Gold plated jewellery.

Erosgirl

I have posted this in Wanna buy it... and although over 60 people have viewed it there has been no reply. Can anyone tell me if there is any way to stop gold plated jewellery losing it's gold plate. I have seen a ring that I really like, but it is rose gold plated silver. The only review on it is to say the gold plate has worn off and they are left with a silver ring. I wondered if I coated it with clear nail varnish would that protect it or do damage? Any help would be welcome.

Brambleberry

It will not look as nice if you coat it in nail varnish, because the sheen on the surface will not be the metal itself anymore.
I can't say if it would damage the ring to do that, but perhaps you could contact the manufacturer for more details.

Pollycat

I agree with the above answer about nail varnish.

I guess it depends on how good the gold plating is.
If you have read a review that mentions the gold plating has worn off, I'd be wary of buying the ring.

However, it also depends on how often you plan to wear the ring.
The reviewer may have worn it 24/7, including washing up etc and if you are going to wear it for a few hours on a night out, then it may last longer.

meritaten

you can have rings re-plated - but over time the cost may be such that it would make more sense to actually buy real gold. plating varies between jewellery makers - some do it so well that it virtually lasts forever, but if its not well done - then its a false economy.

Miss_Purple_Hat

I have no choice but to coat my more frequently worn plated jewellery with clear nail varnish as I am quite allergic to nickel so would have to get rid of it if the plating started wearing off. I find that from a distance it doesn't really notice, it's more unnoticeable so long as you paint it well (I have had practise!). If you paint it too thinly then you get a kind of streaky look that will reduce the shine (same as if you do it on your nails, really) and it can be a little fiddly so is no good for finer detail at all (you will also see it if you get a dollop of it within a more intricately shaped bit).

I do usually go for the real metal rather than plated if I intend to wear something to death, though.

Hope this helps!

*** Edit: Also, with rings in particular I usually get real silver or gold just because there is so much more rubbing against it as you use your hands all the time. So I would guess that it's more likely to wear off the plating faster than, say, earrings.