What is gold IP? Used on stainless steel, surgical steel, titanium and some other metals, to create a jewellery item that looks just like solid gold - but isn't. At a fraction of the cost, and unlike electroplating that may not hold it's gold for long, a beautiful gold-like item is created using the following method. "In traditional processes, the gold coating on the surface of the case can be rubbed off easily. Ion plating makes the gold plating more durable, more wear resistant, and also has a higher brightness. ... To begin with, a layer of titanium nitride is added to the base surface of stainless steel. To this is added a gold coating, normally not exceeding 0.3 urn in thickness. Additionally a final plating metal is added to the surface; the thickness of this layer is no more than 0.3 urn. ... Given its durability and chemical stability, ion plating is rightly called “permanent” coating."
Do a search on this site, for Gold IP items and see for yourself how beautiful they are - and how inexpensive compared to solid 9k, 14k or 18k gold!