Jewelry Plating Services

JK Findings offers professional in-house jewelry plating services for manufacturers, designers, and wholesale customers. Our plating department is equipped with a skilled team of technicians and advanced technology to provide precise, consistent finishes for jewelry findings and components. We offer gold plating, rhodium plating, and anti-tarnish plating for applicable karat gold, .925 sterling silver, and 1/20 14K gold filled materials.

What Is Gold Plating?

Gold plating is an electrochemical process that deposits a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal. Gold plating can be applied to base metals or used as an additional surface treatment over karat gold, .925 sterling silver, or gold filled materials.

Gold plating can range in thickness from approximately 0.17 to 2.5 microns, depending on the desired finish and application. The thickness of the plating layer is an important factor in the appearance and wear characteristics of a plated jewelry component.

Gold Plating Thickness

The appropriate plating thickness depends on the intended use of the jewelry component, the desired appearance, and the level of wear the piece is expected to experience.

• Gold Wash or Flash: Approximately 0.17 micron. This is a very thin layer generally recommended for jewelry pieces that are not subjected to heavy wear and tear.
• Standard Gold Plating: Approximately 0.5 to 1.0 micron. This range provides a balance of appearance, coverage, and wear resistance and can be suitable for jewelry pieces exposed to regular wear, including rings and bracelets.
• Heavy Gold Plating: Approximately 2.5 microns. A thicker layer that provides additional gold coverage and is often referred to as heavy gold plated.

Benefits of Jewelry Plating

Jewelry plating can provide both aesthetic and functional benefits. For jewelry manufacturers and wholesalers, a consistent plating process can help create components with a uniform appearance while also improving certain surface characteristics.

• Consistent Color: Plating can provide a more uniform color and appearance across jewelry findings and components.
• Enhanced Appearance: A plated surface can create a smooth, consistent finish with the desired color and level of shine.
• Improved Wear Resistance: A properly applied plating layer can help improve resistance to abrasive wear, particularly on components exposed to regular contact and movement.
• Corrosion Resistance: Certain plating treatments can help protect the underlying surface and inhibit corrosion.
• Improved Solderability: Depending on the material and application, plating can influence how a component behaves during jewelry manufacturing and assembly.
• Reduced Friction: Certain plated surfaces can help reduce friction during handling or assembly.

Plating Gold Filled Jewelry

JK Findings gold plates certain 1/20 14K gold filled products. Gold filled jewelry is manufactured by mechanically bonding a layer of gold alloy to a core metal. When an additional plating layer is applied, the gold filled construction remains the underlying composition of the component.

This additional surface treatment can be particularly useful for certain gold filled components after manufacturing processes such as forming, shaping, stamping, or other mechanical operations.

Why Can Forming Affect a Gold Filled Surface?

When gold filled material is shaped into a finished jewelry component, manufacturing processes can alter the characteristics of the surface. Bending, forming, stamping, and other mechanical operations can create microscopic changes in the surface, including areas that may be more porous or less uniform.

These changes can make certain areas more susceptible to exposure and abrasive wear over time. Applying a controlled plating layer after manufacturing can help create a more consistent surface finish and provide an additional layer of surface protection.

This additional plating can help provide a more stable appearance and finish during storage, handling, and use while maintaining the underlying gold filled construction.

Our Jewelry Plating Process

Our plating process begins with proper preparation of the jewelry component. Surface preparation is critical because the condition of the underlying metal directly affects the quality and consistency of the finished plating.

Components are prepared and cleaned before being placed into the appropriate plating system. During electroplating, an electrical current is used to deposit metal from an aqueous metallic salt solution onto the surface of the component.

Electroplating

Electroplating uses an aqueous solution containing metallic ions and an electrical current to deposit a controlled layer of metal onto a component. The component is immersed in the plating solution and forms part of an electrical circuit. The electrical current causes metal ions in the solution to deposit onto the surface, creating the desired plating layer.

The plating process is carefully controlled to achieve the desired coverage, thickness, color, and consistency.

Color Uniformity & Quality Control

For jewelry manufacturers and wholesalers, color consistency is an important part of quality control. Even when components are manufactured from the same underlying material, differences in surface condition, forming, polishing, and other manufacturing processes can influence the final appearance.

Our plating department works to maintain consistency throughout the plating process so that components have a uniform appearance and finish. This is especially important when plating larger production quantities, where even small variations can become noticeable when components are displayed or assembled together.

Regular Plating vs. Hamilton Plating

JK Findings uses Regular Plating on the majority of our jewelry findings and also offers Hamilton Plating on select items based on customer preference.

Both plating options provide a quality surface finish, with differences in appearance and finish that may make one option preferable depending on the customer's desired result.

Below is a comparison of our Regular Plating versus Hamilton Plating on chain samples.

Rhodium Plating

In addition to gold plating, JK Findings offers rhodium plating services for applicable jewelry findings and components.

Rhodium is a member of the platinum group of metals and is known for its bright, reflective white appearance. Rhodium plating can be used to create a bright white finish while providing additional surface protection for certain jewelry components.

Our in-house plating capabilities allow us to provide rhodium plating according to applicable customer and product requirements.

Anti-Tarnish Plating

JK Findings also offers anti-tarnish plating services to help protect the surface of applicable jewelry components.

Anti-tarnish treatments can be particularly useful for silver and other materials that are susceptible to tarnishing when exposed to environmental elements. When combined with proper storage and handling, an anti-tarnish surface treatment can help jewelry findings maintain their appearance for longer periods.

Our Jewelry Plating Capabilities

As a USA-based jewelry findings manufacturer, JK Findings provides in-house plating capabilities alongside our other manufacturing and finishing processes. Our plating department supports a range of jewelry materials and surface treatments.

Our goal is to provide jewelry manufacturers, designers, retailers, and wholesale customers with jewelry findings and components that are consistent, functional, and ready for production.

Looking for custom jewelry plating or wholesale jewelry findings? Contact JK Findings to discuss your plating requirements.