By: Julia Aidan
Submitted: 2010-04-08 21:37:02 | Word Count: 497
Various types and design are offered online as well as from retail shops. To make an informed decision before purchasing, you need to educate yourself on the different aspects of gold jewellery and understand the differences. Pure gold is not a suitable metal for jewellery as it is soft. Therefore, gold is combined with other metals to harden it and make it more strong and less likely to bend. Other than that, pure fine gold jewellery would be too expensive and beyond the reach of the average consumer.
Amalgamating gold with other metals result in "karat gold". Karat is the unit of measurement for the proportion of gold used in a gold alloy to manufacture the piece of jewellery. In any jewellery store around the world, you will find jewellery pieces of various karats. This implies that the various pieces of jewellery have different contents of gold. Normally, many pieces of fine gold jewellery like gold bangle, gold bracelets, gold chains, gold earrings, gold pendants, gold charms, gold necklaces, men's gold jewellery and many more items are made from 9K, 10K, 14K, or 18K gold. It is solid or fine gold.
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o 9K gold contains 37.5 percent pure gold (375 parts per thousand parts)
o 10K gold contains 41.7 percent pure gold (417 parts per thousand parts)
o 14K gold contains 58.5 percent pure gold (585 parts per thousand parts)
o 18K gold contains 75 percent pure gold (750 parts per thousand parts)
Difference in gold assortment affects the hardness of gold. 18K gold will be slightly harder than 9K gold. So, when you choose a wedding gold necklace or ring go for 18K.
Mixing gold with other metals also produces gold of different colors. The most common color of gold is yellow, followed by white gold and rose gold. Other colors are also available, but less common. Yellow gold can also differ in color. If blend with copper the color is red and with silver or palladium its color is white. White gold jewellery is covered with a metal named "rhodium" to give it a really white appearance.
When buying fine gold jewellery, you should know the distinction between gold plated jewellery and gold-filled jewellery. Gold plated jewellery is a piece of jewellery that has a layer of gold applied by an electrolytic process to a base metal. This gives the piece of jewellery a similar look as karat gold, but will wear off in course of time. On the contrary, gold-filled jewellery is a solid layer of gold bonded by applying heat and pressure to a base metal like brass. This type of jewellery is a good alternative to solid gold jewellery, wears longer and retains its looks and luster.
Lastly, you should be able to make distinction between a real and fake gold jewellery. The authenticity can be checked by gold tester or by a testing stone. Acid test is also consistent.
Author Resource:-
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