Gold Heart Necklace

A gold heart necklace is the gift people default to, and it works because of that rather than despite it. Open outlines, doubles, pavé edges and hearts set beside an initial — 18K gold vermeil at 3 microns over solid sterling silver, or gold plated. Gold, silver and rose gold, 14 to 20 inches, from $46.

Gold Heart Necklace Questions

How much does a gold heart necklace cost?

Ours are $46 to $110. The market runs from $15 plated brass to four figures for solid gold with stones. The number that decides whether you still have it in three years isn't the price — it is how thick the gold is. Vermeil runs 3.0 microns over solid sterling silver; the plated pieces run 0.5 microns over brass, against a 0.2 micron standard.

Is gold vermeil real gold?

Real gold bonded to solid sterling silver. Vermeil legally requires 2.5 microns; ours is 3.0. Standard gold plating is 0.2 microns and most "gold plated" jewelry is 0.5. On a heart — a solid, rounded shape with few edges — that thickness lasts particularly well.

Will it turn my neck green?

No. That reaction comes from copper reaching skin through thin plating. Vermeil has none — it is gold over solid sterling silver. The plated pieces run 0.5 microns over brass — 2.5× the 0.2 micron industry standard. What does happen with any plating is gradual dulling from perfume and hairspray, which is why it goes on last.

What length works best?

16 or 18 inches. A heart pendant is compact and sits well high on the chest; 18 puts it just below the collarbone. Longer than 20 and a small heart starts disappearing into a neckline.

Is it a good gift for a girlfriend or wife?

It's the safest romantic pendant, and safe means expected. The version with her initial or birthstone beside the heart does more work. For an anniversary, two linked hearts reads more deliberately than one.

Can you wear it every day?

Yes, and the smaller open hearts are built for it — they layer under a collar and don't tangle with a second chain. Larger pavé hearts are heavier and swing more, which makes them occasion pieces by weight rather than by rule.

See also heart necklaces, heart pendant necklaces, heart jewelry and name necklaces.