Why 18k?

Our 18k gold plating offers lasting shine that complements your everyday elegance effortlessly.Moonlit Gold is waterproof,18K GOLD Plated Steel and hypoallergenic. The plating is long lasting and tarnishing-free.

HOW WE MAKE GOLD-PLATED

JEWELRY?

1. Gold is stored at the production facility in the form of small thin plates

2. Steel jewelry blanks are hanged and prepared for gold plating

3. Jewelry blanks are cleaned before gold plating

4. Drying and titanium plating is executed in an electric furnace

5. Final step - gold plating (PVD / Ion Plating Vacuum technology)

316L Stainless Steel - Base Metal

316L Stainless Steel is a premium grade of stainless steel known for its durability, corrosion resistance, and hypoallergenic properties. This metal is particularly favored for jewelry due to its ability to withstand daily wear without tarnishing or rusting. Its strength ensures that pieces remain intact and maintain their appearance over time.

Stainless Steel vs. Titanium Steel

These are two names of the same material. You can say your jewelry is made of Stainless Steel, or Titanium Steel. Both are true.

"Titanium" steel means that during gold plating process titanium is used to adhere to stainless steel, and gold adheres to titanium, making gold coating on stainless steel possible.

Why is Gold-Plating used?

Vacuum Ion Gold Plating has high abrasion and colorfastness. After testing, the coating retains its color and gloss even under harsh conditions. Gold coating makes jewelry environmentally friendly and durable.

Gold-Plating Method: IP / PVD

Vacuum ion plating technology (IP), or Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD): is a technique for depositing thin films of gold on the surface of a coated product under vacuum conditions using physical methods.

The thickness of the gold plating is 0.03 to 0.05 microns

Please find the X-Ray diagnostics report for Moonlit Jewelry samples. Depending on design and part the thickness of gold plating (Au - Aurum - Gold) varies from 0.03 microns to 0.05 microns (around 0.00005 mm).

Why is Titanium involved?

Gold cannot directly adhere to stainless steel, so an intermediate coating is required. Titanium can adhere to stainless steel and gold can adhere to titanium, allowing coating on stainless steel.

SAFE Gold-Plating Method

Jewelry Gold Coating is done at temperatures of several thousand degrees in a vacuum camera.

Moonlit uses SAFE high temperature gold-plating method which involves titanium (and does NOT involve nickel).

This method is more expensive, but safe and makes jewelry more durable.

Why some Gold Plated Jewelry is cheaper?

Be careful! Many of suppliers from China use UNSAFE out-of-furnace coating method of gold plating, which involves nickel to adhere gold to stainless steel.

How Much Gold is in Moonlit Jewelry?

PVD technology uses very small portion of gold for each item (11.5 grams for several hundred items - a single vacuum camera load). That's why this jewelry is not considered precious. The amount of 18K gold on the surface is too small to detect without special facilities.

Is Gold-plated Jewelry Considered Precious?

Gold-plated jewelry (PVD plated jewelry) is a costume jewelry, not a precious.

For example, according to the customs rules of most countries, gold- and silver- plated jewelry is NOT considered precious jewelry and is charged as ordinary costume jewelry.

Can gold-plated costume jewelry be pawned?

Pawn shops are reluctant to accept gold-plated costume jewelry because it contains negligible amounts of gold.

Why so Few Gold?

If costume jewelry had more gold in it, it would no longer be costume jewelry, but precious jewelry.

Is 0.03 micron gold enough for high quality?

Definitely, the coating has high adhesion and under normal use retains its properties for up to 24 months without discoloration or tarnishing.

How to Check if Jewelry is Really Gold Plated?

The key question - for what?

PVD technology is widespread. So, there is no reason for a manufacturer to cheat with gold plating. Without real gold plating jewelry will have worse quality, but it won't be cheaper.

The best way to check jewelry is to wear it - the higher jewelry durability, the better gold-plating is used.

It is more important to ensure that SAFE NICKEL-FREE gold plating method is used.

Is Stainless Steel Magnetic?

Non-magnetic billets from austenitic steels are subjected to intense deformation during production. This leads to the formation of ferromagnetic phases in the austenitic matrix - highly dispersed martensite crystals.

This is why the initially “non-magnetic” 316L steel already in the form of finished products has a quite noticeable magnetic permeability.

This does not affect the safety and anti-corrosion properties of the material in any way.

How Durable is Gold Plated Jewelry?

In a laboratory setting we tested our jewelry for 2 weeks in salted water. In real life girls from our team wear our jewelry for more than a year, swim & sunbathe.

In normal conditions plating can stay without discoloration or tarnishing up to 24 months, and more.

So we made sure that Moonlit jewelry is tarnish-free and water-resistant.