You unbox a new chain. You turn it to the light. And somewhere — the inside curve of a hoop, the back of a hook, a joint tucked between two Cuban links — the colour looks slightly different from the rest of the piece.
Nothing has been missed. Nothing has been rushed. What you are seeing is the signature of PVD plating: an advanced, line-of-sight coating process that we choose deliberately for jewellery meant to be worn every day.
Here is what that means, in full.
What PVD Plating Actually Is
PVD stands for Physical Vapour Deposition. It is a coating technology developed for industries where a finish cannot be allowed to fail — aerospace components, surgical instruments, high-precision cutting tools, luxury watch cases. Jewellery inherited it later, and it changed what a plated piece could withstand.
The process happens inside a vacuum chamber. Solid metal — in our case, 18K gold alloy — is vaporised into individual atoms and ions using energy, then carried through the vacuum toward the jewellery. Those particles condense onto the surface and bond to it at an atomic level, building a coating layer by layer.
The result is a finish that is molecularly fused to the base metal rather than simply resting on top of it. It is dense. It is even. And it is measured in microns, not marketing language.
Why PVD Is Different From Traditional Dip Plating
Conventional gold plating is an electrochemical process. The piece is submerged in a bath of gold solution and an electric current draws the metal onto its surface. Because the piece is immersed, the liquid reaches everywhere — inside curves, behind clasps, into the smallest gaps.
That total coverage is the one advantage dip plating holds. It is also the reason it wears the way it does.
An electroplated layer is comparatively soft and porous. It sits on the surface with a weaker mechanical bond. Skin oils, perfume, humidity, friction from clothing and the simple repetition of daily wear break it down from the outside in. Colour dulls. Edges thin. The high-contact points go first.
PVD behaves differently. The atomic bond gives it markedly higher adhesion. The coating is harder, denser and far more resistant to abrasion, scratching, tarnish and corrosion. It holds its tone under conditions that would visibly age a dip-plated piece. This is precisely why the process migrated from industrial tooling into fine jewellery in the first place.
The Line-of-Sight Principle — And What It Means for Hooks, Hoops and Chains
Here is the trade-off, stated plainly.
PVD is a line-of-sight process. The vaporised gold particles travel in a straight path from the source to the piece. Wherever those particles can land directly, the coating forms beautifully and uniformly. Wherever a surface is shielded — tucked inside, angled away, overlapped by another component — the particles cannot reach it in the same density.
In practice, this affects a predictable set of places:
- The inner curve of a hoop earring, where the shape shades itself from the vapour path
- The back of an earring hook or post, which sits behind the body of the piece during coating
- The interior joints of a Cuban chain, where each link overlaps and encloses the next
- The hidden linkage points of rope, figaro, box and other complex chains
- The inside of a clasp mechanism, enclosed by design
These are, without exception, surfaces that face inward and are not visible when the piece is worn. The gold you see on your wrist, at your neck, at your ears is fully and evenly coated. What sits hidden inside the architecture of the piece may show the base metal beneath.
It is not an oversight in polishing. It is the physics of the process, and it is the same on PVD-coated pieces at every price point in the market.
Why We Accept That Trade-Off
We could dip-plate everything and achieve complete visual coverage on day one. We choose not to.
Demi-fine jewellery exists to be worn — not stored, not reserved for occasions. A piece that looks flawless when unboxed and dulls within a season has failed at the only thing that matters. We would rather deliver a finish that keeps its colour and depth through months of real wear, and be honest about the small hidden areas where the coating cannot reach.
Longevity where you can see it. Transparency about where you cannot.
Caring for a PVD-Plated Piece
PVD is durable. It is not indestructible. A few habits will extend its life considerably.
Let perfume, hairspray, lotion and sunscreen dry completely before putting jewellery on — these are the fastest way to degrade any plated finish. Remove pieces before swimming, showering or exercising; chlorine, salt water and sustained perspiration all shorten the life of a coating.
Wipe each piece with a soft dry cloth after wearing to lift oils and residue. Avoid polishing cloths treated with abrasive compounds, and avoid ultrasonic cleaners entirely — both work by removing surface material, which is exactly what you want to preserve.
Store pieces individually in a pouch or a lined box. Chains left loose together scratch one another, and friction is the enemy of any plating. Keep them dry and away from direct heat.
In Short
If you notice an uncoated area inside a hoop, behind a hook or within the links of a chain, you are looking at the honest signature of a superior plating process — not a defect, and not a missed step.
The visible surfaces are fully coated. The hidden ones cannot be, by the nature of how PVD works. And in exchange, you own a piece that will hold its colour far longer than a conventionally plated equivalent.
That is the trade we make, every time.
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