Gold Filled vs. Gold Plated (and other Punky Jane Jargon Explained)

At Punky Jane, we only use high-quality materials. We use supplies made in the good old USA whenever possible, and only buy from trusted sources.

In today's post about Punky Jane Jargon, we're exploring some of the MATERIALS we use.

Gold Filled vs. Gold Plated :: Our gold filled pieces are made from high quality 14k/20k double clad sheet with a gold layer on both sides, NOT gold plated sheet.

Also known as "rolled gold" or "rolled gold plate", gold filled is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure to a base metal such as brass. Some high quality gold-filled pieces have the same appearance as 14 karat (58%) gold. In the USA the quality of gold filled is defined by the Federal Trade Commission. If the gold layer is 10 kt fineness the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/10 (10%) the weight of the total item. If the gold layer is 12 kt or higher the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 (5%) the weight of the total item.

Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper or silver (to make silver-gilt), by chemical or electrochemical plating.

Sterling Silver :: An alloy of fine silver that contains 92.5% fine silver mixed with other metals, usually copper. Mixing the other metal with the soft fine silver makes it stronger. You'll see many pieces marked with a ".925" to designate that it's sterling. Because of the additional metal mixed in, sterling will oxidize more quickly. Most of our designs are created with U.S.-sourced, reclaimed (recycled) or third-party certified to be ethically mined.


Fine Silver :: 99.9% pure silver. A much softer metal, fine silver isn't used for practical objects like silverware. You will often see fine silver pieces marked with a ".999" symbol. We use fine silver wire to create our Infinity and Gratitude Symbols.  

PMC aka Precious Metal Clay :: PMC is a recycled product. During photo processing, silver is recovered. That silver is mixed in with a binder making a clay-like material that can be worked, rolled, formed, stamped, etc. and then fired to create beautiful, fine silver pieces. Our Rustic Dragonfly necklace is an example.

Swarovski Crystals :: We carry three different types of Swarovski crystals: flatbacks, dangles, and channel sets. Our flatback Swarovski crystals are used to highlight your special date on our Mark Your Calendar Necklaces and Charms & Pins, as well as accents on other pieces. Our Swarovski crystal dangles hang on a sterling silver head pin and are added to necklaces as charms.   Our Swarovski channel set crystals are available in both silver and gold plated and are added to necklaces as charms.

All of our chains, clasps, and other components are U.S.A. made, with the exception of a couple of small components that are not available from U.S. suppliers 

Stayed tuned...more to come!