We read 181 necklace listings on Etsy and counted what they actually tell you about the metal. Here is what we found, and how we counted it.
25 of the 77 listings that advertise a gold karat (32%) never use the word plated, filled or vermeil anywhere in the title. Their median price is CA$33.75.
A necklace described as "14k Gold" for CA$28 is not solid gold. It is almost certainly plated, and the listing simply does not say so. 21 of those 25 listings are priced under CA$50.
The comparison that makes it clear: listings that do use plating language have a median price of CA$50.59. The ones that omit it sit at CA$33.75. The cheaper the piece, the less likely the listing is to tell you it is plated.
On 26 July 2026 we captured the public Etsy Canada search results for two queries: four leaf clover necklace gold plated (pages 1 and 2, 117 listings) and gold plated heart necklace waterproof (page 1, 64 listings). For each listing we recorded the title and list price, then classified titles by keyword: a karat claim is 9k to 24k or ct; plating language is plated, plating, gold filled or vermeil; a base metal is stainless steel, titanium steel, sterling silver, 925, brass, copper, bronze or solid gold.
This reads titles, not descriptions. A seller may well disclose the base metal further down the page. It covers one marketplace and two queries, so it is a statement about how these listings are titled, not about the whole jewellery market. Etsy results are personalised and shift over time, so exact counts will not reproduce precisely.
Free to cite or reuse with attribution to Calvelle. The full aggregate table is available at hello@calvelle.com.
We ran this because we had to answer it for ourselves. Every Calvelle product page names its own base metal, its plating, its pendant size and its own care instructions, because our two pieces are not built the same way and pretending otherwise would put us in the 32%.