What Is Vermeil Made Of?
Gold can be expensive, but many people enjoy wearing it anyway. For a less expensive option, consider silver gilt or vermeil. You can relish a flash of golden jewelry without the high price tag. Does this Spark an idea?
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The Facts
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Vermeil is .925 silver (an alloy of 92.5 percent pure silver with 7.5 percent copper or another metal) that has been gilded either mechanically or by electrolysis (negatively and positively charged electrons force charged ions to negative and positive electrodes). After either process, the gilt object is polished with agate stone to achieve a high luster. It is sometimes called "silver gilt" because the silver is coated with gold, but no silver is visible on the piece.
Processes
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The coating for mechanical gilding is comprised of an amalgam of gold and mercury. After the piece has been fired, the mercury evaporates and the piece is left with a coating of pure gold. In electrolysis, a silver item is wired as a cathode (negatively charged electrode) and a bar of gold as the anode (a positively charged electrode). Both are plunged into an electrolytic liquid and an electric current passes through. This allows gold ions to be deposited onto the silver piece.
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Significance
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Vermeil has many uses--vermeil jewelry is popular because of the more affordable cost, but many other items are also made from vermeil, such as trays, flatware and tea services. Vermeil is even housed in a collection in the Vermeil Room at the White House. The collection encompasses pieces from various service sets, including handiwork from the work of Paul Storr, an English Regency silversmith; Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot, a silversmith from the French Empire, and London's Philip Rundell.
Benefits
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Gold-plated silverware is heavy and not always practical to eat from, considering gold is a soft metal. Vermeil is noncorrosive, and combines the lightness and lower cost of silver with a high-quality coating of gold and its unforgettable brightness. Because it is resistant to staining, vermeil is also used to cover utensils that spend a lot of time in salt or acidic foods.
Considerations
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According to the Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries, section 23.5, "An industry product may be described or marked as 'vermeil' if it consists of a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold, or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat fineness, that is of substantial thickness and a minimum thickness throughout equivalent to two and one half (2 1/2) microns (or approximately 100/1,000,000ths of an inch) of fine gold." If a piece does not conform to these specifications, it is not considered true vermeil.
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