Editor’s Note: In our last article, Calla Gold, a Santa Barbara jeweler specializing in custom jewelry design and jewelry repair, described gold plating and its best practices. In this article, she describes the step-by-step process.
How Gold Plating is Done, Step by Step
by Calla Gold
Gold plated – sometimes called electroplated – items are made with a layer of gold on the surface over another type of metal underneath. On some occasions, items are gold plated to try and fool buyers or cash-for-gold operators. But for the most part, plating is done to enhance the look or wearability of a piece of jewelry.
Gold plating is an easy technique, but before beginning the process, make sure your plater follows the best practices for best plating results.
Step 1: Surface Preparation
The surface of the metal to be plated must be very clean, so oils or dirt must be removed, and the piece must be polished. Surface preparation can include stripping, polishing, sandblasting, tumbling, etc. The use of solvents, abrasive materials, alkaline cleaners, acid etch, water, or a combination can be used. Typical methods to clean include acid or non-acid ultrasonic bath and a high rpm rouge wheel polishing. This is necessary for two reasons:
-
- To improve adherence. (Dust and dirt interfere with the plated metals adhering to the jewelry piece.)
- To keep the plating tanks free of contaminants.
Step 2: Cleaning
After the surface is prepared, and a visual inspection is done, electrocleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, or steaming, usually takes place. This second, deeper, cleaning step must follow to ensure metal is free of oils and dirt, which helps produce superior plating results. Steam cleaning blasts off any remaining oils that managed to hang on during the polishing phase. Take special note of intricate jewelry that has many nooks and crannies.
Step 3: Rinse
The piece is rinsed thoroughly with water to remove any cleaning agents.
Step 4: Strike
A strike layer — also called a flash layer — adheres a thin layer of high-quality nickel plating to the base metal.
In order to improve the bonding between the plating and the underlying surface, occasionally a buffer layer must be applied between them. With costume jewelry the base metal would contaminate the tanks with the gold in them, so a different metal is plated prior to the gold plating.
Additionally this step is used when the base metal, like copper, is known to atomically migrate outside of the gold layer to create spots of tarnish after plating. This strike step creates a barrier between the reactive base metal and the plated metal. This extends the life of the bright gold plating.
Step 5: Rinse Again
The piece is rinsed thoroughly with water to remove any cleaning agents.
Step 6: Base Coat
If a base coat below gold is used, it is usually nickel.There can be many layers of plating done on one particular piece. For example a gold-plated silver article is usually a silver substrate with layers of copper, nickel, and gold deposited on top of it.
Step 7: Final Coating
With time, temperature and voltage carefully controlled, the piece is submerged into the plating solution to attract ions of gold or the final metal that will show on the surface. Different metals require different voltages and temperatures.
The items to be plated are hung from a cathode bar, which is a pole with a negative electrical charge going through it. The pieces of jewelry connected to the cathode bar are also negatively charged. When the jewelry items are submerged in the tank an electrical charge is applied and the negatively charged jewelry attracts the positively charged ions present in the solution. The positively charged metal ions are submersed in the solution bath. When the cathode bar is lowered into the bath the metal jewelry gets plated.
The plating thickness can be controlled by adjusting the immersion time in the plating tank.
Step 8: Final Rinse
Rinse off the pieces with water and then hang them to dry.
Step 9: Drying
The pieces are hung, preferably not touching each other, in order to dry.
Step 10: Repeat – if Necessary
Occasionally, the immersion step into the chosen plating metal needs to be repeated. In order to improve the bonding between the plating and the underlying surface, occasionally a buffer layer must be applied between them.
After that step, rinsing and drying needs to be done.
Related Articles:
Additional Notes:
There are different metals used as the base metal in costume jewelry. Some of these base metals would contaminate gold plating tanks. It is for this reason that a different metal is plated in a prior step to the gold plating.
Gold plating has varying levels of ‘clingyness’ to different metals. For example gold has an affinity to silver. This translates to gold plating over silver lasting longer than gold plating over various base metals. Gold plating is long lasting over a base of gold. For example 18kt gold plated over 14kt gold lasts longer than 18kt yellow gold over sterling silver. So whatever metal is being used for the base in gold plating, it plays a significant role in how long the plating treatment will last.
If you would like to see pictures of the plating process, visit Calla’s website (see below).
As you can see, the naked eye may not be able to tell exactly which metal makes up a piece of jewelry. To be absolutely sure of the value of the precious metals you buy, use, and sell, you can utilize x-ray fluorescence technology. XRF precious metals analyzers are fast, simple, nondestructive solutions for gold analysis. You can measure the content of all gold and precious metals, as well as determine the presence and concentration of other trace, alloying elements, and dangerous heavy elements, which could impact health and the valuation of your pieces.
Reader’s Question: I have a pair of earrings and I would like to have them gold plated. I have noticed a slight difference in color were the prong is soldered to the base of the earring. Will the gold plating cover the color difference making just that spot more uniform?
Answer: My short answer to the question is that gold plating is immersive and will be the same color regardless of subtle color differences on the underlying metal. With silver that has been gold plated, when it oxidizes, that can cause the gold plating to darken in spots. If the other color metal in your earrings is a metal that oxidizes. Then it is possible that over time that oxidation could show up as darker, like a shadow in the gold plating.
About the Author:
Calla Gold, owner of Calla Gold Jewelry, has been a Santa Barbara personal jeweler since 1983, specializing in custom wedding ring design, jewelry repair, ring resizing and antique jewelry restoration. Her motto is, “Wear it, don’t warehouse it!” Calla shares her tips and advice on the topic of jewelry regularly on her blog and social media. She is a contributor to MJSA (a leading resource in jewelry making and design). Calla Gold is a jeweler without walls, coming to your home and office by appointment or over distance on the Internet. For more information on Calla Gold Jewelry, visit www.callagold.com
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I am a scientist, and Alumni. My name is Duncan.
For a a jewelery finish what metal’s and orde ant hazards you suggest, for my home project.
I have platted coppperr, to brass, and bronze..
Just an electro cell is all I needed, so I asummed. ike the ther metls mabbey gold is differnt.–I have seen the molecule of the salt.
This is the author’s reply:
Hello Duncan,
Thank you for your comment. If I understand your question correctly, you’re asking me if plating on other metals is the same as plating on gold. Plating gold and rhodium are my area of expertise, so unfortunately I cannot comment on the technicality of plating copper to brass. Maybe other readers can offer some advice by commenting below.
Calla Gold
Nice explanation
Thanks
Thank you, Hasan. Explore more of our blog for educational articles about precious metals.
Does gold finish mean it’s just got a layer of gold on top, and it’s not made of gold?
Bonnie — You would need to get the gold analyzed to confirm the gold content. Here’s an article that might help. https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/metals/gold-plating-best-practices/
Hi
This is Ricky, i have some question on Gold plating cutlery and i like to know if you can help or give some advise.
I have some gold plated cutlery in a gift box, when i opened the gold plated cutlery to my horror the gold cutlery had a layer of white substance on it. Especially knife has the most problem, we tried cleaning the white layer of substance away but after cleaning the white substance away there are marks on the knife and it is very obvious which you can see it clearly.
my questions are :
1) is there anyway that we can clean away the layer of white substance?
2) will the white substance resurface again after the cleaning?
3) how can we get rid of the marks on the knife?
4) the marks seems to be lighter, so you can see there are 2 tone of gold on the knife>
5) why is there a layer of white substance on the knife?
I hope to hear from you
Hi Ricky–
The author says this is a great question. She is consulting with her plating mentor and will let us know the answer.
Here’s an update:
It looks to me like the mystery of the “cloudy” plating to me. If the plating bath is out of balance you can sometimes get this effect. It could also be that there is residue from the previous plating bath that wasn’t completely rinsed off before going into the final gold bath. Keep in mind that the factories that plate items like this are doing thousands of items a day and many systems are automated. Every time you plate something you are taking metal, brighteners, and additives of various kinds out of the plating baths. All of this must be replenished periodically or you will have problems like this. The additions are in many cases automated as well but a human has to monitor things and if an alarm goes off that says “add more gold” but no one pays attention or they are short on funds, the additions aren’t made.
It could also be dirty rinse water. As you know plating is done in stages the first being cleaning then usually a copper or nickel under plate. If the rinsing between stages is not good, then you are “dragging” impurities into the next plating bath. At some point the impurities become too great and you start having problems like this.
So my opinion without holding the items in my hand is it is a plating issue.
The answer? I would start with using a new jewelers cloth or rouge cloth and try wiping the areas. You can try a damp micro fiber cloth as well. If that doesn’t have any effect then it’s definitely a plating issue and you are looking at polishing and replating.
That will make the mystery cloud vanish!!!
Is it possible to electroplate gold over pewter?
Our guest expert, Calla Gold, says Yes, the same process as gold plating.
I have a ring that the gold has worn off. It looks like a copper sub coat was used. It’s a cheap ring with a big red setting with little supposed diamonds on each side. A dear friend gave me the ring and I don’t want her to see that the gold is worn off. Can you help me? I would like to have a very heavy coating put on it. I mean a heavy coating.
Hi Dale–
Thanks for your question. The author has emailed you privately and asked for photos so she can advise you more appropriately.
is there an answer to this question? I am looking to plate some items and I want to know how to add a very heavy coat? Could I do an 14 or 18k base coat and then do the 24k coat over that?
Brandon–
We wrote this article just for you…
How Do I Add a Heavy Coat for Gold Plating?
Hi dear admin…How do I get gold from the gold plating waste water .please answer to email.thanks admin
Hi Sayyid — We answered your question with this article. Take a look: https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/metals/how-do-i-recover-microscopic-gold-from-plating-solution/
Hi I just bought a Goldteck 2000 gold electroplater but have no idea how to use it. I bought it for the parts inside and the case but then thought it would be nice to see what it does ok I know what it does but if I can gold plate something. I have wired a lot of an anodizing and electroplating factory but nothing to do with gold. It has two meters volts 0 to 20 Volts and an ammeter 0 to 10 Amps plus it has 5 output terminals marked Clean (Red), Activate (Green), Plate 1 (Blue) and plate2 (Yellow) and a common (Black) It has a potentiometer to set Volts and a rotary switch marked function and each step marked 1 to 5. t is marked as GOLDTECK 2000 If you can help it would be great as I can not find any instructions for it.
Hi Bill — I reached out to the author and here is her answer:
I’m sorry but I am not familiar with this piece of machinery. Each piece of machinery has its own steps, best practices and particular ways it is used.
I’d recommend contacting the manufacturer and reaching out to them. Best of luck.
Calla
Hello!
We are looking at engagement rings, and the question of gold plating came up. We’d like to end up with a white gold band, but a yellow gold cradle/prongs for the gem (to help the color ‘pop’ a bit more). Would there be any major differences between yellow-gold plating the top part of a white gold band, or starting with all yellow-gold and rhodium-plating the band part?
Best,
jp
Hi JP,
I’m assuming that you will be setting a colored gemstone which is why you want the popping yellow color. If you are setting diamonds white gold makes the diamonds pop their awesome whiteness.
If you’re indeed setting colored gems and want that nice warmth that yellow gold will give you then there are a couple things to consider.
If you are getting an all white gold ring some designs allow you to solder in a center yellow gold setting, called a head. That way you get your two color without paying a lot extra. This only works on rings that allow for different heads at the center. If your design has many elements, then they will be cast all at once and you’ll for sure need to choose a particular color.
I recommend that if you are going that route that you should yellow gold plate the setting for the gemstone. If you rhodium plate over a yellow gold cast ring it will wear off more noticeably on a large expanse of metal, like the shank of your ring. When you rhodium plate a large shiny expanse of metal, if it is simple and smooth the plating wears off faster than if it is textured, engraved or otherwise not perfectly smooth.
That means that plating a smaller area may give you a more lasting plating. I will mention that the first place that your plating will wear off is the top of your prong tips. That said, the prongs will be the better area to yellow gold plate or rhodium plate for that matter than the balance of the ring.
Thanks for your question!
Calla Gold
Hello,
I am bachelor in plating gold and rhodium on the contact terminals for switches. I noticed some white spots on the plated gold. Which can be the real causes for these issues?
Hi Eto–
We received a similar question from another reader and answered it with another blog article. Read this article and see if that helps you out. If not, please let us know. What is this White Substance on my Gold-Plated Cutlery?
Hi, nice to see this blogpost, because i am also running a gold, sliver, brass plating services dubai, UAE. its not a easy way to do a plating services .. thanks for explaining this..
Hello, I have a pair of earrings and I would like to have them gold plated.
I have noticed a slight difference in color were the prong is soldered to the base of the earring.
Will the gold plating cover the color difference making just that spot more uniform?
Thank you very much.
Editor’s Note: Thank you for your question, Adriana. Calla’s answer has been incorporated into the article above.
Hello ,i m trésor from DRCongo ( Kinshasa) i need a full training about gold plating( electroplating )_ i m ready to travel for the training ,please let me know if you can help for that and where please
Hi Tresor–
Sorry, but we offer precious metal analyzers and other technology to help identify metal elements. We do not offer gold plating training. But maybe our readers can help.
hi,
thanks for giving such a wonderful blog, i am also running a electroplating services in uae, i know the process of gold plating services. You clearly explained about it, thanks
Hi,
i really know about the gold plating services and step by step process because, i am also running a electroplating services in uae, so i know the detailed about electroplating
And in this blog you explanation was great, it really awesome
Hi,,
its really an awesome blog post, if you want to get a gold plating services in uae, just search ( classic metal coating ) here to get a services
Hello.
I am jewelry manufacture from India. We face many Difficulties in gold plating & rose gold plating that it is tarnishing very quickly. My clients complain me about that even 3 micron tarnish in 2-3 weeks.
In rose gold plating goes black.
My clients compare there plating with China manufacture & there jewelry can’t tarnish.
Can you help me in this matter ?
Thank you very much.
We have answered many reader’s questions in this article: 7 Questions about Gold Plating Answered
Can the electroplating process be reversed have circuit boards with gold on them can I use this process to take the gold off the circuitboard and deposit it on a piece of gold wire
We have answered many reader’s questions in this article: 7 Questions about Gold Plating Answered
Hi its really an awesome blog post. you clearly explained about the step by step process of the gold plating services..
recently i visit classic metal coating company for gold plating services, they are also explained the same thing, i am really suprised
thank you for this wonderful blog
Hi,
I have a very collectable and valuable vintage bracelet made of base metal with glass inserts. It has been gold plated once but the coat has worn off completely. If I am to gold plate the bracelet would it have to be taken apart first or can it be plated assembled?
Thank you very much.
We have answered many reader’s questions in this article: 7 Questions about Gold Plating Answered
Hi
I would like to plate copper/nickel/gold on the top of a gold plated piece. Can you tell me as what the process is? Do I need to activate the base gold plating in order to plate copper over it? Or do you recommend nickel/copper/nickel/gold on the top of a gold plated piece?
Thanks
We have answered many reader’s questions in this article: 7 Questions about Gold Plating Answered
This is pretty cool, I really can appreciate the details of the plating process . Our company Classic Metal Coating also offers such services in Dubai, UAE
Hello, my name is Khulan. I really appreciate that you share this.
Can gold-plated copper sheet be used in nanoparticles’s tool? That tool is sputter deposition.
Let’s see if our readers can help!
I want to start gold plating project where can I get electrolyte in Kenya and it’s cost
Maybe our readers can help?
Around 7 to 8 lack in india
process of gold plating step by step is interesting and important for every one
Very nice article!!
We are from a scientific research lab and are currently looking for very thin( nano thick ) gold films on silver substrates.
So far, we have tried the Kodak gold developing solution, which has Sulphate salts of Gold. Kindly let us know if any one is working in a similar field.
Maybe our readers can help!
Hello I’m a lapisarist. I make jewelery I am also a gem hunter, miner,and a forever student of the mineral, gems, and jewels world. I have a lot of material to make gold filled jewelery but I keep seeing it needs to be plated if you are going to solder it. I also have a rectifier plating machine. My question is what do I need to do to plate gold to gold what is the process for doing this exactly? In order to feel good about the products I would be selling and to keep them free of tarnish.
Very informational post. Keep it up.
I have plenty of jewelery but never knew how they are gold plated. That’s great stuff over here, thanks for sharing!
I love statement jewellery pieces… Loved how you suggested Different ones
Amazing article! Thanks for all the clear information. I was reading out of curiosity only and also because i am interested in plating some jewelry myself to start a small business. I do have a question: why would someone would want to do gold plating on actual gold? Thank you!
Hi Carolina– Thanks for your question. You can find some of the answers in another article we published: 7 Questions about Gold Plating Answered One possibility includes the original gold has become worn out and too thin.
This article you have posted it’s very helpful. Such an incredible blog with superb knowledge. Kindly keep posted this type of articles and we look forward. Warm Regards Wall painting service in sharjah
hello, i followed some links about gold foil application, or its plating, im thinking its foil though.
I am trying to source info about re-covering restoring, reviving car emblems, that were originally part of a “gold” trim package option, of which the gold is faded, detoriorated, or is just not present anymore,
am i correct in thinking that its based around reapplying gold leaf foil and then would anyone be able to provide a link that would steer me in the correct direction
thanks!
emblems of cars are made of plastic.
to electroplate them we paint the plastic form with an conductive paint then we apply a thin layer of copper the nickel and finally gold.
hi. for 10,20,30 square centimeters of plating surface on copper — gold and silver– which device will good– ???V,???A ? on a copper surface i must to plate gold and silver–with which one i must to start copper+silver+gold or copper+gold+silver? can be done in this order? thanks.
Maybe our readers can help?
Sir I wanted to ask a question related to the same. When a necklace piece is been dull and cut finish ( dull Tass )
What can we do to cover the dull part of the necklace properly. I’ve tried to do gold plating on it but the result is not as desirable as wanted. So my question how do I make the dull finish part of the piece look yellow and not grey or white
Maybe our readers can help?
Just bookmarked your page, thanks for the info!!
Thanks for sharing this with us,Your blog is very interesting and Informative, and helps me to Know more about the latest designs and makes my mind to have these kinds of jewellery. and I would try to come here time and again for more updates. I will keep visiting you blog.
Moonstone Jewelry
This is a very informative blog about gold-plated jewelry. The points you have made in this blog are very useful, keep writing, and thanks for this valuable blog.
Such an excellent blog. Thanks to the author for sharing such information with us about gold-plating jewelry like bezel gemstone jewelry. All points are nicely explained.
Your website has provided much productive and informative knowledge regarding gold plating jewelry. And it would be more beneficial for us, in such concern as what kind of factors we should know or use in the jewelry business—looking something more regarding jewelry gemstones from you.
Hi Mathew — Thanks for your comment. Here’s an article you might find interesting… How to Test Gemstones for Authenticity
very nice, thanks for the informative post.
Thanks for sharing some great information about jewelry in this blog. It’s so helpful for us.
Thank you so much for sharing such a piece of useful information over here with us. This is really a great blog have you written. I really enjoyed reading your article. I will be looking forward to reading your next post.
moonstone jewelry
Love to read your content and information. Your writing skill is informative and very understandable. I work in a sheet metal stamping company so I always visit the internet to gather more information about tools and techniques. Visit:
Thanks for sharing some great information about jewelry in this blog.
This is a very great information you shared in your post. Thanks for sharing this blog.
Larimar jewelry
Nice very interesting information about jewellery
Very Detailed Blog about gold plating thank you dear admin for sharing this.
You have shared an exciting blog regarding gold plating and explained it very well. I have become a big fan of yours. Thank you for sharing this excellent article.
Thanks for sharing great information over here with us about Gold Plating. It’s so helpful for us.
Great Article. I love gold plated jewelry specially 925 sterling silver two tone jewelry! There is a touch of class to it which one simply cannot tell.
impressive, thanks for the post.
Hello,
I am bachelor in plating gold and rhodium on the contact terminals for switches. I noticed some white spots on the plated gold. Which can be the real causes for these issues?
This article may be helpful: What is this White Substance on my Gold-Plated Cutlery?
It’s a lovely and informative Blog. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks for the blog. Your blog is very informative.
I have been working in the jewelry industry for the last five years and this article will help in my professional life. So thanks for sharing.
Your Content is very informative and very helpful in my jewelry business.
Thanks for sharing this content… :)
Nice Information on the process of gold plating for jewellery
I have been working in the jewelry industry for the last few monrhs and this article will help in my professional life. So thanks for sharing.
Such a very nice informative blog post for me, i am working in jewelry industry last 13 Year, this kind of post really help us. keep sharing.
Thank you