Gold Plating and Finishing Options
Plating is where cheap jewelry gives itself away first - at the clasp, at the shoulders of a ring, wherever the piece rubs. It is worth specifying rather than leaving to the factory.
The colours we run
Yellow gold, white gold and rose gold plating over brass, silver and stainless steel bodies. The old catalogue describes these as 18K and 14K gold plated finishes over brass or silver.
Why the base metal matters
Plating is a surface. What sits under it decides how the piece behaves once the surface wears: stainless steel stays inert, brass is dense and takes a bright plate, and 925 silver can be re-finished.
Thickness and wear
Plating thickness is specified per order rather than published as a single site-wide figure, because the right thickness for a stud earring is not the right thickness for a chain that is worn every day. Ask for the specification on your quotation.
How It Runs
- Specify the baseBrass, 925 sterling silver or stainless steel.
- Choose the colourYellow gold, white gold or rose gold.
- Polish levelHand polished before plating - this is what the plate sits on.
- Plating runPlated in batches so colour is consistent across the order.
- InspectionColour and coverage checked against the approved sample.
- Protective handlingPacked to avoid rub marks in transit.
Sixteen Steps in the Workshop
Whichever route your order takes, it passes through the same documented process.
Concept and Design
CAD drawing and 3D rendering from your sketch, sample or reference photo.
Plate Making
The master pattern is cut and finished by hand before any mould is made.
Manufacture of Moulds
Silicone moulds are cut from the master so the shape repeats exactly.
Mould Injection Wax
Wax is injected into the mould to produce the pattern for each piece.
Wax Inlay
Stones that are cast in place are set into the wax at this stage.
Growing Wax Trees
Wax patterns are assembled onto a sprue tree ready for investment.
High Temperature Furnace Melting
Brass, silver or steel is melted and poured into the invested flask.
Cutting Table
Cast pieces are cut from the tree and the sprue marks are removed.
Sanding
Each piece is sanded to take out casting texture before finishing.
Buckle and Chain
Clasps, jump rings and chain sections are fitted to the body.
Welding
Joints and findings are welded so the piece holds under daily wear.
Grinding
Barrel and wheel grinding evens the surface across the whole batch.
Stone Setting
Cubic zirconia, moissanite and opal are set by hand, stone by stone.
Polishing
Hand polishing brings the metal up before it goes to the plating line.
Plating
Yellow gold, white gold or rose gold is plated over the finished body.
Assembly
Final assembly, inspection and packing for the order.
Other Solutions
OEM and ODM Manufacturing
Bring us a drawing and we will build it, or start from our design team and sell the result under your own brand. Both routes run through the same 16 s
Private Label and Packaging
The piece is half of what your customer receives. The box, the card and the pouch are the other half, and they are where a private label range starts
Sampling and Prototyping
The cheapest place to find a problem is on one piece rather than on five hundred. Sampling is not a formality in this process - it is the step that pr
Ready to Ship Stock
Most of the range is held in stock. That is the difference between restocking a listing this week and restocking it next month.
Stone Setting
A tennis bracelet is really a stone setting problem wearing a bracelet. Whether the stones sit level, and whether they stay in, is what separates the
Plating and Finishing - Questions
How does plating and finishing start?
Email describing what you need. Michael Xiao will come back with the questions that have to be answered before a quotation can be accurate.
Is there a charge for sampling?
Sampling and tooling are quoted per development. The cost depends on how much new tooling the design needs - a change to an existing style costs far less than a new mould.
Do you keep our moulds?
Yes. The mould stays on your account, which is why a repeat order is quicker and cheaper than the first one.
Can you work from a physical sample?
Yes - a physical sample is the easiest reference to work from. A photograph, a sketch or a CAD file all work too.
What happens if the sample is not right?
It gets corrected and re-sampled. That is the entire purpose of the sampling stage, and it is far cheaper than correcting a bulk order.
Start a Plating and Finishing Enquiry
The more of the specification you can fix up front, the more accurate the quotation will be.