The short version: these three brands are not really competing on the same product. Cernucci and Craftd London both build on 316L stainless steel with 18k gold plating and both advertise a lifetime guarantee. Jaxxon builds on a 925 sterling silver core bonded with solid 14k gold, prices in dollars, and calls its chains water-resistant rather than waterproof. Which suits you depends mostly on where you live and whether you take your chain into water.
Everything below was read off the brands' own pages in 2026. Where a brand publishes two different things in two places, that is noted rather than smoothed over. Each runs several regional storefronts, so treat every figure as a snapshot with its currency attached.
Cernucci: British storefront, steel and silver and brass
Cernucci's own FAQ lists three base metals across the range: 925 sterling silver, 316L surgical grade stainless steel and brass. That last one matters — brass behaves differently under a worn-through plating than steel does, so check the base metal on the specific piece rather than assuming the whole catalogue is steel. On plating, the FAQ says they use real 18k yellow gold and rhodium or palladium plating, and explains the vermeil standard they work to: at least 2.5 microns of gold over 925 sterling silver, at a minimum of 12K.
The warranty is where Cernucci currently publishes two versions. Product pages and the site-wide badge say the guarantee is for life: if the piece develops a craftsmanship defect they replace it once, whenever you need it. An FAQ page still describes a 12 month guarantee on gold plated and vermeil purchases, voided by user damage. Both are the brand's own wording, so if the warranty is your reason for buying, read the terms on the page you check out from.
Shipping is unusually clear: their delivery page states all orders are fulfilled from the UK, and that they ship to UK and EU customers with duty and taxes paid, so those customers are not charged customs fees. Prices on the UK storefront are in pounds; their chains collection ran from £24.99 to £134.99.
Craftd London: 316L steel, and a warranty with a clear claim process
Craftd's materials page is direct about the base: 316L stainless steel, real 18k gold on the gold pieces, a rhodium coating as a final layer, and AAA-grade cubic zirconia in the stone-set pieces. Their European collection pages carry a "water and sweat-proof" badge and a lifetime guarantee badge on all items. What they do not publish anywhere I could find is a plating thickness in microns — the number that most determines how long a plated piece holds its colour.
The warranty page is the most detailed of the three. The lifetime guarantee covers manufacturing defects from the moment the piece arrives: breakage, faulty mechanisms or clasps, chains snapping, tarnishing or discolouration beyond typical wear, scratches beyond surface-level wear, and stones falling out. It excludes lost or stolen items, intentional or third-party damage, and excessive wear and tear. Claims run by email with a clear photo and your order number. A workable process — but note "beyond typical wear", which leaves the brand room to judge, as almost every jewellery guarantee does.
Shipping is the part most European buyers get wrong. Craftd's US shipping page says pieces are shipped same-day, Monday to Friday, from their warehouse in Ohio. Their European storefront is a different operation: EU orders are delivered from the UK, by DHL European tracked delivery, priced in euros. Their EU terms state they are not responsible for any import or customs fees and advise you to check your own country's rules. Since the UK left the EU, a parcel from the UK into an EU country is an import — whether you are charged depends on the value, the carrier and how the shipment is declared. Prices on the EU storefront ran from about €34.99 for a slim chain to around €260 for the heaviest silver pieces.
Jaxxon: a different construction, and a different honesty
Jaxxon is not a plated brand in the same sense. Their own explanation of the gold-bonded chains is that each chain starts with a core of 925 sterling silver, coated in solid 14k gold, with an antioxidant solution applied afterwards. They also sell solid 14k gold pieces, described as made in Italy, and plain 925 sterling silver. Bonded gold over silver is a heavier construction than a thin plating over steel, and the price reflects it.
Credit where it is due: Jaxxon states plainly that their chains are water-resistant, not waterproof, and advise patting the chain dry after it gets wet. That is a more honest line than a lot of the category manages, and it is the sentence that should decide the purchase for anyone who swims or showers in their jewellery.
The company is US-based, in California, and their site promotes free shipping on all US orders and a 30-day returns and exchanges window. I could not find a published lifetime warranty document on their site; the guarantee they lead with is the returns window. The only price their own pages showed me directly was a chain stack bundle from $198 USD, so I will not invent a range for the rest. For a European buyer, a US parcel is an import.
The comparison
| Brand | Base material | Plating / gold | Warranty as published | Ships from | Price band (as seen) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cernucci | 316L steel, 925 silver and brass across the range | Real 18k yellow gold; rhodium or palladium; vermeil to a stated standard | Lifetime one-time replacement for craftsmanship defects; an FAQ page still states 12 months | UK, duty and taxes paid to UK and EU customers | Chains £24.99–£134.99 GBP (UK storefront) |
| Craftd London | 316L steel; 925 sterling silver on some lines | Real 18k gold with a rhodium coating; thickness not published | Lifetime guarantee on manufacturing defects; photo required; excludes excessive wear and tear | Ohio, USA for US orders; EU orders from the UK, import fees not covered | Chains roughly €34.99–€260 EUR (EU storefront) |
| Jaxxon | 925 sterling silver core; also solid 14k gold pieces | Solid 14k gold bonded over the core, plus an antioxidant finish | 30-day returns and exchanges; no lifetime warranty document found on their site | United States | USD; chain stack bundles from $198 USD |
| DeRuiterDR | 316L surgical steel throughout | 18K gold plating over that steel | Lifetime warranty against discolouration | Netherlands/Europe — no customs within the EU | €24–€139 EUR |
How to actually choose
Start with water. If your chain goes to the gym, the shower and the pool and you never intend to take it off, a brand that calls its pieces water-resistant rather than waterproof has told you something useful. If you take your jewellery off before you swim, that distinction costs you nothing.
Then look at the base metal under the gold, because that is what you are left with when a plating thins at a friction point. Steel under gold stays a neutral grey. Brass under gold has copper in it, and copper on damp skin is the classic source of a green mark. Silver under bonded gold is a good base, and a heavier one.
Then look at where the parcel starts. Inside the EU, a parcel from Ohio or from the UK is an import, and whether you pay depends on the declared value and the carrier's handling fee. Cernucci pays duty and tax for EU customers; Craftd states in its EU terms that it does not. This is also why we ship from the Netherlands. DeRuiterDR — men's jewellery in 316L surgical steel and 18K gold plating, waterproof, with a lifetime warranty, shipped from the Netherlands/Europe.
To be fair about where we do not compete: we sell no solid 14k gold, and if that is what you want, Jaxxon has it. We carry no heavy iced-out range either — the most stone-set pieces at Cernucci and Craftd have no equivalent here. What we do is a small, plain range in one material at a predictable price. In the chains collection that means the Cuban Chain 2MM at €29 as a subtle everyday piece, the Cuban Chain 5MM at €59 as the width most men land on, and the Cuban Chain 8MM at €79 if you want it noticed. A Small Cross Pendant at €59 is the usual next step.
What none of these brands can promise you
No plating is permanent. A gold layer over any base metal wears fastest where the piece rubs — a clasp, the underside of a ring, the inside of a bracelet against a desk. So read the guarantee wording rather than the badge: "lifetime" here almost always means lifetime against manufacturing defects, not against wear. A reasonable promise, but a different one from what the badge implies.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these brands is the best quality?
On construction, bonded solid gold over a sterling silver core is a heavier build than a plating over steel, and priced accordingly. On daily durability, 316L steel resists scratching and rust better than silver does. Different trade-offs rather than a ranking.
Does Craftd London ship from the UK or the US?
Both, depending on the storefront. Their US shipping page says orders leave a warehouse in Ohio; their European storefront states EU orders are delivered from the UK, and their EU terms say they are not responsible for import or customs fees.
Will I pay customs on an order from Cernucci?
Their shipping page states they ship to UK and EU customers with duty and taxes paid, so those customers are not charged customs fees. Outside the UK and EU, their terms make the recipient the importer of record.
Are Jaxxon chains waterproof?
By their own description, no. Their site says the chains are water-resistant, not waterproof, and recommends drying the chain after it gets wet. If you want to shower and swim in a chain without thinking, that matters.
What is the difference between gold plated, gold vermeil and gold bonded?
Plated means a gold layer over a base metal, with thickness varying enormously between brands. Vermeil is a defined standard: a minimum gold thickness over sterling silver. Bonded means a thicker layer of solid gold bonded to a core, in Jaxxon's case sterling silver.
Is 316L stainless steel the same at every brand?
The alloy specification is, but finishing, clasp quality and plating thickness are not. Two 316L chains can differ a lot in how the links move and how the clasp holds after a year, which is where the price difference usually sits.
How do I know a comparison like this is current?
Check the date and check the source pages yourself. Brands change warranty wording, warehouses and price bands without announcing it, so a comparison written three years ago often describes a company that no longer exists in that form.
Open the chains collection and pick your length in cm. If the size is wrong when it arrives, we will exchange it — shipped from the Netherlands, so no customs charges within the EU.