Fake jewelry is jewelry that is made to look like real platinum or gold at an affordable price. The reason gold plated jewelry & silver plated jewelry are so much cheaper in price is because the core metal that the jewelry is made of is not real silver, gold, or platinum. Instead, semi-precious metals are used and then plated with silver, gold, or platinum. The length of time that the fake jewelry will maintain it's luster depends on how thick the plating is, what the base metal is on which it is plated over, and how often you wear the jewelry.

You can't expect fake jewelry to last you a lifetime without losing its luster. If you want your jewelry to last you a lifetime, you will need to purchase either solid gold jewelry, solid sterling silver jewelry, or solid stainless steel jewelry. Even when wearing real jewelry, the original luster will tarnish over time. However, since the core metal of the real jewelry is still its original color, you will not notice it as much and will also be able to have it professionally polished to restore 95% of it's luster. Another way to restore the luster of any jewelry (fake or real) is to have it re-plated with sterling silver or gold. This method is more popular with real gold & sterling silver jewelry because the cost of plating jewelry is around $20-50, which will make it fruitless to re-plate fake jewelry since you will probably be able to purchase the fake jewelry brand new at a cheaper cost than having it re-plated!

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR GOLD PLATED JEWELRY:

1) Make sure not to sweat while wearing the fake jewelry. Your body sweat is the #1 cause of fake jewelry turning colors. If you could wear the jewelry at times that you are less likely to sweat, you will notice that the jewelry will last you MUCH longer than it ever has before. Therefore, we would recommend not wearing the jewelry unnecessarily for extended periods of time (i.e. while you sleep). We also recommend that you wear the jewelry only in the evenings and try not to wear the jewelry during the day under the sun.

2) Try not to get your jewelry wet or shower with it!  It doesn't matter if it is gold plated, solid sterling silver, or solid gold... Showering with your jewelry is never recommended!  Showering with your jewelry on will always be quick to remove the luster from your jewelry.  Removing the luster from gold plated jewelry will usually mean removing the gold plating from the jewelry.  The only reason it is somewhat OK to shower with real gold or sterling silver jewelry is because there is a way to restore 95% of it's original luster by using intensive polishing methods and/or re-plating with rhodium or gold.  But why shower with your jewelry if you will take steps to restore luster when you get out? 

3) The base metal which the gold plating is plated over is important.  When gold plating is electro plated onto more precious metals (such as real gold, sterling silver, or brass) it will stick much better and last much longer.  If the gold plated is plated onto a cheaper metal (unknown cheaper base metals) the plating will not bond as good and will result in a quicker fade of gold plating color.  Therefore, any of our jewelry that is gold plated over solid brass or sterling silver will generally last much longer than the jewelry plated over cheaper metals (when brass or sterling silver isn't mentioned in the description). 

HOW TO GET YOUR JEWELRY RE-PLATED:

If you would like to get your fake jewelry plated again, we do offer gold plating services. It would cost you anywhere from $20.00-50.00 to have your fake jewelry plated with gold or rhodium to look brand new again. Just contact us for more information and a more accurate price quote depending on what it is you need re-plated.

Also, just remember the popular saying "you get what you pay for." Although your fake jewelry may start to turn after some time of use, just always bear in mind that you will be getting your money's worth out of it. If it tarnishes and you bought it for cheap, you can just throw it in da gutter & go buy another! :)