What is PVD coating?
The finish behind our waterproof, color-lasting jewelry.
What PVD stands for
PVD stands for Physical Vapor Deposition. It is a family of vacuum-based coating processes that apply a thin, strongly bonded film onto a surface, typically a metal like stainless steel. In jewelry, it creates durable gold-tone, silver-tone or colored finishes that resist wear and corrosion better than many conventional plated finishes.
How it works
PVD is not a liquid plating bath. It deposits a solid coating from vapor inside a vacuum chamber.
- A source material is turned into a vapor by heat, an electric arc or ion bombardment.
- The vapor travels through a low-pressure vacuum.
- It condenses onto the jewelry, forming a uniform film that bonds strongly to the base metal.
Because the coating is formed atom by atom in a controlled environment, it is dense, hard and firmly attached.