Beads of Bali

Overview

The term "vermeil" came to America from the French language two centuries ago to describe silver-gilt (silver gilded with gold). It is typically used these days to describe a sterling silver item that has been plated with gold. In these modern times, the plating is usually applied using an electroplating process. The result is a beautiful, even plating that gives the user the look of gold.

We have run into some customers who are convinced that plating can be done only on a simple bead with flat surfaces. Not so. Look at the beautiful vermeil bead to the right. The surface is very irregular when the plating was perfect.

Pronunciation

"Vermeil" may be the most frequenlty mispronounced word in the beading world. Like many French words, it is not pronounced as it is spell.  The correct pronunciation (without accent) is "ver-may."  (Click here to hear!)

FTC Guidelines for Representing Jewelry as "Gold Vermeil"

Within the U.S. no item should be sold as "vermeil" unless the base object is sterling (.925 silver content) and the gold coating covers all significant surfaces with a gold alloy of not less than 10 karats. Furthermore, the coating must be at least 2.5 microns in thickness.

Some suppliers will first plate the silver with a thin layer of nickel for greater durability. The gold alloy is then applied to the nickel layer. There is nothing wrong with this process.  Some electroplating solution suppliers actually encourage it for a better outcome. However, under FTC regulations, any sterling silver item that is coated with nickel and then gold can be sold as "vermeil" only if the nickel plating is disclosed.

§ 23.5 Misuse of the word "vermeil."

(a) It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that an industry product is "vermeil" if such mark or description misrepresents the product's true composition.

(b) 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.

Note 1 to § 23.5:  It is unfair or deceptive to use the term "vermeil" to describe a product in which the sterling silver has been covered with a base metal (such as nickel) plated with gold unless there is a disclosure that the sterling silver is covered with a base metal that is plated with gold.

Note 2 to § 23.5:  Exemptions recognized in the assay of gold filled, gold overlay, and rolled gold plate industry products are

Pros and Cons

The chief benefit of gold vermeil is that the customer can have to look of gold at a fraction of the cost. In recent months, the price of gold has been about 40 times that of silver.

The chief disadvantage is that over time, the gold coating could come off with rough use. With normal use this is not likely to happen anytime soon. In any regard, gold vermeil items can always be replated at the local jewelry store or through an online service.