Fine jewelry rewards a little tenderness. A few small habits — most of them effortless — will keep your VERMAYH pieces bright, golden and luminous far longer than you'd expect.
Gold vermeil — pronounced "vehr-may", and the quiet root of our name — is not a coating of convenience. In the United States it is a regulated term: to be called vermeil, a piece must have a base of solid 925 sterling silver covered in a layer of gold that is at least 10 karat and no thinner than 2.5 microns. VERMAYH goes further, finishing every piece in a generous layer of 18k gold.
That single rule is what sets vermeil apart. The gold you see is genuine and thick; the metal beneath it is precious too. It is the difference between a piece that merely looks like gold and one that is built like fine jewelry all the way through.
"Plating hides a non-precious metal under a flash of gold. Vermeil layers real gold over real silver."
| Type | What's underneath | The gold layer | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold-plated | Brass or other base metal | A flash of gold, often thinner than 0.5 micron | Months |
| Gold Vermeil VERMAYH · 18k | Solid 925 sterling silver — precious, hypoallergenic | A thick, high-karat layer of at least 2.5 microns | Years, with care |
| Gold-filled | Brass core (non-precious) | A thick layer mechanically bonded, ≥ 5% of total weight | Many years |
| Solid gold | Gold throughout the piece | Not applicable — it is gold to the core | A lifetime |
The takeaway: vermeil pairs a real precious-metal core with a meaningfully thick layer of gold — which is exactly why the care below is worth the small effort.
Two metals, two slightly different rhythms. Follow the one that matches your piece — or both, if your jewelry box holds a little of each.
Let perfume, lotion, hairspray and makeup settle before you put your jewelry on — and take it off before anything else comes off at night.
Remove pieces before showering, swimming, washing dishes or working out. Water — and especially chlorine and salt — wears at the gold over time.
After wearing, glide a soft, dry microfibre cloth over the surface. Never use a silver-polishing cloth, silver dip or any abrasive — they are made to strip metal and will thin the gold.
Perfume, sunscreen, lotion and household cleaners dull vermeil. Apply them first, jewelry last.
Keep each piece in its own anti-tarnish pouch or a soft-lined box, away from humidity and open air. An anti-tarnish strip helps.
If a wipe isn't enough, use lukewarm water with the smallest touch of mild soap, smooth it with your fingertips, rinse briefly and pat completely dry. No brushing, no soaking, no ultrasonic cleaners.
Silver loves to be worn — the gentle contact with your skin keeps it bright. Pieces left untouched in a drawer tarnish faster than those in regular rotation.
A warm grey film is simply silver reacting with the air — not a flaw. It wipes away, and the metal beneath is unchanged.
For solid sterling, a proper impregnated silver cloth restores shine in seconds. Reserve this only for solid silver — never use it on vermeil.
Chlorine, salt water, sulphur, rubber bands and even some foods speed up tarnish. Remove before pools, showers, workouts and cleaning.
Seal pieces in a zip bag or anti-tarnish pouch with the air pressed out, and tuck in an anti-tarnish strip. Less air means less tarnish.
For pieces set with stones, use lukewarm mild soapy water and a very soft brush, then dry thoroughly. Keep silver dip away from pearls, opals and turquoise.
Please don't. Chlorine is one of the harshest things for fine jewelry — it eats at the gold layer on vermeil and darkens silver quickly. Salt water and hot tubs are just as unkind. Slip your pieces off before you get in and you'll add years to their life.
Best not to, especially with vermeil. Hot water, soap and shampoo leave a residue that dulls the finish over time. An occasional unexpected splash won't ruin anything — just dry the piece promptly with a soft cloth afterwards.
No need to panic. Brief contact with clean water is harmless as long as you pat the piece dry soon after. It's prolonged soaking, chlorine, salt and chemicals — not a passing raindrop — that cause real trouble.
Almost certainly not. Most dullness is just a film of lotion, oils or product sitting on the surface. A gentle wipe with a microfibre cloth — or a quick clean in lukewarm, mildly soapy water — usually brings the glow right back. Resist the urge to "polish" it.
No — this is the single mistake to avoid. Silver cloths and dips are designed to remove a microscopic layer of metal. On solid silver that's exactly what you want; on vermeil it strips away the very gold you're trying to keep. For vermeil, only ever reach for a soft, untreated cloth.
Not at all. Tarnish is silver's natural reaction to sulphur in the air, and it is completely reversible. A silver-polishing cloth restores the shine in moments — and wearing the piece regularly actually slows the tarnish from returning.
It shouldn't. Both our 18k gold vermeil and 925 sterling silver are built on a precious-metal base rather than the cheap alloys that usually cause green marks and irritation in costume jewelry. Sterling silver is also a kind choice for sensitive skin.
With the care above, years of regular wear. Our gold is a genuine layer measured in microns — not a flash coating — but it is still a wearing surface. Rings and bracelets, which take the most friction, will naturally show wear before earrings or pendants do.
Yes. Vermeil can be re-plated and sterling silver can be professionally polished to look new again. If a treasured piece needs refreshing, simply write to us — caring for what you already own is very much part of how we think about jewelry.
"A piece looked after is a piece handed down."
For three generations, our family has worked gold and silver by hand in India — and the same belief runs through all of it: jewelry is meant to be lived in, repaired, polished and passed on, not set aside. Care for your VERMAYH pieces well, and they'll carry your story far longer than a single season.
Ask us about restoration