Gold plated vs gold filled vs vermeil: what the FTC Jewelry Guides actually say

Under the Federal Trade Commission's Jewelry Guides, "gold plated" means a durable, karat-marked gold layer, with at least 0.175 microns of fine gold equivalent if it is electroplated. "Gold filled" means a bonded layer that is at least 1/20th of the item's weight. "Vermeil" means sterling silver coated with gold equal to at least 2.5 microns. These are the FTC's own examples, read in the eCFR on October 23, 2026.

Gold plated: two routes to the same words

The Guides give two ways to earn "gold plated," and the second is the one most fashion jewelry uses. In 16 CFR 23.3(c)(3), an electroplated layer of gold or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat, with a minimum thickness "equivalent to 0.175 microns (approximately 7/1,000,000ths of an inch) of fine gold," may be marked or described as "Gold Plate," "Gold Plated," "Gold Electroplate" or "Gold Electroplated." The karat designation of the plating must come first and be just as conspicuous, as in "12 Karat Gold Electroplate."

A footnote matters here: a product containing 1 micron of 12 karat gold is equivalent to half a micron of 24 karat gold. Thickness is counted in fine gold, so a lower-karat alloy has to be thicker to qualify.

The other route is mechanical. A gold alloy plating of not less than 10 karat, affixed by soldering, brazing, welding or other mechanical means, may be called "Gold Plate," "Gold Overlay" or "Rolled Gold Plate" when it makes up at least 1/40th of the weight of the metal in the whole article.

Two limits apply to both. The plating has to be "of reasonable durability," which the Guides define as sufficiently thick in all areas to assure "coverage that reasonable consumers would expect." And all significant surfaces must be covered, so a coating on the front of a pendant only does not make a plated pendant.

Gold filled: the thick one

"Gold filled" uses the same mechanical bonding as rolled gold plate but sets a higher bar. The plating must be a gold alloy of at least 10 karat, applied by a mechanical process, and make up at least 1/20th of the weight of the metal in the entire article. The karat designation has to come first, as in "14 Kt. Gold Filled." The ratio is a weight measure, not a thickness measure.

Wikipedia's entry on gold-filled jewelry describes the layer as 5 to 10 times thicker than regular gold plating, which fits the weight rule. We would treat the lifespan figures that circulate for gold filled as retailer claims. The Guides set a minimum amount of gold, not a number of years.

Vermeil: the silver underneath is the point

"Vermeil" is the narrowest of the three. Under 16 CFR 23.4(b), a product may be described as vermeil if it has a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat, of reasonable durability, with a minimum thickness equal to 2.5 microns (about 100/1,000,000ths of an inch) of fine gold. That is the same thickness the Guides use for "Heavy Gold Electroplate."

The first note to the section closes a common gap. Calling a product vermeil is deceptive if sterling silver has been covered with a base metal such as nickel and then plated with gold, unless that is disclosed. So gold over brass, copper or steel is not vermeil.

When "gold" alone is not enough

The Guides start from a strict reading of the word itself. Under 23.3(b), using "gold" without qualification is misleading for any product that is not composed throughout of fine, 24 karat gold. A gold alloy needs its karat number immediately before the word, for example "14 Karat Gold." A surface-plated item can use "gold" only if the term is adequately qualified to show it is plated.

Gold wash is its own case. If a gold layer sits over a base metal such as nickel, a seller who uses terms like "gold plated" should disclose that the primary gold coating is covered with a base metal and then washed with gold. Industry usage is looser than the FTC text. Wikipedia reports that jewelry-trade shorthand treats a layer under 0.5 microns as gold flashed or washed and 0.5 microns or more as gold plated, a threshold that does not appear in the FTC's examples.

Silver gets the same treatment. Under 16 CFR 23.5, "sterling" requires at least 925/1,000ths pure silver, and "coin silver" at least 900/1,000ths.

What the Guides are, and are not

Read 23.0 before treating any of this as a statute. The Guides "set forth the Federal Trade Commission's current thinking," and they "do not confer any rights on any person and do not operate to bind the FTC or the public." But the Commission "may take action under the FTC Act if a marketer or other industry member makes a claim inconsistent with the guides," and they apply at every level of the trade, retailers included. They also say whether a claim deceives depends on the net impression of the ad or label, and that a person may use an alternative approach if it satisfies Section 5.

On the textile side, the FTC applies the same logic to fiber labels, which we cover in our guide to clothing fiber content label rules.

Our take

These three terms are not a quality ladder so much as three different promises. Vermeil promises a sterling silver base, gold filled promises a lot of gold by weight, and gold plated promises only a thin, durable, karat-marked layer. If a listing says "gold" without a karat number, a base metal or one of these terms, assume the weakest reading. Prices for all three move with the gold market, so we have given no price ranges and would not trust one without a date.