Main Gold-Plating Techniques for Brass Jewelry

1. Electroplating
• Principle: The copper substrate is used as the cathode and the precious metal (gold) is used as the anode. The metal ions are deposited on the copper substrate surface by electricity to form a dense and uniform gold plating layer.
• Features: Common in most jewelry industries, the plating is uniform and firmly bonded, suitable for mass production.
• Advantages: Bright color, strong wear resistance, and can accurately control the plating thickness (such as 3μm, 5μm, etc.).

2. Vacuum Plating (Vacuum Plating / PVD)
• Principle: In a vacuum environment, metal ions are attached to the surface of jewelry through physical vapor deposition (PVD) and other technologies.
• Features: Environmentally friendly, good adhesion, suitable for complex structure jewelry, and customizable colors (such as champagne gold, rose gold).
• Advantages: Corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and stable color.

3. Barrel Plating
• Principle: Place small copper ornaments in a drum and electroplate them while rolling. Suitable for large quantities of small-sized ornaments.
• Features: Low cost, high efficiency, suitable for small parts such as beads and chains.
• Disadvantages: It is easy to cause tiny scratches on the surface of the ornaments, not suitable for high-end precision ornaments.

4. Dip Plating
• Principle: Immerse the entire ornament in the plating solution to form a gold-plated layer through chemical reaction.
• Features: Simple process, suitable for ornaments with simple surface structure.
• Disadvantages: The uniformity of the plating layer is slightly inferior to electroplating, and it is usually used for low-cost products.

5. Selective/Partial Plating
• Principle: Gold plating is performed in specific areas (such as patterns, carvings, etc.), achieved through shielding/masking technology.
• Application: Make the ornaments have multi-color or local highlight effects, and enhance the design level.