate, and wears better.  There ARE vintage and antique jewelry pieces made from gold-fill that have held up beautifully.  It's a nice compromise between pricey gold and less expensive base metal findings, costing about the same as sterling silver.

The only drawback is that gold-fill materials cannot be CAST.  A friend in the fashion jewelry components biz noted that there are more and more components, usually imports, being offered that say they're gold-fill, that can't possibly be that because they are cast pieces, not formed pieces.  I'm not a metal smith, so I can't offer an expert example.  I think chains & headpins can be gold-filled, because they are made from wire-like pieces, and clasps, too, because they can be formed from sheets.  But toggle clasps can't be gold-filled because they are CAST.  Casting processes melt ALL the metals together, so you lose the all-gold layer.

And of course, nowadays it's possible to use ultra-thin layers of gold for the sandwich, defeating the advantage of a thicker layer.  As Polly & Russ noted, we have to rely on the reputation, integrity and character of the suppliers--R&T has to rely on the quality of their sources' materials, and we in turn can rely on R&T.  Letting them know when there's a problem with a product helps them maintain that chain of excellence.  Oops, pun not intended, but hey, it works!   

[Russ Nobbs]

Thanks for mentioning Gold Filled in this context. It is a viable, albeit more expensive, alternative to gold electroplate. (GF is similar in price to Sterling)

You mention "components, usually imports, being offered that say they're gold-fill, that can't possibly be that because they are cast pieces, not formed pieces."
 
That is changing. There is a new gold filled process recently available in Europe and/or Israel that appears to produce GF quality from small cast components.

Traditionally, Gold Filled is produced with heat and pressure in a controlled atmosphere. See http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html for my favorite description with good graphics. Unlike gold electroplating or gilding this process produces a welded diffusion layer in such a way that the gold layer does not separate from the base. The gold can wear away but it does not flake off. (If you have seen old, well worn GF items you may have noticed the "stepped" appearance with the bright gold and the now tarnished or green brass below/)

As I understand it, the new proprietary process starts with a relatively small brass casting. Using what is described as "nanotechnology" a layer of gold is deposited so that there is a diffusion layer between the 2 alloys. We are told the new process meets the FTC guidelines for GF in both weight of gold to the total weight (1/20th) and in the durability. So far I've found no technical or industry articles on the new gold filled process. The process works best (and/or is affordable) on small castings.

At Rings & Things an example of the new process is the 41-651-99 series crimp ends at Gold Filled Crimp Ends  compared to the sterling crimp end clasps.

Other vendors are now offering this type of GF goods. Halstead Bead I know has some.

Some of our staff is wearing these right now to see how they hold up. I haven't tried grinding or filing into them to see how the layers look.

[lisagelvers]

Well this is a very good question.As we know silver plated chains get tarnished after some period of time by reaction of silver with the air.Gold plated chains may get tarnished after sometime.All depends upon the quality