Let's settle this once and for all, because the internet has been lying to you.
"Gold plated" and "gold filled" are not the same thing. Not close. One of them is basically gold paint. The other is the real deal — and it's the reason some of our pieces come with a lifetime warranty while others get a 60-day promise instead.
Gold plated is a super thin layer of gold — we're talking microns — electroplated onto a base metal like brass. It looks gorgeous on day one. It's also the reason your old jewelry box has a graveyard of rings and bracelets that turned green or wore through at the edges. Plating is a finish, not a foundation. Even good plating wears with time, water, and life. That's not a flaw, it's just physics — and it's why we're upfront that our plated pieces (like Wrist Kandi) will show wear eventually and aren't covered for tarnish under our Craftsmanship Promise.
Gold filled is a completely different animal. Instead of a microscopic coating, a much thicker layer of real gold (legally required to be at least 1/20th of the item's total weight) is mechanically bonded to a brass core under heat and pressure. That layer is 10 to 25 times thicker than plating. You could wear gold filled every single day — showers, gym, beach, all of it — for years, even decades, before you'd ever see base metal. That's why every Founders Collection piece Michele hand makes is gold filled, and why it's the only material we back with a Lifetime Craftsmanship Warranty.
So which one should you actually buy?
If you want something you can genuinely forget you're wearing — shower in it, sweat in it, sleep in it — gold filled is worth the extra few dollars. It's an investment piece disguised as an everyday basic.
If you're building out a fun, curated stack with charms and statement pieces you'll want to swap and layer, gold plated pieces (like our Wrist Kandi) let you do that affordably. Just treat them a little more gently: skip the pool, rinse off lotion and perfume, and store them in your pouch.
Most of our customers do both — a gold filled foundation stack that lives on their wrist forever, plus plated pieces they rotate in for fun. That's the whole idea behind stacking anyway: not everything has to be precious to be beautiful.
Shop the difference:
- The Founders Collection — our gold filled basics, handmade by Michele, backed for life
- Wrist Kandi — gold plated charm bracelets, curated and ready to stack
Made with love, just for you. 💛
