Gold Plating

Gold plating is 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, items are made with a layer of gold on the surface over another type of metal underneath. Surface preparation of the metal can include stripping, polishing, sandblasting, tumbling, etc. The use of solvents, abrasive materials, alkaline cleaners, acid etch, water, or combination can be used for cleaning the metal surface. The metal piece is rinsed thoroughly with water to remove any cleaning agents.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 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. The items to be plated are hung from a cathode bar, which is a pole with a negative electrical charge going through it. The plating thickness can be controlled by adjusting the immersion time in the plating tank.