Titanium nitride cufflinks: gold nitride vs gold plating
Titanium nitride is a hard ceramic coating applied by PVD. How light gold and black nitride cufflinks compare with gold plating, including where plating wins.
Published , 5 min read
Titanium nitride cufflinks are titanium cufflinks finished with a hard ceramic coating, a few microns thick, applied by physical vapor deposition (PVD). Compared with gold plating, gold titanium nitride is far harder and contains no gold: its color comes from the ceramic itself, and its hardness stands up to the everyday rubbing that wears thin plating through to the metal underneath.
Our Signature pairs come in two nitride finishes, light gold and black. This guide explains what the coating is, how it compares with gold plating, including where plating is the better choice, and which finish suits which occasion.
What titanium nitride is
Titanium nitride is a ceramic, a compound of titanium and nitrogen. You have probably seen it already: it is the gold-colored coating on drill bits and cutting tools, where it is chosen for its hardness.
It is applied by physical vapor deposition. In a vacuum chamber, the coating material is turned to vapor and deposited on the part, building a layer typically a few microns thick.
On our cufflinks, a specialist coater applies it over the tumbled titanium. Because the layer is so thin, it follows the surface beneath it: the satin texture, the raised lines and the engraved letters stay as they were printed, now in gold or black.
Light gold nitride
Light gold nitride contains no gold. Its color comes from the ceramic itself, not from a layer of precious metal, and because the coating is far harder than gold, it stands up to the rubbing that wears thin plating through.
The shade is a light gold. If you want an exact match for the deep yellow of 18k gold, solid gold or gold plating will come closer. Nitride is its own color, and we would rather you knew that before you order.
It also keeps the pair light. The same pair in solid 18k gold would weigh about three and a half times as much as in titanium, while a coating a few microns thick adds next to nothing. There is a full comparison of the metals in titanium vs silver and gold cufflinks.
Black nitride
Black nitride is a deep graphite black with a metallic sheen. It is not paint or enamel, and it is not flat: light still moves across the satin surface, so raised details stay legible on a black face.
Black cufflinks are made in several ways: enamel, a dark stone set into the face, a dark plating, or a hard PVD coating like this one. Nitride is a coating on the titanium itself, not an inlay or a layer of paint.
Black suits evening wear and black tie, charcoal and black suits, and anyone who wants cufflinks that show their shape rather than their shine.
Gold titanium nitride vs gold plating
Gold plating is a thin layer of real gold over another metal. Side by side, the two compare like this:
| Light gold titanium nitride | Gold plating | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A ceramic coating applied by PVD | A thin layer of gold over another metal |
| Contains gold | No | Yes |
| Hardness | Far harder than gold plating | Much softer than nitride |
| Color | A light gold, from the ceramic itself | The color of the gold used |
| As it wears | Far harder, so it resists the rubbing that wears plating through | Thin plating can wear through to the metal underneath |
| Who applies it | A specialist coater | A plating shop or a jeweler |
Both are honest ways to make a gold-colored cufflink. They suit different buyers.
Choose gold plating if you want real gold on the surface, or the exact color of yellow gold. Gold-plated cufflinks usually cost less, and a jeweler can often re-plate a worn piece.
Choose gold titanium nitride if your cufflinks will be worn often. Edges and raised details rub against cuffs, desks and watch straps, and nitride is far harder than gold plating. It also suits you if you want the color to come from the coating itself rather than a thin layer of gold over something else, and if you want a gold-colored pair that stays light.
Choose solid gold if the metal itself matters to you, and you are content with the weight and the price that come with it.
The Signature pair
Any design can be made as a Signature piece: a collection design, a monogram you build yourself, or a one-of-one design you describe in words. A Signature pair is $1,500, whatever the design. Like every pair, it is made to order and ships in about 6 weeks, with shipping included.
The House Mark, our bull with a diamond-cut head, is made only as a Signature piece.
Each Signature pair is printed in Grade 5 titanium and tumbled to satin like any other, then finished by the specialist coater. For how that compares with the wider market, read what custom cufflinks cost, and what drives the price.
Which finish for which occasion
- Satin titanium for the office and everyday wear: a soft gray that sits quietly with most clothes.
- Light gold nitride for weddings and daytime events, and for anyone who already wears gold.
- Black nitride for black tie and evening, and with charcoal or black suits.
Questions
Does gold titanium nitride contain gold?
No. Light gold nitride is a ceramic coating, and its color comes from the ceramic itself.
Will titanium nitride wear off?
It is a hard ceramic, far harder than gold plating, so it stands up to everyday wear much better than thin plating does. Hard is not the same as indestructible, so treat it as you would any fine finish.
Is black nitride paint or plating?
Neither. It is a hard coating applied by PVD, like the light gold, in a deep graphite black with a metallic sheen.
Can any design be made in nitride?
Yes. Any design can be a Signature pair, at $1,500. The House Mark is made only as a Signature piece.
To order a Signature pair, start from a collection design or a blank face and choose light gold or black as you design your pair in the studio. The studio checks every line against the titanium rules before you order, and the coating is applied once your pair has been printed and tumbled.
