Jewelry Guide
How long does PVD gold last?
With normal daily wear a PVD gold finish lasts for years without fading, chipping or tarnishing. It is the same bonding process used on high-end watch cases. We back ours with a lifetime color warranty — if it ever changes color through normal wear, we replace it.
Longevity comes from the bond, not the thickness. Because PVD drives gold into the steel surface rather than laying it on top, there is no discrete layer that can lift, flake or peel. The resulting surface is harder than gold on its own, which is why it resists the fine scratching that dulls plated pieces.
What does eventually mark PVD is sustained abrasion — a piece rubbing against a hard surface in the same spot every day. Ordinary wear, water, sweat, soap, lotion and perfume do not.
That is a meaningfully different failure mode from plating, which degrades on a predictable timeline whatever you do. Plated pieces are consumable. Bonded pieces are not.
The lifetime color warranty exists because we can make that claim. Manufacturing faults like elastic breakage are covered separately.