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.

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.

Welcome To Pure Gold Plating

Specialist brush electroplaters since 2008, Pure Gold Plating offer a wide range of electroplating & finishing services for both industry & the private sector.

Our services include gold plating in yellow, white, green & rose gold, platinum, palladium, silver plating, white bronze, copper, nickel, decorative chrome plating & even black chrome plating.

All our work is electroplated with durability in mind for a long lasting finish & our hard gold plating exceeds many of our customer’s expectations. Our gold solution is 24 Carat pure gold & contains no alloys. This pure gold plating solution can be mixed all the way down to 9 Carat enabling us to colour match for that always perfect finish whether it be a large commercial project or simply a one-off pair of bath taps.

Pure Gold Plating work hard to provide a first class professional service to all our customers both in the UK, where we are based, & worldwide.

We also provide an extensive gold & silver plating training course as well as offer a complete gold & silver plating business opportunity complete with website, all equipment, solutions, training & ongoing support for as long as you need us. For full details please see our training page.

• All our quotations include return delivery unless stated otherwise.
• We are able to carry out ‘selective plating’ if required. This involves electroplating part of a single item or we can simply electroplate an item in two or more precious or non-precious metals.
• We provide metal finishing services on a wide range of materials including electroplating aluminium & zinc.
• Our turnaround is 3 – 10 days on the majority of work.
• We provide a cleaning & polishing only service.
• Need something else? We add new services frequently so please contact us.

Gold Plated iPod Nano

The iPod Nano is a portable media player designed and marketed by Apple. The iPod Nano has gone through five models, or generations, since its introduction. The current fifth generation supports FM radio, video recording, a microphone for voice memos, a pedometer, and a slightly larger screen than that of the previous generation.

The iPod we have recently 24 carat gold plated is the 4th generation iPod Nano and can be seen in the picture blow.

Due to the construction of the unit and the process involved of preparing the aluminium casing for the gold plating process, the iPod had to be completely disassembled. Only then could the pink aluminium body be de-anodized, polished and nickel plated before being ready to accept the final 24 carat pure gold plating.

Although any iPod can successfully undergo the gold plating process, there are a few things to take into consideration when attempting to do so. Some iPods are simpler than others to gold plate. For example, iPods with a stainless steel back can be electroplated safely and easily without taking the unit apart.

This whole process of disassembly does, of course, void any guarantee in force with Apple.

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.

Gold Plated SAS Knife

The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife pictured below shows the typical before and after images of the type of work we can do and the finish we can achieve. The image below shows the knife prior to stripping, polishing and electroplating.

The following image shows the completed knife which has had the blade thick nickel plated with a 24 carat gold plated grip.

The knife is double-edged with a foil grip developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai before World War II. This was made famous during the War when issued to British commandos, including the SAS. The knife is so symbolic of British Commandos that a solid gold Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife is part of the commandos’ memorial at Westminster Abbey. The knife features in the insignia of the Dutch Commando Corps, founded in the UK during WWII, the Australian 2nd Commando Regiment, and also the British Royal Marines.

Watch Bands & Rings

Whether or not a watch band can be gold electroplated depends entirely on the material it is made from. If it is made of stainless steel, most jewellers do not have the capability to electroplate the band adequately. If they can do it the plate would likely be quite thin and quickly wear through. Also, if the band has steel parts in it, electroplating solutions can be contaminated. You will find that it is quite difficult to find a jeweller who would attempt a watch band.

Jewellers often send watch bracelets out for plating, as well as rings, bracelets and necklaces. They will generally go to a plating company specializing in that type of work with high level equipment and experience to be able to electroplate thick enough for lasting durability. Jewellers often send items to us for estimates and to ensure they get the work done properly.

Unlike a watch band, gold plating a ring would not be difficult for any jeweller with gold plating equipment and solutions. Though, the thickness and durability of the gold plate cannot be guaranteed with most jewellery store gold plating services done in-house. For guaranteed results, we would suggest your items be sent to us at Pure Gold Plating.

Various items sold on internet auction sites for colouring metals and adding a microscopic silver or gold colour generally do not last long and are not effective overall. Purchasers of such items often find this form of plating will only last a few weeks, if that.

Rhodium is a precious metal often used in jewellery and is one of the six platinum group metals. Rhodium, as well as palladium, is a less expensive alternative to platinum. Palladium is becoming more widely used in place of rhodium due to its platinum-like appearance, excellent durability and cost. A very useful application for palladium is electroplating palladium over silver. Not only does this increase durability of the silver but ensures that the silver does not tarnish!

These plated finishes are hard wearing and may not need to be redone for many years if cared for properly.

Platinum Plating

Platinum is an extremely rare metal, occurring as only 0.003 parts-per-billion in the Earth’s crust, and is 30 times rarer than gold. It is sometimes mistaken for silver but platinum is whiter in appearance.

Platinum plating is ideally suited to jewellery due to its beautiful bright lustre and long lasting durability and being 60% heavier than gold is also denser and stronger making it more resistant to damage. It will also retain its lustre longer as it does not tarnish.

Please use our contact form for a quotation.

What is Gold Plating?

What is gold plating? Typically, gold plating is the method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto a conductive surface, electrochemically in our case. The surface is normally a metal base which allows a current to be passed through it to form a complete circuit allowing the gold particles in the solution to bond with the item being gold electroplated, also called the cathode.

Plastics can also be gold electroplated but these must be made conductive first. This specialized technique is normally carried out by coating the plastic, and most other non-conductive items, with a silver conductive ink which is blown on using a compressor and spray gun.

Gold plating classification for gold plated thickness is as follows:

Gold flash is equal to 0.175 microns. For example, this is often used as a base coat onto nickel prior to being silver plated to enable a good bond.

Gold plate minimum thickness is equal to 0.50 microns. Used primarily as a decorative finish on items with minimal and infrequent handling.

Heavy gold plate is equal to 2.50 microns. For a long lasting gold finish on high wear items such as; watches, buckles, auto parts and jewellery. Normal thickness applied would range between 2.5 – 6 microns dependant upon the item and its intended use.

Our specially developed gold plating solutions are designed to be extremely hard and durable and a finish of just 5 microns is often more than adequate for long term durability of high wear items.

Pure Gold Plating Shop

We now offer a complete range of gold & silver plating machines & related equipment including gold & silver plating kits, ultrasonic cleaners, bench top polishers, mops & compound bars, spares & accessories.

For full details please see our online shop.

Why not purchase our complete Business Package? This is a complete ready to go business including all equipment, solutions, training, website & complete support for as long as you need us!

For full details please see our business opportunity.

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