Gold Vermeil is a respected quality standard for premium jewelry without breaking the budget. The core consists of sterling silver plated with a thick layer of real fine gold - at stilnest with 24-carat gold (999) and at least 2.5-3 micrometers thick. Gold vermeil plating is not only more valuable and costly to produce, it is also much more durable and can be renewed.
In contrast, gold-plated jewelry often has a much thinner layer of gold over a base metal such as brass. This thin layer can wear away more quickly and a repair is hardly economically viable - at least from a material point of view. The gold used for gold vermeil plating is recycled, e.g. from precious metal recycling and was processed in Belgium.