Rock Bottom – Pirate Booty!

A short while back, in fact quite a little longer than a short while back, we were asked to gold plate a one ounce silver doubloon replica coin. The doubloon was originally a Spanish coin which was used mid 16th to the mid 19th centuries. It was hand-struck from gold and is commonly referred to as a “gold piece”. The doubloon weighed approximately one ounce and was solid 22 karat gold.

The doubloon was also widely used in the West Indies and South America. Due to being made from almost pure gold the doubloon had value worldwide even where it wasn’t legal tender. Since much of the piracy that took place was between English and Spanish privateers, Spanish gold doubloons often formed English pirate booty.

The doubloon in the following video was actually 24 karat gold plated by us.

Amateur film maker, Robert Lorrimer made his short film “Rock Bottom” over two consecutive mornings at ‘Petit Bot Bay’ on the island of Guernsey armed with a Canon 7d DSLR, light weight tripod, a banana and a suitcase.

More details on this film clip can be found here: Rock Bottom.

If you would like a quotation or advice on an items suitability for gold plating please use our contact form.

Silver Plating

Silver plating is more often used for antique restoration of hollowware, including cups, bowls, vases & flatware such as trays, plates & dishes. We also electroplate many modern silver plated items where the plating has simply worn through, trophies & medals being most popular. We also receive requests to silver plate solid gold jewellery!

Silver plating is an action which deposits a thin layer of silver onto an electrically conductive surface. The surface, normally a conductive metal base, allows a current to be passed through it to form a complete circuit. The silver particles in the electrolyte solution then bond to the item being electroplated, the item being silver plated is also referred to as the cathode.

• The minimum thickness for silver plating is 0.5 microns. This is used for decorative purposes on items with minimal handling.
• Heavy silver plate would be 5+ microns. The normal thickness we apply would be between 5 – 10 microns dependent upon the item & its intended use. This provides a long lasting finish on items such as; antiques, wristwatches, clocks, buckles, trophies & jewellery.

Our silver plating solutions are tarnish resistant, hard wearing & long lasting. A thickness of just 5 microns is often more than adequate for the long term durability of most items if cared for properly.

Please take a look at the photos showing our work in the gallery.
If you would like an item silver plating or you have any questions please contact us.

Wristwatches & Clocks

The gold, silver, palladium and platinum plating of modern and vintage watches and clocks, is a great way to rejuvenate your beloved timepieces whether they are just old and worn or scratched from accidental damage. This process involves stripping and polishing before electroplating a precious metal over the base metal. Non-precious metals, such as nickel and chrome, are often utilized as a final finish too.

We also electroplate wristwatch and clock parts such as bracelets, folding buckles, clasps, bezels, cases and crowns. We can also electroplate the markers on your replacement watch dial to compliment the watch it is being fitted to.

Although gold plating is a common electroplated finish we also electroplate wristwatches in silver, white gold and palladium. These often being 18 carat gold plated, we can, of course, colour match selected parts for that perfect finish thus avoiding the need and cost of having to have the whole piece gold plated.

White gold plating is a very popular choice. After all, a 9k yellow gold watch looks beautiful in 18k white gold plate. Platinum also makes a fabulous transformation as well as palladium, palladium being one of the six platinum-group metals. The appearance of palladium is very similar to that of platinum and it offers virtually the same outstanding durability and beauty at a reduced cost.

We can easily produce a bi-metal gold plating effect should you require alternate watch bracelet links electroplated in yellow gold and white gold. This can also be followed through onto the watch case by electroplating the case and bezel in contrasting gold plated finishes. We can electroplate your treasured timepiece in any of the precious metals we offer including; yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and green gold, platinum, palladium and silver. We also offer nickel plating which is often favoured on pocket watches and chains.

The diamond set stainless steel Tag Heuer bracelet shown in our gallery is an example of a selective gold plated bracelet.

Whether your watches and parts have gemstones or enamel inserts presents no problem for the gold electroplating process. Our electroplating bath temperatures and solutions are safe on precious and non-precious stones as well as enamel. Your treasured timepiece will be beautifully enhanced giving it a new lease of life that will last for many years.

We offer a fast and safe gold plating service on all your wristwatches, pocket watches, clocks and parts.

Please feel free to contact us for a no obligation quotation.

Jewellery Makeover

It is becoming increasingly common for our customers to request a jewellery makeover. This involves electroplating a precious metal over an existing precious metal, or even over non-precious metals such as stainless steel as can be seen in the images below. The image below shows the stainless steel ring polished prior to gold plating.

Currently platinum over gold is very popular as is silver over copper. We can give your existing jewellery a makeover in any of the following precious metals; 9-24 carat yellow gold plating, white gold, rose gold, platinum, palladium and silver. We can even selectively plate your treasured piece in a combination of precious metals, for example, gold and platinum for a 2-tone finish. See our gallery page for examples.

The following image shows the ring in its completed state – 9 carat gold plated.

Palladium is one of the six platinum group metals and is becoming increasingly popular due to its platinum-like appearance. Palladium is a less expensive alternative to platinum and offers excellent durability.

Having a jewellery makeover will not only greatly enhance its beauty and give it a new lease of life but is hard wearing and will last for many years if cared for properly. If you would like a quotation or advice please use our contact form.

Antique Silver Restoration

Antique restoration is a skill that requires great attention to detail and respect for the item being worked upon. Silverware ranging from antique hollowware, including cups, bowls, and the like and flatware such as trays, plates and dishes are all ideal candidates for restoration. Due to their age, antiques are often fragile and require a delicate hand. However, just as important, is the attention to preserving the original integrity of the piece. Interestingly enough, what gives an antique its charm and value, often referred to as patina, must be matched carefully when performing restoration. This way, the antique will be preserved rather than ruined.

One way to restore silver antiques is by re-plating the old surface with a new one. Commonly employing silver plating to do so, antique restorers will cover the old, damaged surface with a new coating of silver. Easy in theory but in practice a lot more work is usually involved. In the example photo below you can see how an item often comes in to us for restoration. This antique flatware required a large amount of prep work including four polishing stages before the electroplating took place.

Finally, the application of silver was done through a process known as electroplating. Electroplating involves coating a conductive surface with an electrolyte containing the actual silver. This is an excellent method to brighten up and restore new life to antique silver pieces such as silverware, bowls, teapots and like items. In preserving the original shape of the object, its function is preserved while its look is greatly enhanced as you can see in the image of the finished item below.

The trick with antique restoration is to take away or cover just enough of the damage in order to allow the natural age, and the beauty that comes with that age, to shine through. One must keep in mind that they are restoring rather than remaking. If the owner of the antique wanted a brand new sugar bowl for their table, they would simply go to the store and purchase a new one. Instead, they choose to retain their antique piece and, with a little gentle antique restoration, bring out its unique and original charm.

For more information, or if you would like your antique silverware restoring, please use our contact form.

Gold Plating Kits & Equipment

The basic kit for electro brush plating consists of the following equipment; rectifier, leads, wands, swabs & chemical solutions. This small plating kit will enable you to gold & silver plate (with the correct solutions & additional sundry items) but it’s no business as it stands. You will also need to make many additions to your kit as you go along & this can be costly.

We include all the gold & silver plating equipment needed in the complete ready to go business package we offer. We even include a double ended polisher complete with mops & compounds plus a top model professional ultrasonic cleaner & even provide you with a website & training with free ongoing support!

This turns a very complete  & capable gold & silver plating kit into a complete ready to go business for both static & mobile use.
• Full details on our gold & silver plating business opportunity.
• Our range of gold plating kits & equipment is in our online shop.

Gold & Silver Plating Business

Would you like your own gold & silver plating business? Have no experience? Don’t know where to start?

We offer a complete gold & silver plating business package for sale which, includes; training with real hands on experience, all gold & silver plating equipment & solutions including double ended bench polisher & ultrasonic cleaner, fully functioning website complete with 1 years free hosting on our dedicated servers, domain name of your choice (subject to availability), free 0800 technical helpline and full support throughout to help you achieve your business goals.

This is not a franchise & you will own your complete business outright & all your profits are yours to keep.

For full details & available options please see our business opportunity.