Metal Plating Plays a Bigger Role Than You Might Think
From bright and reflective finishes to antique plating with a vintage touch, the right plating will enhance your design and complement your branding. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best one?
This guide will walk you through the different types of plating, their benefits, and how to pick the perfect finish for your next custom lapel pin project!
Understanding Lapel Pin Plating
Custom lapel pins are made from brass, copper, or iron but the base material doesn’t affect the metal finish your pins will have. Plating refers to the metal finish applied to the base metal of your pins. Some plating styles are bright and reflective while others look more subdued and weathered. With a little know-how, you can easily pick a plating style that compliments your design. Below are all of our popular plating options with some recommendations on using them to help elevate your custom pin design!
#1 High-Polish Gold Plating
Best option for premium, elegant, or commemorative designs.
Why choose high-polish gold? Gold plating gives your pins a luxurious and high-end look. It works well for corporate branding, awards, and special event pins. The bright, reflective surface makes this plating ideal for soft enamel and hard enamel pins!
#2 High Polish Silver Plating
Best option for sleek, modern, and professional designs.
Why choose high polish silver? Silver plating offers a clean and sophisticated appearance, making it a great option for corporate logos, tech companies, and professional organizations. The reflective surface makes this plating perfect for soft enamel and hard enamel pins with a lot of color!
#3 Antique Gold Plating
Best option for classic, vintage, or historical designs.
Why choose antique gold? Unlike high polished gold plating, antique gold provides a muted, aged look that compliments more intricate details of your design. The darker tone of metal is perfect for die-struck pins and any design that celebrates tradition or heritage.
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#4 Antique Silver Plating
Best option for subtle, refined, or detailed designs.
Why choose antique silver? Antique silver softens the shine of standard silver and brings out fine details, making it an excellent choice for die struck pins and pins with intricate artwork, text-heavy designs, or pins with historical themes.
#5 Antique Copper Plating
Best option for rustic, vintage, or earthy designs.
Why choose antique copper? This finish gives your pins an aged appearance that looks great on historical, military, or steampunk-inspired designs. The muted copper tone of the plating highlights depth and texture, making it an excellent option for die struck pins.
#6 Black Nickel Plating
Best option for bold, sleek, and modern designs.
Why choose black nickel? Black nickel plating has a glossy, dark metallic finish that makes colors and details pop. It’s ideal for edgy, high-contrast designs or pins with a modern aesthetic. In some light, black nickel looks similar to polished silver, but it has a darker reflective color. We recommend using black nickel plating for soft enamel and hard enamel pins with a lot of color so that the black nickel can complement the design without overwhelming the details.
#7 Black Metal and Colored Metal Plating
Best option for minimalist, contrast-heavy, or monochrome designs.
Why choose black metal or colored metal? While black nickel is highly reflective, black metal has a matte finish that creates a striking effect. While black metal is the most popular colored metal option, we can use any pantone color as a metal base. Many of our customers prefer black metal or colored metal because it provides such an impressive contrast with enamel colors in your artwork.
#8 Dual Plating
Best option for unique, eye-catching, and high-end designs.
Why choose dual plating? Dual plating allows you to combine two different metal finishes to create a unique effect. This adds natural contrast to your design, allowing for different elements to stand out. Keep in mind that high polish plating can only be paired with other high polish plating options, and antique plating can only be combined with other antique plating options.
How to Choose the Right Plating For Your Custom Pins
With so many plating options, picking the best one for your design comes down to a few main factors:
#1 Theme and Purpose: Some plating options work better than others depending on the type of design you need and the purpose behind your pins.
Commemorative or award pins? Gold plating adds prestige.
Historical or vintage designs? Antique gold, silver, or copper create a weathered effect and enhance metal details.
Modern, high-contrast looks? Black nickel or black metal creates a bold contrast!
#2 Color Palette: Whatever metal plating you choose should complement the enamel colors in your design.
Bright plating styles (high polish gold, silver, and nickel) enhance vibrant colors in soft enamel and hard enamel coins without being too reflective to overwhelm the artwork.
Darker plating (antique plating) create enough natural contrast to let the metal elements of your design stand out, making them perfect for die struck pins.
#3 Branding: If you are designing a custom pin for your business or for a special event, consider the established brand or theming and choose a plating option that will naturally complement what you already have.
A luxury brand or award ceremony may prefer high polish gold plating to add a sense of prestige to the artwork, while a tech company might opt for a sleek high-polish silver design or a modern black metal design.
Start a Custom Pin Design Today!
Choosing the right plating option is a big step in the lapel pin design journey. Whether you’re aiming for a sleek and polished look or a vintage design, the plating you choose will have a big impact on the final product. We created this guide to help you make the best choice! If you’re still not sure, start a custom pin design now and ask to see a few of your favorite plating options! We always offer free artwork and free revisions, so you can rest assured that our team is committed to helping you get the design just right!
