Gold-filled: is made by heat-and pressure- bonding a thin layer of 14K or 12K gold to a brass core. The 1/20 notation refers to the ratio of karat gold to brass core by weight, which is 5%. Karat gold covers the brass surface, making it tarnish-resistant. The value of gold-filled is greater that gold-plated because gold-filled has an actual layer of karat gold, not just a microscopic film. The gold will not chip off and is very durable. In the US, the quality of gold filled is defined by the Federal trace Commission. Gold-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate.
Since I use it myself, this is how I define the care: To keep your jewelry sparkling like new, clean both sterling silver & gold-filled jewelry in the same way. Rub with a silver-polishing cloth then clean with Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and hot water. Wipe dry with a soft cloth. Silver will tarnish over time and gold-filled can tarnish at the joint where it is soldered using an alloy containing silver. Keeping your jewelry in a bag or pouch will help delay tarnishing considerably.
Gold-plated: base metal with a thin layer of gold typically applied by electroplating.
Vermeil: A product that is made from a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated on its surfaces with gold of at least 10K finess and at least 2.5 microns thick (100/1,000,000 inch). 50 times heavier than standard gold-plating. The term vermeil cannot be used if the sterling is covered with a base metal before being coated with gold unless the presence of the base metal is disclosed. In designer jewelry Vermeil is usually 18K over sterling silver. Pronunciation: ver-MAY
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