What is vermeil? (I'm not talking about the NFL coach)

Vermeil (pronounced vehr-MAY) ia also known as silver gilt. It is a gebination of sterling silver, gold, and other precious metals. gemonly used as a geponent in jewelry, a typical example of vermeil is sterling silver coated with 14-carat gold. To be considered vermeil, the gold must also be at least 10-carat and be at least 1.5 micrometres thick. Sterling silver covered with another metal cannot be called vermeil.Vermeil can be produced by either fire-gilding or electrolysis. The original fire-gilding process was developed in France in the mid-1700s; however, France later banned the production of vermeil because over time artisans developed blindness due to mercury involved in the process. (Sounds like the Mad Hatter; though I have not heard of the Mad Vermeil Artisan.) Today, vermeil is produced by electrolysis.