Sterling silver covered with gold of at least 10 karat, equal to at least 2.5 microns of fine gold under US FTC guides.
Vermeil is silver gilt; the Académie française defines it as argent doré. Under the US FTC jewelry guides, a piece may be called vermeil if it “consists of a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold, or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat fineness, that is of reasonable durability and a minimum thickness throughout equivalent to two and one half (2 1/2) microns … of fine gold.” Sterling means at least 925 parts per thousand pure silver. A base metal such as nickel between the silver and the gold should be disclosed.
Gold plated and gold filled differ in base and thickness. Gold electroplate needs only 0.175 microns of fine gold, over any base; gold filled is gold alloy bonded mechanically, at least one-twentieth of the metal’s weight. Only vermeil requires sterling silver beneath. In Britain, gold-plated silver is hallmarked as silver and described, for example, as “925 & 18ct gold plated”.
In job listings
Vermeil seldom appears in job listings; it is product vocabulary, and the line between it and gold plated matters to anyone presenting a piece to a client. Plating is the electroplater’s work: listings at jewelry and watch houses describe coating components in electrolytic baths. See current electroplating roles.
