How Much Gold on Average Is There on Plated Stemware?

Plating Types

• First,determine how the gold was plated onto your stemware. For high-quality stemware and a thick gold plating, the gold may be as thick as 50 microinches, or .000050 of an inch. The thinnest and least expensive coatings are electrogilded on and may only be 0.000007 of an inch in thickness. Other types of gold plating fall somewhere in between these two amounts. The lighter the gold color, the thinner the plating.

Estimating Gold

• If you know the thickness of the gold plating, you can try to estimate the amount of gold in all your stemware. Start by measuring the surface area: With stemware, this can be complex, but estimate surfaces where necessary and remember to account for both inner and outer surface areas. Multiply the resulting surface area by all your stemware units. With total surface area and the thickness of the gold plating, you can calculate the amount of gold; you can also use an online calculator like the one available online at Goldnscrap.

Hard and Soft

• When it comes to gold plating, there is hard gold and soft gold. Hard gold is most commonly found on decorative pieces like stemware. This is actually a gold alloy, gold that has been mixed with other metals to make it more resistant to damage. Soft gold is a purer form of gold that is used in electronics. You will not be able to recover as much gold from the hard gold of stemware as you would from electronic circuits so avoid comparison to technical gold plating.

Removing Gold

• There are methods available to remove gold plating from objects. You may be able to try removing the gold yourself, but it may be necessary to sacrifice the stemware in the process. Also, gold reclamation involves hazardous chemicals which may be illegal in some states. If you want the gold, consult a professional for alternative methods or professional services.