What Is Gold-Filled Wire?

Pure gold is 24Kt. and is so soft that is it impossible to utilize it in wire wrap jewelry. 14/20 wire or 1/20 Rolled gold wire is created by taking a sheet of 14 kt. Gold and bonding it through extreme heat and pressure to a core of semi-precious metal (brass). This is a very sophisticated process and only a few mills in the world do it. You should not mistake this process for GOLD PLATING. There is a very big difference. The end result is a 14kt. tube which is strong, durable, and resistant to tarnish because of its 14 kt. gold covering. There are collections of old gold-filled wire jewelry pieces with dates on them from the early 1900's that are still in excellent shape! They used this metal much more in the 30's and 40's to make watch bands, cameo settings, well, it was used to make just about everything. Today there are very few jewelry items made with this metal commercially. Usually they are done in a very inferior gold plate to keep the costs down.

The finished product thus has a surface layer of gold of the appropriate karat weight which is very thick compared to gold plate, gold electroplate or rolled gold plate. The quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total product. This is commonly marked as 14/20, 12/20 or 10/20, which mean receptively 1/20th by weight 14Kt. gold-filled, 12Kt. gold-filled, etc.

* There is 100 times more gold in 14 kt. Gold filled (rolled gold) than in gold plate. * A 14/20 Gold Filled piece is usually considered a lifetime piece of jewelry.

Beware of the difference! A 14Kt. Gold filled material carries over a 10% cost increase over 12Kt. material. Most wire wrappers use 12Kt. gold filled wire. Cryztalvisions Creations uses only the finest quality 14Kt. gold-filled wire.

Using 14KTGF in our pieces allows us to bring you some spectacular gemstones and crystal jewelry to you at a more affordable price.

Note: Custom pieces in 14kt GOLD wire upon request, however, due to the high cost of gold, a 50% deposit is due before work is started on the piece.

Care of 14kt. Rolled Gold Jewelry

Care is easy. Just care for it as you would any other jewelry. It is quite durable. A simple inexpensive way to clean rolled gold jewelry (gold fill) is to soak it for a minute or two in a mild solution of ammonia and water or a commercial liquid jewelry cleaner. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly with water afterwards and let dry.

I recommend storing your one-of-a-kind wire sculpture in it’s own jewelry bag or cotton lined box. This will cut down on tarnish and keep it from being scratched by other jewelry. Plus it reduces the chance of a wire being pulled by being connected to another piece of jewelry.

Remember this is NOT gold plate and in many cases is handed down from generation to generation. It is not unusual to find an old gold filled pendant that is nearly 75 years old!