Gold will never go out of fashion, only designs may be changed, as well as different precious metals alloys. Gold itself doesn’t cause any allergic effects; gold can be worked into nearly any shape, from tiny strands to very thin sheets. One ounce of gold can even be hammered into an ultra thin sheet that's ten feet square. Gold can be manipulated nearly any way the artisan desires. Besides, golden jewelry always looks great, rich and fine. Perhaps, this is the reason, why so many people give preference to gold.
If you want to know how pure your gold jewelry is, have a look at the following information. While looking through our catalogue, you come across figures and different letters. This information is for you not to get confused. The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your jewelry.
* 24K gold is pure gold.
* 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
* 14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
* 12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
* 10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called "gold" in the United States.
Gold itself is rather soft and unpractical for daily use, besides, it is rather expensive, that’s why it is often mixed with other metals, which prolong the existence of your piece of jewelry and reduce its price.
Adding other metals to the mix also allows metallurgists to change the color of gold. To create white gold palladium or nickel can be added. Silver gives gold a greenish cast, and with the adding of copper, gold acquires a rose or pink tint.
The result of adding different metals to the gold is an alloy, a blended mixture of the metals. Solid gold is a term that can be used to describe an item that's at least 10K (in the US) gold all the way through. Even though it's a gold alloy - 18K, 14K, or anything down to 10K - it can be called solid gold.
Gold may be used as a coating – as an upper layer over some other material. The thicker is the layer of gold, the less possibilities, that the beneath used material will soon be seen. It reflected on price as well.
Modern gold filled items have markings that indicate how much and what type of gold was used for the layer. A marking that says 1/20 12K G.F. indicates that the jewelry is at least 1/20th 12K gold by weight.
As a conclusion to above given information, it is necessary to admit the following:
* Solid gold is durable, so it is the beat choice for everyday wear. If you have allergies to nickel or other metals, choose items that have high gold content, such as 18K or 22K gold jewelry.
* Gold filled jewelry is suitable for jewelry that you wear occasionally. Everyday use would eventually diminish the gold layer, exposing the metal below, which might stain your skin or cause an allergic reaction.
* For pieces that will last a long time, buy the highest quality gold your budget allows. |
