"Jewellery that never tarnishes". Legit or false advertising?

You're right to be skeptical.

And you've probably heard it a million times already.

"Won't tarnish"

"Won't fade"

"Waterproof"

"Won't turn your skin green"

Every jewellery brand makes the same promise these days.

A man's hand wearing a worn gold-plated ring, with a magnified detail showing green discolouration on the skin beneath the band.

So you do your due diligence only to find yourself more confused than ever.

But it's not necessarily because you're looking for the best piece of jewellery; it may well be that you don't want to end up with the worst.

And we get that. So many mixed reviews out there.

So much so that it becomes impossible to pick the right one.

And you've probably even bought a chain at one point that's now sitting in the back of a drawer because it's worn out after just a couple of weeks.

So when a jewellery brand says "it won't tarnish", you have every reason to be doubtful.

The claim is free to make. Nobody checks it.

But it makes the business money so they push it harder and harder.

And by the time you find out, you're a hundred quid down and it's too late to do anything about it.

The truth is… we make the same claim.

We're not ashamed to admit that "tarnish-free" gets us more customers.

But we're also equally proud to admit that we deliver on that promise.

We'd rather not ask you to believe us.

What we can do is tell you exactly what our jewellery is made of, exactly how it's finished, and exactly why that process is different to the one almost everyone else uses.

It's a real manufacturing method with a real name, so you can look it up while you read this.

Here's the problem with gold jewellery

Most affordable gold jewellery is made the same way.

A base metal, usually brass or copper, is dipped in a chemical bath and given a thin layer of gold through electroplating.

The end result? Gold-plated jewellery.

The process takes minutes and it costs very little.

Which is why gold-plated jewellery is produced in mass and is sold cheaply.

The problem however is that the gold layer sitting on top of the base metal isn't bonded to it in any meaningful way.

So it does what a thin coat of anything does under friction: it wears.

Once that layer wears through, the brass underneath is exposed.

And when it reacts with salts and acid on your skin, it forms that green colour that everyone talks about.

Which is also known as "green skin", and it's a real customer concern with gold-plated jewellery.

That green colour is not because your skin rejected the jewellery, it just ran out of gold.

Macro photograph of a gold-plated chain with the plating worn through at the links, exposing dull base metal underneath.

We don't dip our jewellery in gold. We bond them together.

The process is called PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition).

It's not a jewellery invention and we didn't come up with it. It's an industrial coating method and it works nothing like a chemical dip.

Here's how it works:

01

Into the vacuum

The piece goes into a sealed chamber and the air is pumped out, so nothing is left to get between the gold and the steel.

02

Gold becomes ions

Solid 18k gold is vaporised into individual ions and accelerated at the surface at high energy.

03

It embeds, not coats

The ions drive into the metal itself. The finish doesn't sit on top of the steel. It becomes part of it.

In other non-scientific words, the gold becomes part of the metal rather than just a coating. So it doesn't wear off.

Then there's what's underneath. Our base isn't brass. It's 316L stainless steel, surgical grade.

The same specification as medical grade hospital equipment.

So hypothetically, even if the gold wears off, there's no brass or copper underneath to turn your skin green.

That's the whole process.

It costs considerably more to run than a chemical bath, which is precisely why most brands don't use it.

In fact, it's way more profitable not to use it.

But here at VIRAGE London, we don't cut corners just to squeeze in more cash.

When we say "tarnish-free", it's because of the science behind our products. And it's one of the reasons why we offer a lifetime guarantee on all of our products — simply because they stand the test of time and survive anything daily life throws at them.

Buy it once, wear it forever →

Built to be worn. Not looked after.

It's simple: you put it on and you stop thinking about it.

  • Shower in it. Fully waterproof. No need to dry it, no need to take it off.
  • Swim in it. Chlorine and saltwater both.
  • Train in it. Sweatproof and heatproof.
  • Spray aftershave over it. Chemical resistant, so perfumes and colognes do nothing to the finish.
  • Sleep in it. No polishing cloth, no special storage, nothing to remember.
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Guaranteed to never tarnish. For life.

Every piece we make is covered by our Lifetime Guarantee, from the day you buy it.

Most brands at this price cap their cover at twelve months.

That number is roughly how long thin plating lasts, and a guarantee is only ever as long as a brand expects its product to survive.

We don't have that problem, so we don't need that limit.

And if you simply change your mind, there's a 14-day money-back guarantee on top.

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Before you ask

Will it fade or discolour over time?
No. The 18k gold finish is bonded into the surface of the steel through PVD rather than layered on top of it, so there's no film to wear away. That's why we guarantee it for life instead of twelve months.
Can I shower and swim in it?
Yes, both. Fresh water, chlorine and saltwater are all fine, and there's no need to dry or polish it afterwards.
Will it turn my skin green?
No. Green skin is a copper reaction, and there's no copper in our jewellery. The base is 316L surgical stainless steel.
I've got sensitive skin. Is this safe?
Yes. Every piece is hypoallergenic and nickel-free. Surgical-grade steel is the same material specification used in medical instruments for precisely this reason.
Is it solid gold?
No, and we'd be worried about any brand selling you solid gold at this price. Each piece is finished in real 18k gold, bonded to a surgical steel core through PVD; a process that produces a far more durable piece than solid gold, which is a soft metal that scratches and bends.
Why is it cheaper than the equivalent piece elsewhere?
We sell direct. No distributors, no retailers, no resellers taking a margin on the way to you. We design in-house in London and work directly with our manufacturers.
What if something goes wrong?
Every piece carries our Lifetime Guarantee, and there's a 14-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.
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Put it on. Stop thinking about it.

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Lifetime Guarantee14-day money backNever tarnishes