Gold-filled, also know as rolled gold, is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure over a base metal such as brass.

By law, gold-filled items much contain at least 1/20 or 5% karat gold by weight. For example, 14kt GF must be at least 5% 14kt gold.  This means the gold is much thicker than gold-plating, so jewellery can last up to 30 years before it wears through to the base metal