Not all jewelry is created equal. But I can assure you that your taudrey pretties are made with the highest quality (gold filled that is) that is just below solid gold. As I love to preach, taudrey is more than just jewelry, it’s jewelry with meaning. I love to make it personal not only through the personalized pretties, but through our messaging, branding, and culture. So here is an educational post on what your pretties are made of...

Let's start off by listing our values. We stand for making it personal, female empowerment, giving back, and high-quality pieces. I want to make sure our taudrey girls know what they are buying and wearing.  Solid gold, gold filled, and gold plated are not the same. Not only is the manufacturing process different for each, but the amount of “gold” used in each is also different.

Solid Gold which makes up our fine jewelry, luxe collection, is made up exactly of how it sounds – entirely of gold, inside and out. It’s the most expensive and durable since it is the purest. There are different percentages of the purity (Karats “K”) within the gold that can be either 10K, 14K, 18K, or 24K. These pretties will last you forever and you can sleep, swim and bath in them. 

 Gold filled contains “gold” within the item. It usually consists of 2 to 3 thick layers of solid gold that is mixed, bonded, and pressed with other metals. The layers of gold can also have different forms of purity (karats). Taudrey uses between 10K, 14K and 18K depending on the piece. Gold filled jewelry is a better alternative to gold plated as it will barely tarnish, or will take a much longer time to tarnish. However, of course, since it is not solid gold there will be some fading in the color over time.

Gold plated is also how it reads – only “plated” on the outside. It’s the least expensive of costume jewelry as it contains the lowest percentage of gold. Gold plated jewelry is made by a process called  electroplating, which creates a metal coating over other metals such as brass, copper, nickel, or silver as a base. The exterior coating is usually less than 1% of solid gold, but is enough to give it the yellow color. However, it essentially does not have any gold value, which is why it is an inexpensive material to use.

Gold filled pieces are generally more durable than gold-plated due to the thicker layer of gold alloy. However, the longevity of either type is dependent on the wear, environment, and quality of the piece. You can read how to take care of your taudrey pretties at the bottom of our common questions page.

Average closing price of gold in 2009 = $973.66

      Average closing price of gold in 2022 = $1,879.20