Gold-filled which is the process of bonding a 14kt, 12kt, or 10kt gold hollow tube to base metal such as sterling silver or brass via heat and pressure. This process makes the exterior of the piece solid karated gold. Gold filled jewelry will not tarnish due to the fact that it permanently bonded to the base metal and it will last a lifetime. It is 100 times thicker than Gold-plated and Vermeil and with normal wear and tear the karated gold will never tarnish, chip or wear off. It is the best alternative to pure gold because of its thickness, durability, and affordability.

Gold-plated and Vermeil are very popular derivatives of gold. Gold plated is a Brass or other base metal with an outer layer of gold. Vermeil is sterling silver with an outer layer of gold. They are produced utilizing the same process. A thin layer of 14kt or 10kt gold is applied over a base metal using electrolysis (electricity is applied in order to attract one metal to the other). Because the layer of gold is so thin and it is not bonded to the base metal it can wear out and tarnish.

Gold-tone is simply coloring. A Brass or other base metal is gold colored, which in turn has no gold content.