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Gold plated jewelry is fairly common. This jewelry has the appearance of gold but it is not actually pure gold. Gold plated jewelry is jewelry that has been made of a different kind of metal. This metal jewelry then has a thin covering of gold bonded to it to give it the appearance of gold. This is not pure gold jewelry but will give you the appearance of pure gold, without the hefty price tag that is associated with gold. Gold plated jewelry only has a tiny amount of gold in it. In fact, gold plated jewelry has less than .05 percent of gold in it. That means that the other 99.5 percent is another kind of metal. Since there is such a small amount of gold in the jewelry it is easily susceptible to damage. This delicate jewelry can eventually show the metal underneath the gold through everyday wear and tear damage that includes damage caused from being exposed to water and soap. Gold plated jewelry should not be worn in the shower or bath tub as doing so can cause irreparable damage to your piece of jewelry. The chemicals in soap, shampoo, etc. can cause the gold plating to wear off prematurely. The exposure to water can also cause the gold plated jewelry to tarnish or rust before it would normally have as well. Both of these are reasons why you should not wear your gold plated jewelry into the bath or shower. To see the most popular gold plated jewelry pieces just click here. What Happens If You Get Gold Plated Jewelry Wet? Gold plated jewelry should not be worn in the shower or bath. It should also not be worn while doing dishes or going to the pool. Getting a piece of gold-plated jewelry wet will cause damage to your piece. While gold plated jewelry is cheaper than pure gold you will still want to take care of it. You will want to avoid the damage that getting it wet will cause. Getting a piece of gold-plated jewelry wet will eventually cause the thin gold layer to chip and wear off. The base metal in gold plated jewelry is often brass, nickel, or copper. Wearing your gold-plated jewelry at times where it will be exposed to water will cause the gold layer to eventually wear off. Gold plated jewelry can also become tarnished or even chip off. Think of it this way, the gold layer that is over the brass in your jewelry is similar to a thin layer of paint. Just like paint, given time and exposure to the elements it will chip. There are some things that you can do to help preserve your gold plated jewelry though. Before you take a shower or bath you will want to remove all of your jewelry. If you can, place it in a room that is not the bathroom. On the nightstand in your bedroom or on your dresser would be a good place for you to keep it while you are showering as the humidity in the bathroom is not good for your gold-plated jewelry. When you do remove your jewelry, take a clean cloth and wipe it down to remove the oils and sweat, even if it is a cool day you will want to do this. Your skin releases oils all the time so at any time that your jewelry is in contact with your skin it will be in contact with oils that will eventually lead to the gold plating chipping and fading. Just as you would when taking a shower or bath you will want to remove any jewelry before you go swimming. Not only will swimming expose your jewelry to water but it will also expose it to the chemicals in the pool which can also damage it. Remove any jewelry from your hands and wrists before you wash the dishes or do any type of cleaning. Chemicals that you use while cleaning can damage your jewelry as well. When you are cleaning you are also bumping your jewelry up against other things, while this may not be hard enough to cause damage in that instant, over time it will add to the wear and tear of your jewelry and cause the gold plating to begin to chip off. What Gold Can You Shower With? There are many types of gold jewelry on the market. They are offered at different price points and all have their advantages and disadvantages. Which ones can you wear while taking a shower? We’ll be looking at gold plated jewelry, gold filled jewelry, gold vermeil jewelry, and 10 karat, 14 karat, and 18 karat jewelry. You need to know what each type of gold jewelry is. Gold plated jewelry has a base metal of brass, nickel, or copper. This base metal then has a tiny amount of gold, less than one percent of the metal in the piece of jewelry will be made of gold in a gold-plated item. This gold is then pounded out thin and bonded to the base metal. Gold filled jewelry also has a base metal of nickel, copper, or brass but it has layers of gold alloy that are bonded to the base metal. Gold vermeil jewelry is also known as silver gilt. This is a high quality silver, either sterling silver or pure silver which then has a thin plating of gold over the top. The gold is bonded to the silver with electrical currents. In order for a piece of jewelry to be considered gold vermeil the gold must be at least 10 karats and the gold on the jewelry needs to be at least 2.5 microns thick. When we talk about karats in gold, we’re discussing the purity level of the gold. Gold in jewelry is very rarely 100 percent pure gold. That metal would be too soft. When you are talking about karats in gold you are talking about how much of the metal is gold. How many pieces out of 24. A 24-karat piece of gold means that all 24 parts are gold. So, a 10 karat piece of gold means that 10 parts out of 24 are gold, or that it has a purity of 41.7 percent. 14 karat gold jewelry then has 14 parts out of 24 that are gold, giving it a purity of 58.3 percent. 18 karat gold jewelry contains 18 parts of gold which will give it a purity of 75 percent. So out of all of these types of gold which ones can you safely shower with? You can safely shower with gold filled jewelry, 10 karat gold jewelry, and 14 karat gold jewelry. You can not shower with 18 karat gold jewelry. While it has a higher purity level than 10 karat and 14 karat gold it will tarnish easier so it is best to not expose it to water more than necessary.

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