Vermeil

Gold plated sterling brooch
MFA# 2006.369

Description

1) A 17th and 18th century term for fire gilding (Mayer 1969).

2) A 19th century term for a gilded metal (silver, copper, or bronze) coated with a transparent orange red lacquer to produce a rich gold color (Mayer 1969).

3) Current trade definitions in the U.S., indicate that the term 'vermeil' can only be used when pure silver or sterling silver is plated with gold.

4) A general term for a bright red color (as a variant of vermilion).

Synonyms and Related Terms

vermeil (Fr.);

Resources and Citations=

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• FTC website (jewelry) -http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.pdf