Gold Jewellery

Creating Handprint and Fingerprint in Gold
We often get asked if we can make our Handprint Jewellery and Fingerprint Jewellery in Solid Gold, Gold Plating or Vermeil. The answer is technically yes, we can in theory make any of our designs in gold. However, after weighing up all the pros and cons of Gold Handprint and Fingerprint Jewellery, we decided that this would break many of our brand promises and as a result we have decided not to offer this option. These are our reasons why...

Solid Gold is extremely expensive. To make a Handprint Charm Necklace such as our Handprint or Footprint Large Heart Necklace, the cost of the gold materials alone would (at today’s price) be over £700. Add in the cost of actually making the Gold Handprint Jewellery and the £1K+ price tag becomes unaffordable for the majority of people. While we appreciate that our Jewellery is certainly not cheap, we always try our best to keep it as affordable as we possibly can. 

Another option that we have explored at great length is Gold Plating or Gold Vermeil Handprint and Fingerprint Jewellery. 

What’s the difference between Gold Plated Jewellery and Gold Vermeil?
Gold plated Jewellery is the name that can be given to any Jewellery plated in gold. The metal underneath the plating can be any metal although brass or silver are the most common. The thickness of the gold plating can be any thickness, although it’s normally under 2.5 microns thick. 

Gold Vermeil (pronounced Ver-May) Jewellery requires the Jewellery to be made from silver and plated in gold to a minimum of 2.5 microns. Over the last few years, Gold Vermeil has become very popular with brands often offering it as an affordable alternative to solid gold. 

The disadvantages of Gold Plated and Gold Vermeil Handprint and Fingerprint Jewellery
We love Gold Vermeil Jewellery, we really do! It’s the perfect way to wear gold Jewellery in a fashionable inexpensive way. However…. It sadly won’t last forever. The problem with plating is that it will never be permanent. Whether through natural tarnishing, accidental scratching or even after years of rubbing on skin, the plating will eventually wear off. How fast this happens appears to be a question unanswered; some people will get 5 years of wear while others get months, however, as a rough guide Jeweller Platers often suggest that a year for each Micron of plating is a good guess. This would mean that Gold Vermeil at a micron of 2.5 would be ‘expected’ to last for approx 2.5 years. For fashion Jewellery, this is a compromise that can be weighed up and it’s often still a desirable option, especially if only for occasional wear.

When considering this option for Handprint and Fingerprint Jewellery, we truly believe that this wouldn’t be acceptable to our customers who, quite rightly, want their jewellery to last a lifetime. As a company, we feel that offering Jewellery that we know won’t last a lifetime, even if looked after carefully, goes against our brand value of creating Jewellery to love a lifetime. Of course, new processes and techniques are developed all the time and if the right alternatives for offering Gold Handprint and Fingerprint Jewellery arrive one day, we’ll welcome it with open hearts. 

"But I only wear Gold"
Let us transform you by breaking the rules! The popularity of Gold Jewellery and the wearability of Silver Jewellery has made the trend of mixing both metals very popular -and it looks great! Stack bangles, layered chains and rings to create a classy look with almost a boho twist. Don't believe us?... Check out our Pinterest board  for some Gold-Silver Inspiration.