Jewelry fashion is dynamic. Jewelers are always coming up with new designs and new materials from which jewelry can be fashioned. Even stunning pieces of jewelry may lose their popularity after a few years. Gold jewelry however is always in fashion. Jewelry collectors and even simple wearers like gold because it is beautiful and long lasting. Gold does not discolor because it almost never reacts with any other material. Rarely is someone allergic to gold so it always a good choice to go for gold.
When you are considering buying gold jewelry, you have to be familiar with the terminologies used. The purity of gold is measured in karats and the mark on the ring indicating this is a number followed by K (such as 24K, 18K, 12K). K stands for karat. 24K is pure gold. 18K is a mixture of 18 parts gold and 6 parts of a metal or a mixture of metals, making 18K 75% gold. 14K is 14 parts gold and 10 parts of a metal or a mixture of metals, making it 58.3% gold. The percentage of gold for 12K and 10K jewelries is also computed in the same way. In the United States, 10K is the minimum karat used in gold jewelries. Europe marks its gold jewelry differently. When the jewelry is 18K, it is marked 750 in Europe, indicating that it is 75% gold. 14K jewelry is marked 583 and 12K, 500, for 58.3% and 50% respectively.
Most gold jewelries should have a mark identifying its maker. This is really helpful when choosing your jewelry pieces. You might consider doing your research on gold jewelers before purchasing any jewelry. This way, you have a basic idea on jewelers that you prefer. If the piece you’re considering doesn’t have a trademark, it is better to look for another one.
Gold is not always alloyed with other metals. Sometimes it is just used as a coating for a base metal. Gold filled jewelries have a layer of karat gold wrapped around a base metal. The base metal used may vary. The gold content should be indicated on the piece such as 1/20 12K G.F. This indicates that the jewelry is 1/20th 12K gold by weight. Gold overlay and rolled gold plate are also terms used to indicate that a layer of gold (a minimum of 10 karats) is electronically bonded to a base metal. Abbreviations such as 12K Gold Overlay or 14K RGP indicates the percentage of gold used and the process of binding the gold to the metal. Gold plated jewelries are also available and the coating is usually thinner than in gold – filled jewelries so they easily fade.
When buying gold jewelry choose solid gold (even alloys are called solid gold) when you intend to wear it frequently. Gold-filled and gold-plated jewelries should be considered when they are only to be worn occasionally.
Source: What To Remember When Buying Gold Jewelry
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