Why Gold-Plated Jewelry Doesn't Have to Turn Green

You bought a beautiful gold necklace last month. Today, the chain is darkening, the pendant has a green tinge, and your skin is irritated where it touches.

Sound familiar? You're not alone. Most gold-plated jewelry on the market is engineered to fail within weeks. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Why cheap gold-plating fails

Standard gold-plating uses a thin electroplated layer of gold (often less than 0.5 microns) on a base metal core — usually brass, copper, or even alloys containing nickel. Three things go wrong:

1. The plating wears off fast. Daily friction, sweat, and oils on your skin abrade the thin gold layer in weeks.
2. The base metal oxidizes. Once the plating wears through, copper and brass underneath react with skin and air. That's the green tinge — copper sulfate.
3. Allergic reactions. Cheap pieces often contain nickel, the most common skin allergen.

What premium gold-plating looks like

Onyxelle uses PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) — the same technique luxury watchmakers use for cases that survive decades.

• Thicker, harder bond. PVD creates a 2-3 micron coating that bonds at the molecular level.
• Surgical-grade 316L stainless steel core. No nickel. No lead. No cadmium. Hypoallergenic by construction.
• 18K gold, not gold-tone. Real 18-karat gold electrodeposited under vacuum.

How to spot quality

1. Check core material: 316L stainless steel = good.
2. Check plating method: PVD = best.
3. Check warranty: 60-day money-back minimum.
4. Check karat: 18K > 14K > gold-tone.

Onyxelle's promise

Every Onyxelle piece uses 18K gold-plated PVD on surgical-grade 316L steel. If your piece tarnishes within 60 days, we replace it free.

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