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I am always looking for new materials to use to enhance and bring more quality to my Crystal Beads Jewellery; I recently came across some gold that I had not heard of before, Gold Filled.
After doing some research I have found that Gold Filled or Gold Fill is not that well known in the UK. It is imported from America, as there is nothing like it manufactured here in Europe.
14k Gold Fill is not like gold plated, as there is approx 100 times more gold in gold fill, than there is on plated wire. The gold layer is usually 50 to 100 times thicker as compared to what is on a gold plated item. Gold filled looks and usually wears as well as karat gold. Often referred to as rolled gold, Gold Fill is very hard wearing and should last under normal wear conditions it should last a lifetime.
Gold Filled is a great product, and I have just started using it with my earrings and I have to say I am very pleased with it, and the quality is superb and its reassuring to know that when someone buys any jewellery from me that uses gold filled parts, I know that the customer will be getting value for money and quality jewellery.
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The science part & other ways how gold is used
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Gold Filled
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Goldfilled, or Gold-Filled, abbreviated g.f. = Lower in gold content than 10 KT, usually 1/20 or 1/12 KT. In this technique a sheet of gold is mechanically applied to the surface. Victorian pieces are likely to be unmarked, but later pieces are marked with the fineness of the gold layer, and the part by weight of the gold. For example any piece marked "1/10 12K G.F." is composed of at least 1/10 12K gold based on the weight of the finished piece. In the U.S. gold - filled pieces must be at least 1/20 by weight to be classified as gold-filled.
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Gold plated
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A layer of gold applied to base metal, usually by electroplating. This is usually a very thin layer, only a few microns, which is likely to wear much more quickly than gold-filled.
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Gold Tone
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Gold coloured or electro-plated, not real gold as in measurable in karats or value.
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Gold Washed
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" Gold washed " describes metals that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled, or gold electroplate. The gold is applied by either dipping or burnishing the metal, but it is not plated.
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