Vermeil 14K Gold Plating Kit for Jewellery - 250ml Tanks

Why is the 14K gold vermeil plating kit the same price as the 18K gold vermeil plating kit? Shouldn't it be cheaper?

Both our 14k gold and 18k gold solutions contain the same amount of 24k gold within the solutions - 4 grams per litre. The amount of 24k gold content within a solution is what sets the price.

The other non-precious metals contained within the 14k and 18k gold solutions are what determine the hardness and the colour of the deposited gold only. The tone of gold itself is not a marker of the quality of the gold, the only thing that dicates the price is the amount of pure gold content, which is equal in both solutions. It's just down to personal taste as to which tone suits you best.

All other components of these kits are the same.

Why do I need to plate a barrier layer of palladium between the silver and gold?

A barrier layer is always necessary when plating any finish over silver. This is because silver is prone to causing migration. Migration is the process of the top coat of gold sinking down into the silver in the days and weeks after plating. This will cause discolouration in the plated finish. Applying a thin layer of our palladium before plating the gold top coat will seal the silver and prevent any of the gold sinking down into it. Our palladium is specifically formulated to act as an effective barrier plate.

Can I skip the palladium layer and plate gold directly onto the silver?

No, this will cause defects in the plating over time and will not produce a professional result.

If I use palladium is the jewellery still classed as vermeil?

Yes, the palladium layer does not diminish the vermeil classification and is a necessary component in this process.  Vermeil by definition is plating gold over silver to a thickness of at least 2.5 microns, if both of these points are met, the jewellery is still vermeil despite the palladium layer.

Using a palladium barrier between the silver and the gold is the only way to professionally plate over silver to guarantee longevity and quality. As an aside, palladium is a precious metal belonging to the platinum group of precious metals. Therefore, its use will not introduce non-precious elements to your jewellery.

Are other plating solutions better as the barrier layer e.g. nickel, platinum, rhodium?

No, nickel is highly discouraged when plating jewellery. Nickel makes an excellent barrier layer for most applications of gold plating but not for jewellery, it will cause rashes and skin complaints in a large proportion of the populatation. The use of nickel in jewellery making is highly regulated and the rules are very difficult to comply with. Our specific palladium is a safe alternative and your jewellery will comply with all regulations and can be sold as allergy-free.

Platinum and rhodium are both more expensive than palladium and will not offer better results as a barrier plate. Palladium is a much more cost effective choice. Additionally, both platinum and rhodium are subject to migrating down into the silver in the same way that gold does so are generally unsuitable on this basis alone. 

Does the kit come with everything I need for the vermeil plating process?

You are supplied with a plating machine and all solutions, tanks, anodes and accessories required for the vermeil plating process.

The only additional items you will need that are not supplied by us are a supply of deionised water, baking powder, aluminium foil and (optional) pressure spray bottle.

The deionsied water will be used as your rinse water between plating stages. It is widely available online or in supermarkets for a few pounds for 2.5 litres. Rather than using a bath of deionised water to rinse items, many platers prefer to use a pump-action pressure spray bottle filled with deionised water as this allows for more thorough rinsing. This is an optional extra that is not supplied but is available online or in garden centres, a 2 litre bottle will be fine.

Baking powder and aluminium foil is used as part of the deoxidisation of your silver jewellery before plating (very easy to do and full instructions are supplied).

The plating machine and air agitation pump are fitted with 3 pin plugs, so some international users may need to purchase separately adapters to turn the 3 pins into 2 pins. Please see 'Technical Specs' tab for more info.