Vermeil Gold Plating Kit for Jewellery - 250ml Tanks
£519.99
(Excl. tax)
SKU:
VERMEIL-GOLD-250
This kit is the perfect choice for jewellers or makers wanting to focus specifically on plating over silver jewellery to a vermeil standard in gold, and is accessible for platers at all levels including beginners.
Vermeil plating by definition is specifically plating gold over sterling silver to a thickness of at least 2.5 microns. This thickness in gold is on average 5x thicker than that of most costume jewellery which is usually plated to around 0.5 microns.
Vermeil plated jewellery is widely recognised as being a marker of a high quality, premium product. For jewellers, the margins are high. The cost of using the extra gold is relatively low versus the prices charged for premium jewellery, this represents a very healthy profit. The versatility of our kit will allow you to create a premium thick layer of 24k gold (2.5 microns or more) as well as plate to lower thicknesses if you produce a range of both costume jewellery and vermeil jewellery.
The use of our Palladium Plating Solution as an interim barrier layer between the gold and silver, (a barrier layer is always necessary when plating over silver see FAQ below for more information), avoids the use of nickel which often causes allergies. This means that your jewellery can also be marketed as nickel-free / allergy-free and will comply with all regulations relating to the supply of safe jewellery.
This kit is designed for plating small pieces of silver jewellery such as earrings, rings, charms and other small accessories, in 24k gold on a small scale. The tanks in the kit are 250ml sized. To give an example, 250ml tanks will allow for small batch plating of between 3-5 average ladies sized rings at the same time. For smaller pieces such as stud earrings, batches could be between 3-4 pairs (6-8 individual pieces) at a time.
Our vermeil gold plating kit comes with everything needed to take silver to a deep golden tone in around 20 minutes per tank load. You are supplied with a suitable plating machine, 2 prep solutions - Electrocleaner and Palladium Plating Solution, and 24k Gold Plating Solution. Also included are 250ml plastic tanks with 316 grade Stainless Steel Anodes, plating leads and tank accessories.
Alongside this, you will recieve comprehensive guides on the process of vermeil plating as well as a 1-1 videocall training session lasting 1 hour with our instructor. During your training, you are guided on how to set up the kit and how to complete the vermeil plating process step by step under our direction. Results will be of a professional standard.
If you wish to start small and expand the kit later down the line to accomodate the plating of more pieces in one go, all that will be required is the purchase of larger volumes of solutions and different sized tanks and anodes. Your plating machine will be suitable to continue using in a larger set up.
As well as plating over silver, this kit will also allow you to plate over a range of other precious metals in 24k gold. These include: 9k gold, 18k gold, 22k gold, 24k gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum, rhodium, palladium.
Please note: if you require a 14k gold or 18k gold finish instead of 24k gold, this can be arranged. Please enquire about adapting the kit before purchase.
If you wish to plate in larger batch sizes and/or plate over a range of other metals not listed above such as stainless steel, brass, copper, zinc, aluminium and non-metals such as plastic, please see: G.S.P Prodigy 1.0 Electroforming / Electroplating Kit .
Images show 1 litre and 5 litre bottles of our plating solutions for illustrative purposes. In this kit you are supplied with 250ml each of all plating solutions. Please see contents for specifics. Gold rings in image are not included.
Contents Listing
This kit contains:
10A Electroplating Machine with plating leads
G.S.P Electrocleaner Solution 250ml
G.S.P Palladium Plating Solution (Tank Plating Only) 250ml
G.S.P 24K Gold Plating Solution 250ml
3 x 250ml Tanks with 316 Stainless Steel Anodes
1 x Tank Accessory Pack - includes a set of clamps, metal bar for rigging, wire wool
1 x Copper Rigging Wire
1 x Air Agitation Pump
2 x pairs of vinyl safety gloves
1 x Videocall Training session 1 hour duration
Full instructional manual for vermeil plating process
Additional items required but not included:
Deionised water for rinsing between plating stages
Baking Powder for deoxidising silver prior to plating
Overview of use
Full detailed instructions are supplied with this kit.
Vermeil Plating Process
Here is a brief overview of the vermeil plating process:
Step 1: Clean / polish the item to be plated
Step 2: Deoxidise the silver - instructions on this step are included
Step 3: Electroclean jewellery
Step 4: Palladium plate a very thin barrier layer
Step 5: Gold plate
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Technical Specs
Name of kit:
G.S.P Vermeil Gold Plating Kit for Jewellery - 250ml Tanks
Which plating machine is supplied in this kit?
10A Plating Machine
Please note that this machine comes with a UK plug - to use in the US or other countries, all that is required is a plug converter - this will convert a UK 3 pin plug into a standard 2 pin mains plug. These are inexpensive and available in hardware stores / online. Your converter does NOT need to be a step up/step down adapter, just a regular converter that can be purchased, to take the US as an example, for around $8.
What is the maximum amp output of the supplied plating machine?
10 amps
Plating modes:
Pen plating, brush plating, tank plating
Please note: this kit only comes with equipment for tank plating in 250ml tanks. Pen plating and brush plating equipment can be used with the machine but must purchased from us separately.
Mirror Tech capabilities:
No
Is this kit compatible with all Gold Solutions Plating chemicals / solutions?
Yes, additional / alternative precious metal finishes can be purchased separately.
Does this kit come with the G.S.P 5 Point Support Package?
Yes
Additional information:
N/A
Safety information:
This kit contains chemicals which are classed as hazardous, always wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure that you read and follow the supplied Safety Data Sheets for each chemical for details on how to stay safe.
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