In order of least expensive to most expensive, and low to high quality, these are your options when buying gold jewelry:
Gold-plated jewelry has a base of some other metal, such as brass, covered with a thin layer of gold. This is what you’ll find on the lower end of the price spectrum. Gold-plated jewelry rubs off easily, revealing the metal underneath and losing its color and shine quickly. It also tarnishes quickly from my own personal experience.
Gold vermeil is similar to gold-plated jewelry but the difference is that the layer of gold is thicker and the metal underneath is sterling silver. It will last longer than gold-plated jewelry, but can still tarnish if exposed to water, sweat, or perfume, or the gold may eventually scratch and rub off with wear.
Where to shop: I actually have a variety of gold vermeil pieces from Mejuri and have found that they retain the gold layer and shine quite well if taken care of. Get 10% off at Mejuri via this link.
Gold-filled مجوهرات, contrary to the name, is not actually filled with gold. Rather, a thick layer of gold is bonded to another metal, such as brass or copper. The gold layer is 5% of the total weight. Gold-filled jewelry is a great economical alternative to solid gold. If taken care of, it can last as long as solid gold and won’t tarnish or rub off. The downside is that if you were to resell your gold-filled jewelry, it would not have as much value as solid gold jewelry.
Where to shop: I love my gold-filled pieces from GLDN!
Solid gold jewelry is not actually 100% solid gold, because pure gold is too soft to create durable jewelry. Instead, gold is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, and zinc. Solid gold jewelry is the most expensive and high quality option as it’s long-lasting, doesn’t rub off or flake, and doesn’t tarnish. Gold actually increases in value over time, and solid gold jewelry has the best resale value.
Where to shop: Mejuri, AUrate, و Automic Gold are three ethical brands that sell solid gold jewelry.