Gold filled, gold plated, sterling silver, fine silver.... what is the difference:

Solid Gold- Solid gold is one of the most valuable resources in the world and is the most valuable form of jewelry. With care, solid gold lasts a very, a very long time. Solid Gold is also the most expensive. 10kt is composed of 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloy. Appearance: 10k gold is pale yellow in color.  14kt iscomposed of 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. Appearance: 14k gold has a yellow hue brighter than 10k gold, but not nearly as vibrant as 24k gold.

Gold Filled- a thick, solid layer of 14K gold, mechanically bonded to a base metal (usually copper).  It is a strictly regulated process. All of the gold is actually on the outside so its weird that it is called "gold filled". The thick, outer layer of gold makes it safe for people with allergies or sensitive skin. Gold filled is a high quality metal without the price of solid gold.

Gold Plated- a thin layer of gold that varies in thickness because it is not regulated. It is done with a quick "flash plating" over a base metal. Gold plating is good for very trendy jewelry because it will not last very long and will start of peel and fade when the trend is over. Also called "vermeil" when the base metal is over sterling silver.

Sterling Silver- An alloy that contains at least 92.5 percent silver and up to 7.5 percent copper. Sterling silver is hypoallergenic. It's a great choice if your skin reacts to other materials like nickel.

Fine Silver- pure silver means an item contains 999 of 1000 parts silver