One of the widely popular tarot decks lately is the Gilded Tarot and I have seen many use this on social media recently. So I thought, why not get stuck into discussing the deck itself along with the book that comes with it. So here it is, my Gilded Tarot Review.
I just wanted to touch upon this deck and why it’s very popular. I had asked some tarot readers for their advice.
The general consensus was that this tarot deck has beautiful artwork which makes it easy to read and identify what the deck is telling them.
Overall, tarot readers feel connected to this deck and enjoy spending their time looking at the beautiful artwork.
Gilded Tarot Review – About The Deck
Ciro Marchetti created the deck with a vision of timeless tarot visions and created such beautiful artwork that you couldn’t ignore. Ciro Marchetti is an artist who also creates tarot and oracle decks, as well as the most beautiful imagery you would imagine.
Now the book was written by Barbara Moore – Who is a well-renowned tarot reader with many books and decks out there. If you love the tarot, you may have heard about her already.
Published by Llewellyn, the largest publisher of tarot decks. Have a theme in mind? They will have it! Of course, I had to mention them in my Gilded Tarot Review.
We also have the Gilded Tarot Royale which is a borderless version!
Using popular symbolism that is incorporated in the ‘Rider-Waite’ deck as the muse and inspiration, this made the cards easy to read. If you can read the ‘Rider-Waite’ deck then the symbolism is quite similar along with the designs, you get the idea of the reasons behind each card and the messages they are providing you.
Although the symbolism is more up to date within the real world of today and less ‘outdated’.
Designing the deck was to provide a middle ground between fantasy and reality. Maidens, knights, mystics, they are all there.
Bold but dark, they certainly catch anyone’s eye.
Gilded Tarot Review – Design
On the back of each card, there is a beautiful design in gold, grey, black, and red. It suits the deck really well and resonates with the faces of the cards.
It’s almost like a sun design, appealing and looks like a typical tarot card design.
The design is the same regardless of being upright or reversed. You can not tell if the card is reversed before picking up, I like this as I can not see if the card will be reversed or not. No spoilers there! I wanted to make sure this was in my Gilded Tarot Review.
Now on the faces of the Gilded Tarot cards, they are black backgrounds with a gold border. The Major Arcana has a black and gold oval at the top, with the represented number in roman numerals embellished in gold font. Then at the sides are 2 small black, almost like a gem design with gold trimming.
With each suit, they instead have the above oval-shaped design at the top, then the 2 circular gem styles at the side in different colours.
Wands are red, cups are orange, pentacles are green and swords are blue. The colour represents the suit.
The design on each card is bright but has a touch of darkness to give it more of an edge. Of course, the symbolism stands out more on each card which makes them an easy read.
I can only give the description that they ‘glow within’. However, I really get this feeling from the illustrations.
Almost realistic faces were used in this design which gives it a more human feel. The designs on the Gilded Tarot have been digitally drawn to give it a more life-like appearance.
Unlike the medieval style with the ‘Rider-Waite’ tarot in regards to the backgrounds, with the Gilded Tarot, this is more cosmic. Planets, moon, sun, stars.
There are similarities in the symbolisms matching the ‘Rider-Waite’ deck however the actual cards look very different.
Gilded Tarot Review – Quality
I was a bit saddened that the cards are quite thin. For some, they may enjoy this but I prefer a sturdier card that is thicker, more so like the Tarot in Wonderland deck.
They do feel a little flimsy so it may not last as long as you anticipate. But I guess, they aren’t that expensive to replace.
Now, the packaging is really good though, it comes in a thick cardboard box with magnets to keep the box closed. I certainly prefer the updated packaging as it helps keep my tarot cards safe. Plus I love the aesthetic of the boxes and being able to keep the cards with the book.
I am still a little miffed the Gilded Tarot cards are really thin, I would say thin cardboard. I guess time will tell on the longevity of these cards.
However, they are smooth and easy to shuffle, I don’t find these cards stick together like some decks can do.
Size-wise, they are the standard tarot card size, not a playing card size.
I have small hands and find these easy to shuffle.
Gilded Tarot Review – The Book
Now the book is very basic, but I understand why. As it is based on the principles of the ‘Rider-Waite’ deck, you don’t really need much guidance on the meanings of the cards.
As a new reader, you are more than likely to be learning the ‘Rider-Waite’ deck as this is the most commonly taught deck. From there, most tarot decks based on the ‘Ride-Waite’ deck will fall into place with the meanings and views.
The book was enjoyable however very plain. For example, the Green Witch Tarot comes with an illustrated book that has a large view of the cards. Each page has 2 sides discussing the Major Arcana, then one page with the Minor Arcana.
I do like there is spaces to write some notes, but essentially for me, not enough space to get my thoughts down. Instead, I use a notebook. Plus I don’t like drawing on books, it’s a pet peeve of mine. I couldn’t see any reason to ruin the Gilded Tarot book.
Gilded Tarot is much more condensed and quite boring. Obviously, I had to get that in my Gilded Tarot Review.
Regardless, I still love the deck. It’s just not a good starter deck.
How Was The Readings?
When I first got this deck about 10 or so years ago, I instantly felt connected to it.
This deck is a good all-rounder deck that can be used to read on almost anyone. I find I have decks that I can use for specific things, like the Witch related decks only seem to work on readings on myself or other Witches.
The imagery of the Gilded Tarot is sharp, meaning it’s easier for specific key points to be highlighted when reading.
Symbolism is strong within this deck, I do recommend to take some time with each card, write down what symbols you see and write down their meanings. This will help when reading the cards so that you see more than the average reading.
I do like to make my own thoughts from this, for example, specific parts of the cards will stand out. I take this as the meaning rather than going by the general presumptions of the cards.
What I have noticed of late is many are drawn to this deck and find it very easy to work with. I know some decks take a bit of work and extra learning, but this one you can breeze through.
Final Thoughts
The Gilded Tarot really pleasant deck to use. I do gravitate towards decks that are more ‘mystical’ and the modern-day theme of astrology and the cosmic elements resonates strongly with me.
I would highly recommend this deck to anyone who is beginning their journey. As you can take some ideas from the ‘Rider-Waite’ tarot and still be able to read these cards.
The book again isn’t too bad but not as in-depth as I would like. Other books I received with decks are twice as large and have a lot more information or illustrations.
I wanted to add that the very anticipated updated version, The Gilded Tarot Royale is now out and it’s simply stunning!
Pleasant, easy to use and eye-catching. What more do you want?
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This deck was not sent to me to review, rather I purchased this with my own money and the review is of my own wording.
