GoldenGold: What You Need To Know Before Buying Gold

has been valued by humanity since the dawn of civilization and jewelry never goes out of style. However, in order to make the best possible choice when buying jewelry it is good to know some of the basic facts as well as the “jargon" of the jewelry trade. The first thing to know is that is as wearer-friendly as it is beautiful. Pure doesn't react with other elements to create tarnish. While some people may have an allergy or staining problem with metals combined with , itself is rarely a problem.

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can be worked into most shapes ranging from tiny strands to very thin sheets. One ounce of can even be hammered into a thin sheet spreading out over ten feet square. In short, can be manipulated in virtually any way the jeweler or artist wants.

How Pure Is Your ?

is used in many ways and there are varying degrees of purity in jewelry. jewelry is marked 18K, 14K, or 10K, with the K standing for karat.

The karat system is used to describe the percentage of pure in jewelry.

The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of :

24K is pure .

18K contains 18 parts and 6 parts of one or other metals, equaling 75% .

14K contains 14 parts and 10 parts of one or other metals, making it 58.3% .

12K contains 12 parts and 12 parts of one or other metals, making it 50% .

10K contains 10 parts and 14 parts of one or other metals, making it 41.7% .

In the United States, 10K is the minimum karat that can be called "."

European Karat System

In Europe a different karat system is used to indicate the percentage of in a piece of jewelry. Here is the system:

18K is marked 750 to indicate 75%

14K is marked 585 for 58.5%

10K is marked 417 for 41.7%

There are other markings that are commonly found on . The karat marking should be accompanied by a hallmark or trademark identifying the maker and the country of origin is sometimes included as well.

Why Mix Other Metals With ?

This is a good question. Pure is soft and it wouldn’t be practical for daily wear. Combining other metals with it makes the more durable and the jewelry less expensive.

However, adding other metals changes color of the . For example by adding nickel a jeweler is able to create “white ." By adding copper the jeweler is able to create a “rose " with a pink tint, and when silver is added to it creates a greenish color.

Metals added to the result in an alloy. An alloy is the term given to a blended mixture of metals. However, the term “solid " can be used to describe jewelry of at least 10K in the U.S. In addition, a alloy of 18K or 14K can also be called “solid ."

is also used as a coating which is placed on top of less expensive metals. There are many ways to coat another metal with and this generally reduces the cost of the item. The thicker the layer of that is applied, the less likely it is to wear away, and vice versa.

-Filled Jewelry is the term given to jewelry that has a layer.

Newer -filled items have markings which indicate how much and what type of is used for the layer. The typical marking is: 1/20 12K G.F which means that the item has at least 1/20th 12K by weight.

Plated Jewelry is another term used to indicate jewelry with a layer on top of other metal. The layer in -plated jewelry is thinner than the layer in filled jewelry, and it wears away more quickly.

Finally there is a type of jewelry designated as “ washed." Here the layer of is very thin and it won’t last very long.

So, what should you buy? Solid is durable and the better choice if you wish to wear your jewelry on a regular basis, but it is very expensive. If you have allergies to nickel or other metals then you should choose jewelry that has a high content, such as 18K or 22K .

filled or plated jewelry is suitable for occasional wear but everyday use would diminish the layer exposing the metal beneath it. This could stain the skin or result in an allergic reaction. So, if you want to have a lifetime of use then choose the highest quality of that you can afford.

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