Choosing your diamond carat weight for a pendant is totally based on budget and preference, and carat weight is super related to the size your diamond will have in actual millimeter measurements. Anything from a petite .25 carat stone to a big whopper-sized diamond will do the trick, it’s just based on what you like. And you can set that diamond in a number of ways.
Diamond Solitaire Pendant A diamond solitaire pendant just refers to your pendant being a single diamond, suspended from a chain. It’s simple, subtle, and practically essential if you’re building your jewelry collection. Definitely include one of these.
Diamond Halo Pendant A diamond halo means a center stone is surrounded by another circle of small diamonds, typically in pavé settings, giving it a sort of glittering collar. This is a great option if you want to step up the design of a solitaire pendant without totally changing the look. It can also make a smaller center diamond look larger by giving it an overall size bump.
Diamond Cluster Pendant A cluster-style diamond pendant, instead of being one focus stone surrounded by accents, is an arrangement of several stones to create an overall look. The design can be nearly any shape or form, from a bubbly look to a floral pattern to something super geometric. You can also choose to incorporate color, with colored gemstones or fancy colored diamonds.
Diamond Drop Pendant A diamond drop necklace is basically any design element that accentuates your diamonds, with a longer dangle style that sort of drips down from the main chain element. This could be a subtle line design, with a vertical bar drop. Or perhaps it’s a fanciful flower or teardrop shaped pendant.
Diamond Necklace Unlike a diamond pendant which is an element that hangs from a chain, a diamond necklace is really a style that has more diamonds or built-out elements that encircle the neck or go all the way around. For example, a diamond eternity necklace that surrounds your entire neck with a glittering row of diamonds in any shape and size you like.
When choosing your gold and diamond pendant necklace style and size, think about how you’d like to wear it. Bigger, bolder styles don’t necessarily go with everything in your closet, so perhaps that’s more of a special occasion look. While something more simple, but still sparkling, can give you just a hint of “dressed up” when popping out of your neckline. Think about the collar style you typically wear, and whether you want the diamond to hang over your shirt, or be visible above the collar to determine the chain length you’d prefer. 16-18 inches is a standard pendant chain length for something that sits high on the body, just at the nape of your neck, between your collarbones. You can go longer if you prefer more of a drop style or want the chain to lay on top of your shirts.
There are so many types of gold jewelry available, which can be very confusing and frustrating when you’re shopping. We’ve all been there - your favorite necklace turning your neck green. At Simple & Dainty, we are committed to handcrafting jewelry that is perfect for everyday wear. We wanted to explain the differences between the types of gold jewelry available - gold plated, gold vermeil, gold filled, and solid gold.
Here's a quick summary - you can also Pin it for later!
Read on for more details, and you’ll see why we love solid gold, gold filled, & gold vermeil!
Gold plated jewelry is a very light layer of gold - 0.05% actual gold or less - on top of a base metal (usually brass or copper). The thin layer of gold is plated onto the base metal to create gold plated jewelry.
Since the gold plating is very thin, the gold can rub off easily. It is also more prone to tarnishing when exposed to any kinds of liquids or chemicals. Although gold itself does not corrode, copper and brass will, especially when exposed to liquids (in the air, sweat, lotion, perfume, etc). Gold plated jewelry is much, much cheaper than the other types of gold jewelry because it uses a tiny amount of gold on top of a base metal. Gold plated jewelry is a good option if you need jewelry for just an occasion, or for trying out new trends.
Gold vermeil (pronounced ver-may) is 2.5 microns of gold plating on top of sterling silver. US standards require there to be at least 2.5 microns of gold plated on top of sterling silver, but some other countries require less, such as Canada only requiring 1.0 micron. It is hypoallergenic, so people with metal allergies can wear it safely. Gold vermeil lasts much, much longer than gold plated jewelry because the plating is so much thicker. Over years, with lots of excessive use, the gold can wear off in areas with a lot of contact.
Since the base metal of gold vermeil is sterling silver, and sterling silver can tarnish, gold vermeil can tarnish if it's left in the open and not sealed in an air tight bag. Luckily, you can easily clean off the dark spots with a polishing cloth. Gold vermeil should be treated just like a sterling silver piece.
We recommend purchasing gold vermeil products from trusted brands because some companies can claim their products are vermeil, but their products don't actually have 2.5 microns of gold. 2.5 microns converted to inches is .0001", so as you can imagine, it's quite hard to measure without proper equipment. At Simple & Dainty, we send our vermeil pieces to a reputable plating factory that has the capability of measuring how much gold they are plating on top of the sterling silver.
Many charms can’t be made of gold filled due to its limitations (more on that soon!), so we use gold vermeil instead. A few of our necklaces have gold vermeil charms on gold filled chains, such as our Dainty Horn Necklace, Roman Coin Necklaces, and Tiny Lock Necklace - and we absolutely adore our gold vermeil rings (Starburst Dome Ring, Starburst Signet Ring, & Dainty Baguette Ring to name a few). Gold vermeil jewelry is a great choice for those who want something to wear daily while still being affordable.
Gold filled is a solid layer of gold mechanically bonded to a base - jeweler’s brass. US standards require the gold layer to consist of 1/20th (or 5%) of the jewelry’s total weight. Gold filled can be made with 14k or 12k gold, with 14k being more common. Sometimes there is a marking on the jewelry piece that says 1/20 14K GF or 1/20 14K, but not necessarily all the time.
Gold filled jewelry has almost 100x more gold than gold plated jewelry. Since the gold is mechanically bonded to the base rather than plated, it can’t rub off, unlike gold plated jewelry. It has the same qualities as solid gold jewelry at a fraction of the cost - it's tarnish resistant and waterproof, making it great for everyday wear. Gold filled jewelry is also great for people who are allergic to metals, as the material will not cause an allergic reaction.
Gold filled has some limitations because of the way it is manufactured; it is only available in wire or sheet form, so it cannot be casted or poured into a mold. Gold filled charms are either flat (made from sheets), or hollow (two pieces of sheet metal soldered together). Whenever we can't make charms or rings out of gold filled, we use gold vermeil instead.
US gold filled jewelry is our material of choice; we use gold filled where ever we can because it is higher quality than gold vermeil and gold plated, but still not as expensive as solid gold. Our favorite 100% gold filled jewelry includes: Traveler's Coin Necklace, Croissant Hoop Earrings, Everyday Hoop Earrings, Gold Solitaire Ring, Saint Christopher Necklace, and Tiny Tag Necklace.
Brazilian gold filled, which is different than US gold filled, is another type of gold filled that is very popular nowadays. Brazilian gold filled consists of 1/30th (or 3%) of 18k gold over a base metal. It has 40% less gold than US gold filled, but can still last a while with proper care.
We have four Brazilian gold filled pieces: our Herringbone Necklace, Herringbone Bracelet, Chunky Rope Necklace, and Chunky Rope Bracelet. We try to carry US gold filled pieces as much as we can but it can get expensive, so we use Brazilian gold filled to bring the price down.
Overall - gold filled jewelry is perfect for everyday wear because it can handle the wear and tear of daily life, and it's very affordable. With proper care, gold filled jewelry can last a lifetime!
Solid gold is the best quality of gold there is. Just as the name suggests - the whole jewelry piece is made entirely of gold (no base metal). There are many different karats of gold, which determines the amount of gold vs alloy. Pure gold (24k) is too soft and malleable to wear in jewelry, so the gold must be alloyed with other metals to give it strength and durability. 14k solid gold means 14 parts gold (58.3%) and 10 parts alloys (41.7%), while 18k solid gold means 18 parts gold (75%) and 6 parts alloys (25%). The lower the karat, the less expensive it is because it is using less gold.
Our solid gold collection has many timeless pieces that are easy to cherish. We use 14k solid gold because of its durability and beautiful yellow hue - it's not too yellow like 22k gold, and not too pale like 10k gold.
Solid gold is especially tarnish resistant, hypoallergenic, and perfect for everyday. It’s the most hypoallergenic type of gold, so it’s amazing for people who have sensitive skin. Solid gold is a precious metal that will last many lifetimes and can easily become cherished heirlooms! If you are looking for a "forever" piece that you can pass down, this is the material for you.
Some of our most popular 14k solid gold pieces are our: Tiny CZ Screwback Stud Earrings, Everyday Hoop Earrings, Triple Baguette Huggie Hoop Earrings, Dainty Mariner Chain Necklace, and of course our Dainty Cable Chain Necklace.
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The best type of gold jewelry that's suited for you depends on a number of factors, such as your budget, how often you wear your jewelry, whether you’ll be able to take good care of it, and more. If you have the budget, solid gold is the absolute best quality of gold you can get because not only will it last many lifetimes, you can also pass it down generations. If you're looking for something more affordable, you can opt for gold filled and gold vermeil because they're hypoallergenic, waterproof, and great for everyday wear. Here’s a chart that summarizes each type of gold jewelry.
We hope this post was educational to you and helped you understand more about the different types of gold available! Let us know if you enjoyed the post in the comments below, or if you have any questions :)
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