What is plated jewelry? Should you buy it?

You probably already know what solid gold jewelry is. It is a piece of jewelry that is made from a solid metal often silver or gold. 

When we say solid metal we mean that if you would cut open the piece of jewelry you would find the same metal throughout the entire piece of jewelry.

With the rise of hip hop jewelry in 2021 a lot of plated jewelry has hit the market and people are buying it like never before. 

There are several reasons for this. But the most common reason is that the hip hop jewelry style with big blingy pieces requires A LOT of gold if you would make it with solid metal, making the prices sky rocket. 

It is not uncommon to see a normal gold chain cost over 2000 euros if you want it to look chunky. A VERY high price to pay if you just want to follow the latest fashion trends when you are out clubbing or recording a music video.

That is the reason plated jewelry has become more popular. It's simply a much more economic way to follow the latest fashion trends without breaking your bank.

Continue reading and we will show you what it is and how it is made.

What is plated jewelry?

Plated jewelry comes in all shapes and colors: gold, silver, rosé gold and white gold.

Plated jewelry is often made of stainless steel or brass in the center and then has one or several layers of the rare metal like gold or silver. 

The plating process can vary from supplier to supplier but most often it is done in a 3 step process where the jewelry piece is dipped in a liquid with gold or silver atoms. 

The jewelry piece is then placed into an electrified liquid and the gold or silver atoms will get attached to the jewelry piece. 

The advantage of doing it this way instead of “dipping” the jewelry in melted gold or silver is that the layers become more even and stick better to the jewelry piece.

Watch this video if you want to see the process in action.

Why buy it?

There is really only one reason to buy plated jewelry over “The real deal” and that is that it's MUCH cheaper. Especially when it comes to hip hop jewelry where the chains need to be chunky and the bracelets heavy. 

If you would buy similar chains to the ones on streetice.eu that were solid instead of plated you would need to pay over 2000-4000+ euros.

A high price to pay for recording a music video or shining in the club.

This is the reason even famous people are spotted wearing plated jewelry these days, it's simply not worth buying pure gold to follow current trends.

Are there any risks?

Some plated jewelry can be plated with a single layer. This is not good because a single layer can be scratched off with heavy usage and can leave the skin green from the metal underneath.

On streetice.eu we make sure all our jewelry is plated a minimum of 5 times to ensure that the skin is never exposed to the metal underneath. 

Always make sure to ask your jewelry supplier how many times they plate their pieces before you buy to avoid low quality items.