Plate longevity depends on the plate thickness, care and wear of the piece. I determine plate thickness by taking these three factors into consideration with the goal being for the plating to last at least a year. Rings and everyday earrings have the thickest plating and would be considered "vermeil" if the base metal were sterling silver. Statement earrings that have little wear and contact with skin have the lightest plating but are still 20x thicker than mass produced pieces and will easily last a year as well. Again though, if you are super hard on jewelry or wear things constantly, your gold plate will wear more quickly on the areas that have the most contact with things, like the inside of your ring band!