Apple Watch
Gold Plating FAQ's
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How much will it cost me to gold plate my Apple Watch?
We charge a £499 flat fee to 18 carat gold plate any stainless steel Apple Watch face and buckle.
Do you accept orders from outside of the UK?
Yes! We ship Worldwide. Just select the International shipping flat rate of £99 when you place your order.
Do You Sell Gold-Plated Apple Watches or Bands?
We are not an authorized Apple Retailer, we only provide customization. We have no access to Apple Watches or stock.
How long will the gold plating on my Apple Watch last? Do you offer a plating warranty?
The Apple Watch has not yet been around long enough for us to see exactly how long our gold plating lasts on it. So far so good! With proper care, gold plating should last for years. Regularly wipe your Apple Watch carefully with a soft cloth designed for gold jewellery to keep it clean and free of elements which can oxidize.
Do not use metal polish on your watch as it's an abrasive that will remove microscopic layers of metal. Where the watch makes contact with skin may rub off, but you can expect the areas visible while wearing the watch to last. We do not recommend exercising with the watch on.
Your gold plating is guaranteed for at least 30 days. If you are unsatisfied with the finish or if you find a flaw, call us or send us an email and we will correct the problem as quickly as possible, with no cost to you.
If you do need it to be retouched thereafter, we will re-plate your watch for a flat fee of £250 per re-plate.
How Long do you need to keep my watch for?
About 4-5 days - we will return it asap.
What actually happens to my watch?
On receiving your watch it is inspected by a trained jewellery professional who will check for surface wear and minor damage, they will then carefully disassemble the watch from the strap. We then use / apply a complicated but thoroughly tested technique for plating that ensures the watch's integrity and functions are not affected or changed in any way. The watch will be returned to you in the same condition as we received it, just plated in 18 carat Gold. The whole process involved is significantly and safely within the guidelines published by Apple's recommended maximum of 3 foot submersion for 30 minutes.
Can you gold plate my Apple Watch Sport or another brand of watch? Can you plate the hardware on my leather strap or sport strap?
At this time we are only able to gold plate stainless steel Apple Watches. We also gold plate just the hardware on non-metal bands at long as the hardware is stainless steel. We have not yet been able to test the new space grey or space black bands to see whether or not they are plate-able. The Apple Watch Sport is made of aluminium, and while aluminium typically can be gold plated, Apple has coated the sport model with a non-conductive layer which cannot be removed and which renders our electroplating process ineffective. So unless Apple stops applying this layer, it is unlikely we will ever be able to plate them.
What if something 'goes wrong'?
This is a new but exciting technology that we have developed, so far we have had zero instances of watch failure during or after the process - that said who knows what the future holds? Due to the nature of the process we will not accept any liability for technology mal-functions prior to the plating process.
Do you offer white gold, silver, platinum, or other types of plating?
Sorry, we are only offering yellow and rose gold plating at this time. We are currently working on other colours to see how they work.
Where is Marmalade Fine Jewellery located?
The shop is based in Chiswick, on the District Line (Turnham Green Underground) in West London. There is parking right outside the shop.
I'm local! Can I drop off and/or pick up my watch from your shop?
Absolutely, the shop is open 6 days a week from 10am until 6pm.
Do I need to send my watch to you in its original packaging?
Ideally not. It's very bulky and heavy and will dramatically increase your postage costs packaged well in bubble wrap and in a jiffy bag should be suffice. However if you feel the want to send the whole box feel free.
Is my Apple Watch insured during shipping?
Yes. - provided you send it Royal Mail Guaranteed delivery. Royal mail have a £500 basic limit for insurance when sending this way, but you can elect to insure for up to £2500 when you are at the counter. We will send it back to you with the full insurance value.
Do you offer next day post?
All royal mail guaranteed delivery is for next day delivery we normally request 'before 1pm' but you can nominate before 9am if you want to pay the extra - please ensure that there is someone available to sign for your parcel.
Can you arrange a collection Service?
Not a problem, the option for a FedEx collection is available during Checkout.
Do you use real gold? How many carats? How thick is your plating?
We use 18 carat gold for all our plating because of its durability and more subtle and accurate colouring. Regarding thickness, our plating facility generally plates 5-7 microns thick on all our Apple products. Any more than this and there is a danger of it starting to flake off in sections - any thinner and it will wear too quickly.
Will gold plating my Apple Watch void its Apple Warranty?
It is possible your Apple Warranty will be voided. However, because this is a new service, we don't know how Apple's warrantee policies could change regarding gold plating. The Marmalade Gold Plating service is an aftermarket solution and we have no knowledge, information or guarantees regarding Apples policy re warranties.