How To Buy Gold Jewelry

Gold jewelry never goes out of style, and for good reason, because gold is as wearer-friendly as it is beautiful. Pure gold doesn't react with other elements to create tarnish, the residue that accumulates on some metals before transferring to your skin as a stain. Sometimes people have allergy or staining problems with metals that are combined with gold, but the gold itself is rarely a problem. Gold can be worked into nearly any shape, from tiny strands that do not break easily 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. Chances are the ring on your finger is marked 18K, 14K, or 10K, with the K standing for karat, the system used to describe the percentage of pure gold an item contains. The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your gold 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. The Karat marking that is on your gold jewelry should also have a hallmark or trademark to identify the place and person who made it. Gold is a very soft metal and very expensive. The pure gold jewelry would be way too soft to be worn daily. That is why there are other metals mixed with gold to make the jewelry. This process also makes the jewelry cheaper. Adding other metals to the mix also allows metallurgists to change the color of gold. You can add nickel and palladium to create white gold jewelry. If there are cooper added it will make the gold look pinkish and adding silver causes the jewelry to turn greenish. There are many ways to mechanically apply a coating of gold onto a much less expensive metal, reducing the item's cost. The thicker the layer of gold, the less likely it is to wear away easily and expose the metal underneath. Newer 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. means that the jewelry is at least 1/20th 12K gold by weight. The gold layer in gold plated jewelry is typically thinner than the gold in gold filled jewelry, so it usually wears away more quickly. Plating is done in different ways. For pieces that will last a lifetime and beyond, buy the highest quality gold your budget allows.

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