A coated article is described. The coated article includes a stainless steel substrate, a bonding layer formed on the substrate, and a hard layer formed on the bonding layer. The bonding layer is a nickel-chromium alloy layer. The hard layer is a nickel-chromium-boron-nitrogen layer. The mass percentage of nitrogen within the hard layer is gradually increased from the area near the bonding layer to the area away from the bonding layer. A method for making the coated article is also described.