We sell a
unique chain. Though it has the
appearance of 14-karat solid gold and has the appearance of standard
electroplated chains, it is quite different from either one.
Our chains are not solid gold throughout.
The gold is
only on the outside of the chains. However,
the gold is layered with approximately seven times the thickness (and seven
times the gold content) than the standard electroplated chains.
OPNET is the only chain distributor that can boast of such a chain.
The customer will never have nor ever will be able to find such a
high-quality chain at a better price!
1.
Is it 14 karat gold? – No. 14 karat gold is a product composed of 14
parts pure gold mixed with 10 parts other metals.
The resulting mixture is only 58 percent pure gold.
10 karat gold is only 42 percent real gold!
Instead of mixing gold with other metals, our product separates the other
metals from the gold by putting diamond-cut brass on the inside, then bonding 24
karat gold (which is 100 percent pure gold!) with a minimum of one micron
thickness on the outside -the part that is seen and felt!.
Our product can be termed as gold overlay or plated, because we do use
the electroplate process to put the gold on, but we prefer to use the term
“bonded” which has come to be known as “plated 1 micron thick”.
2.
What is layered solid gold? – An electroplating process.
However, three important factors affect the quality of the plated
product:
Gold application process used. We use the finest, cleanest, most consistent process in the world.
Fineness
of gold used – we use pure 24 karat gold, the purest and most expensive
gold.
Thickness
of gold applied – Our chains have a minimum of 1 micron (40 mils).
The government’s standard for electroplated chains is only 7 mils,
the thickness that most companies use!
Companies
that use less than 7 mils refer to their jewelry as “gold tone” jewelry.
If they get up to 7 mils, they call it “electroplated jewelry”, and
we alone are at 50 mils with “bonded jewelry”!
3.
What type of metal is underneath the gold? – The base metal used is the
finest quality diamond-cut, polished brass chain available on the market today.
Some cheap imitators will use a very brittle metal called “white
metal”. It is cheap, less
polished, and weak. Our chains are
much stronger than any karat gold or sterling silver chains on the market today!
4.
What percentage of the content is gold? – The amount of gold applied is
for wearing quality only and the percentage differs greatly from chain to chain,
depending upon the amount of surface area compared to the amount of brass needed
to make the chain. There is very
little meltdown value to the purchaser because of the brass.
Therefore, these chains are for beauty and wearability only.
Actually, even 14-karat jewelry lacks resale value – much of the
price the customer pays is for workmanship, not the actual gold.
If the customer wishes to purchase gold for investment purposes, he/she
would be much better off purchasing gold bricks or coins!
But, when our chains are compared to cheap plated chains, ours have much
more gold, and much greater value.
5.
Is it plated? - Yes.
However, we use the Acid gold electroplate process with a special bonding
formula, then add our own protecting “beauty shield” coating after that!
It’s the best process known today, and offers reliability with proven
wearing qualities.
6.
Is it like gold-filled? -
Gold filled jewelry cannot be diamond-cut and, therefore, cannot offer the
same brilliance, styling and flexibility that our chains do.
Our total gold content is less than gold-filled, but our prices also
generally less. We offer some items
in gold-filled, as well (Tru-Kay boxed items, friendship rings, ladybug
earrings). These gold-filled items
offer tremendous wear, and are styles which do not require diamond cutting.
7.
How many layers do our chains have?
- The only way to accurately answer this question is to give the total
thickness of the gold in mils, rather than layers.
The gold is applied by immersing the chain in a solution saturated with
gold while running a strong electric current through the vat.
The thickness of the gold on the resulting chain will depend on the
strength of the electric current, the density of the gold in the solution, and
the length of time it is applied. The
thickness of gold is then computer-verified to assure a minimum of 50 mils.
To say there would be 50 layers is not necessarily the most accurate way
to describe it, but for many of you and your customers, it is easier to envision
and understand it when it is described as 50 layers.
Some
of our competitors will measure the thickness of the gold by adding the
thickness of some other metals underneath it like nickel and copper to the
thickness of the 24-karat gold. They
will say they have a 14 karat gold electroplated chain, when in reality the
amount of pure gold is not even 5 mils thick!
8.
Will it wear off? - All
costume jewelry can wear off—even ours.
The thicker the gold application, however, the longer it will wear.
We believe our thickness of 50 mils is the optimum level for wearability
and cost. If the jewelry is taken
care often through frequent cleaning, and if the people who have a high acidic
content in their skin will wear it outside their clothing or against their skin
for short durations only, it should last a long time.
For most people, it will last forever.
Our national return rate is only 2 percent.
In other words, of the tons of merchandise we send out from the home
office, only 2 percent of it actually comes back to us in the form of returns.
9.
If a person is allergic to other jewelry, can they wear our jewelry?
- Many people who are allergic to other jewelry can wear our jewelry because all that touches the skin is 24 karat gold.
However, we cannot guarantee that those who have allergic reactions to
other jewelry will not also be affected by our jewelry as well—the fact is
they might. Some people may have to
wear our jewelry outside their clothing.
Many of the 2 percent of the individuals who cannot wear our jewelry cannot do so because of an allergy or due to a high acidic content in their
perspiration.
10.
Will it wear off if I swim, shower, perspire, or sleep with it?
- The thicker the gold, the better the wear.
Swimming, showering, or sleeping with it should not affect the wearing
quality of our chains. General
rubbing can wear the surface down over time; however, the acid percentage
contained in the perspiration of an individual can also affect the life of the
chain. We do treat the chain to
help counter the corrosive effects of acidic perspiration.
Keeping the chain clean is the best deterrent.
Use any dishwashing liquid with water often to help preserve the chain.
Finally, you can treat our chains basically the same way you would with
14-karat jewelry.
For
comparison sake, we have purchased and tested some of the other chains on the
market. At Target, 1-2 mils,
Avon—2-3 mils, Monet and Trifarri—5
mils, Piercing Pagoda—5-15 mils,
Non-name brand chains from large chain distributors in Chicago, Arizona, and
Florida typically measured at 1-2 mils!
The
regulation for “gold electroplate” jewelry is 5-7 mils of gold.
Hence, some call their jewelry “gold tone” and apply less gold.
Our standard gold electroplate at OPNET is superior to most of what is in
the marketplace right now. Our 50
mils product, however, is unique. It
contains more than 7 times the legal requirement of gold content.
Rather than limit yourself to the traditional options of junky
electroplate or expensive solid gold, take an option that makes much more sense
than either one. Invest in jewelry that has enough real gold on the outside so that it will always look
as beautiful as it did when you bought it, so that everything you ever see or
feel is real gold, but you do not have to pay for the gold on the inside of the jewelry where you do not see it. In
fact, we provide a core to the chain of diamond-cut brass so that your chain
will never break, as do the light flimsy solid gold chains.
We give you the best of both worlds—a beautiful, durable chain at an
affordable price, and, back it up with a “no questions asked” lifetime
replacement guarantee!
We, at OPNET are not only proud to offer the finest jewelry in the industry, but we also stand behind customers with a lifetime warranty directly to you. Fortunately, you rarely will have to use it! Don’t sell yourself short on jewelry. Buy OPNET and be proud of what you own.
The
Difference Between 14-K & OPNET Bonded Jewelry…
14-karat jewelry is a mixture of 14 parts genuine gold combined with 10 parts copper and silver. This combination of alloys and gold forms 14-karat gold. It is very expensive because the consumer not only pays for the beautiful gold found on the outside of the chain, but also must pay for the gold that is not seen (the gold in the middle of the chain). 14-karat gold is a popular, age-old technique that was started long before plating was invented. It is the most traditional way to buy jewelry--and it wears very well. Because it is so expensive the consumer rarely receives any sort of guarantee, and repairs are very costly. In fact, some jewelry shops make more money repairing jewelry than selling new items!
Bonded jewelry is a newer alternative to 14-karat jewelry. It uses the same, pure gold as does 14-karat jewelry, but instead of mixing it with other metals, we separate the pure gold from other metals. The pure gold is the part of the jewelry that is seen and felt by the consumer. The other metals are kept in the middle of the chain where they are not seen, but will give the jewelry added strength. In fact, bonded chains are much stronger and will break far less often than 14-karat chains. Other than the obvious cost advantage, the huge bonus that consumers receive when buying OPNET bonded chains is a lifetime replacement guarantee. If the jewelry fails to last forever, the consumer simply returns the item with the guarantee to the OPNET Distributor they purchased it from or send it by mail to the address shown on the guarantee, with the required shipping and handling fee and will gladly be given a brand new piece of jewelry. All repair work done on jewelry purchased at OPNET is free, also. We are not interested in making money in the short range –we are much more interested in earning the long-term patronage of our customers.
Bonded jewelry makes a lot of sense. They carry more than quadruple the amount of gold that is found on standard electroplated jewelry, but all of it is where you can see it and feel it. And isn’t this the true reason why we purchase gold anyway, to look and feel good? You will feel better when you don’t have to spend a fortune in doing so. Try it! You and all your friends will love your 24 karat gold bonded jewelry!