When Did Electroplating Begin?

Electroplating was invented in 1805 by Italian inventor Luigi V. Brugnatelli. He did this by linking a wire between a dissolved gold solution and a battery, also known as a Voltaic pile. A metal object was then connected to the wire, allowing the gold to become attached to it.

How old is electroplating?

Electroplating feels like it should be a modern phenomenon, but nothing could be further from the truth. The process as we know it today – along with the methods employed – can be traced directly back over 200 years.

When did gold plating start?

In England, John Wright and Henry and George Elkington got the first patent for gold and silver electroplating in 1840. The underpinnings of the process were engineered several decades earlier by a chemist from Italy named Luigi Brugnatelli.