Gold Plating Religious Artefacts
Religious metalwork is rarely replaced. It is maintained, restored and passed on.
We have worked on ceremonial and devotional pieces since 1995, for churches, temples, mosques and synagogues, and the work is as much restoration as it is plating.
What we work on
Ceremonial vessels and devotional objects
Candle holders, lamps and lighting
Statues and figurative pieces
Altar and sanctuary fittings
Doors, panels, screens and decorative metalwork
Commemorative and memorial pieces
Restoration of older pieces
Most of what comes to us has been in use for decades. Plating has worn through at handling points, surfaces have dulled, and earlier repairs have sometimes left mismatched finishes.
We strip the remaining plating, assess the metal beneath, repair and prepare the surface, and replate. Where the original detail is intact, the result returns the piece to how it was intended to look.
Where it is not — if metal has been lost, pitted or damaged structurally — plating will faithfully reproduce those flaws rather than hide them. We will say so before quoting rather than after.
Fixed installations
Altar fittings, doors, screens and architectural metalwork frequently cannot be removed, and for many communities the piece should not leave the building at all.
For those we plate onsite using brush plating. For items that can travel, our Dubai facility houses a tank measuring 3.2 metres by 2 metres, with a second at our UK service centre at 2 metres by 1.5 metres.
Materials
Religious metalwork is most commonly brass, copper or silver, and all three plate particularly well. We also work with stainless steel, aluminium, titanium and chrome-plated parts.
Choosing a finish
We work in 24k, 22k, 18k and 9k gold, rose gold and platinum, with mirror, brushed, satin and antique surface finishes.
For devotional pieces the choice is often antique rather than mirror. A piece that has been in use for a century should not come back looking as though it were made last week, and an antique finish preserves the sense of age while restoring the surface.
Handling and discretion
Items of religious or heritage significance are handled accordingly. Insured DHL collection and return are included for clients outside the UK and the UAE, and we are glad to discuss handling, timing and access arrangements before any commitment.
Plating carried out on your own items carries a three-year Goldgenie warranty, subject to applicable warranty terms and normal exclusions.
Beginning a project
Send photographs, including close-ups of worn or damaged areas. We will tell you what can be restored, what we would recommend, whether it needs to come to us or we come to you, and what it costs. Our minimum project charge is £250.
More on our gold plating services page.
FAQs
Yes. We plate onsite using brush plating for fixed installations and for items that should not be moved.
In most cases, yes. We strip the remaining plating, prepare the surface beneath and replate. Where metal has been lost or damaged structurally we will tell you before quoting.
Often antique rather than mirror. It restores the surface without making a long-standing piece look newly made.
Brass, copper and silver are the most common in religious metalwork and all plate particularly well. We also work with stainless steel, aluminium, titanium and chrome-plated parts.
Our Dubai facility takes items up to 3.2 metres by 2 metres and our UK service centre up to 2 metres by 1.5 metres. Larger or fixed items are plated onsite.
