 Gold Information Gold, one of the world's most precious metals, dates back to the dawn of mankind. All great civilizations built up treasuries of the lustrous metal, reserving golden objects for their most important rituals. A first-hand account by Gen. John A. Sutter, co owner of the sawmill on the American Fork River where James Marshall discovered gold nuggets in 1848.
His discovery was the beginning of the California Gold Rush. However, the most alluring use of the sun-colored metal has always been in jewelry. The Egyptians, largest producers of gold in the ancient world, equated gold with the sun, the giver of life, and reserved its use for pharaohs only. The ancient Etruscans created meticulously handwrought objects using fine granules and threads of gold, a technique still practiced today. To this day, Chinese and Indian brides wear jewelry of no less than 24 karat gold on their wedding day to ensure a lifetime of good luck and happiness. And, a gift of gold jewelry says love and permanence as eloquently today as in all the ages past. The Uniqueness of Gold Of all the world's precious metals, only gold combines the four basic characteristics that make it a universally treasured possession. Beauty - Gold's natural color can be further enhanced by alloying it with small amounts of other metals, yielding a spectrum of exquisite, subtle shades. Metalsmiths are able to create yellow, rose, green and white golds by adjusting the alloys. More copper results in a soft rose color; additional silver creates green gold; and palladium produces white. A popular trend is to combine two or more colors of gold in a single piece of jewelry. Purity - It is estimated that only slightly more than 100,000 tons of gold have been taken from the earth during all of recorded history. And although gold can be found in rivers, seas and land in many parts of the earth, it is not easily extracted. Opening a mine is a time-consuming and costly operation, and several tons of ore are required in order to produce just one ounce of the precious metal. Durability - Look no further than the nearest museum where gold jewelry, coins and artifacts from ancient civilizations attest to the metal's enduring beauty and permanence. Workability - Jewelers throughout the ages have preferred gold to all other metals for its beauty and ease of workmanship. Gold can be melted, or shaped, to create any design. It can be alloyed with a number of other metals to increase its strength and produce a variety of colors and can be re-melted and used again to create new designs.   | | Karat Gold Jewelry Pure gold, or 24-karat, is generally considered too soft for use in jewelry, so it is alloyed with other metals to increase its strength. Eighteen-karat gold is 18/24ths, or three-quarters pure gold. Jewelry of this fineness is marked "18k". In the United States, 14-karat gold is used most commonly for jewelry.
Fourteen-karat gold is 14/24ths, or slightly more than one-half pure gold.
Jewelry of this fineness is marked "14k". Gold comes in a variety of colors. Because gold is alloyed with other metals to increase its strength, it can also be made in a variety of colors. For example, yellow gold is created by alloying the metal with copper and silver; using copper only creates pink gold; white gold contains platinum or palladium, zinc and copper; green gold contains silver, copper and zinc. Gold, one of the world's most precious metals, dates back to the dawn of mankind. All great civilizations built up treasuries of the lustrous metal, reserving golden objects for their most important rituals. Pricing is based on four factors: karatage, gram weight, design and craftsmanship. The karatage and gram weight tell you how much gold is in a piece, but other crucial factors determining price are the piece's construction and design. It's important to remember that each piece of gold jewelry is unique and, if cared for properly, can last a lifetime.
| |  | | Caring for Your Gold Jewelry Remember that gold is lasting and durable but can get scratched or dented if treated roughly. Gold's worst enemy is chlorine. Repeated exposure can weaken gold's structure, eventually leading to breakage. So keep your jewelry away from chlorinated cleaning products and out of swimming pools and jacuzzis. Protect your gold jewelry by storing it safely or keeping it wrapped in a soft cloth when not being worn. Clean your gold jewelry with a cleaning solution of sudsy lukewarm water, or bring to the store and have it steam-cleaned. Dry and polish jewelry with a chamois or soft cloth after cleaning and rinsing. Keep gold jewelry free from dust, moisture, perspiration and makeup. Always inspect your gold jewelry for weakness or damage and bring it to the store for immediate repair.
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Chances are the ring on your finger is marked 18K, 14K to indicate how much pure gold is present in the mix. The K stands for karat, the system used to state how much pure gold is found in an item. * 24K gold is pure Yellow gold. * 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another metal(s), making it 75% gold. * 14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of another metal(s), making it 58.3% gold. You can see that even 18K gold, with its 6 parts of "other" metal, gives
jewelers the opportunity to play around with color.
White Alloys
* Nickel can be mixed with gold to create a white (gray) color. * Palladium is another metal used to create white gold alloys. | White Gold
| | White gold is an alloy of gold and some white metals such as nickel and palladium. White gold can be 18ct, 14ct, 10ct or any karat. For example, 18ct yellow gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as copper and zinc. 18ct white gold is made by mixing 75% gold with 25% other metals such as nickel and palladium. So the amount of gold is the same but the alloy is different. When white gold rings are new they are coated with another white metal called Rhodium. This Rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually. To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re Rhodium plated approximately once a year. |
Vs. | |
Platinum
| | Platinum is a white metal, but unlike gold it is used in jewellery in almost its pure form (approximately 95% pure). Platinum is extremely long wearing and is very white, so it does not need to be Rhodium plated like white gold. Platinum is very dense (heavy), so a platinum ring will feel heavier than an 18ct gold ring. | Rose & Pink Alloys * Copper is added to make gold-colored alloys. Additional copper creates
pink and rose tones--the more copper, the deeper the effect.
Throughout the millennia, gold has occupied a contradictory position in
human history. Granted almost spiritual power, yet the object of the most
materialistic struggles, the metal has always held sway over the human mind.
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Gold Information 
