Not only genuine gold jewellery has the typical golden colour, but also other pieces that have been provided with a so-called IP coating. The process for this is called ion plating (or IP for short). In this process, a metal layer of higher quality is applied to another metal. This is achieved with the help of a physical-chemical process in which the surface of the metal to be plated is first cleaned by ion blasting. Then the vapour of the higher-quality metal is fed to it from an evaporator source with further blasting by ions. The colouring can be achieved with gold or titanium ions. This forms a second layer on the material, which is strongly heated during the procedure. During IP coating, the properties of the new layer are then modified and the durability of the jewellery is improved. The jewellery can not only be gold-plated by this process, but also rose-gold-plated, for example. There is also a difference in price compared to genuine jewellery, as it is cheaper.
