Gold Plating Jewelry

Not all gold jewelry is created equal. Some jewelry may appear to be gold when in fact it is another metal covered (plated) in gold. Why? Because gold plate has less gold, is therefore less expensive to produce and in general gives a close second to the real thing. The plating process places a thin layer of real gold on top of another metal. Gold is usually plated on silver or copper. This is accomplished through electromagnetic or chemical means. The underlying layer of metal bonds so well with the gold that it begins to diffuse into the layer of gold, eventually fading the gold. Most electroplating using silver and copper requires an intermediate metal or alloy placed between the two to prevent this.

Rack Plating Process

Gold plating happens through an electrical current or circuit created by placing both the object to be plated and the gold to cover it in a chemical bath and then turning on a current of electricity that runs through the mixture. The chemical solution usually comprises metal salts and ions that can carry electrical currents. All items to be plated must be thoroughly cleaned and dried before the plating process begins. The rack method requires the pieces being gold plated to be hung from a rack and then dropped into the chemical bath. The metal is charged negatively and attracts the gold metal ions to its surface, depositing the metal across the piece. This process is repeated for each layer of metal added before the gold is plated.

Gold Plating Electronics

Gold plating is used in the electronics industry on printed circuit boards and connectors. The gold in this type of application is used to create a corrosion barrier over copper components. Plating methods, until electronics came along, were created mainly for decorative purposes. Electronics plating has caused gold plating processes to develop further due to electronic requirements. The process involves plating a metal barrier, usually nickel, on the copper components and then plating the gold on top of the nickel. Once completed, the gold plated components are corrosion resistant and conductive.

Electronic Plating Methods

Each type of industry using electronics plating has developed its own gold plating bath recipes. Most desire to minimize the amount of gold used, for obvious reasons, but still retain the best thickness of the plate to prevent corrosion. They are also concerned with minimizing the amount of bath solution while making it as pure as possible, and making the process occur quickly. Electronics plating, also called industrial plating, is broken down into four categories or types of gold used. They are soft and pure gold used on semiconductors, hard and bright gold used for contact points and connectors, hard and bright gold used on printed-circuit tabs and soft and pure gold used in chip-on-board products, which involves plating the whole circuit board.