Gold Jewelery: All That Glitters Is Not Pure Gold!
Various metals are utilized in jewelry design. At first, the most ancient cultures wore copper ornaments. Later, bronze and brass gained popularity. When gold and silver were first mined, it became much more costly to ornament oneself with the lovely objects that resulted. Still, the people’s love affair with jewelry went on growing. Along with gold and silver, many crave ornamental objects containing platinum, diamonds and pearls. And yet, gold remains the most sought-after substance for jewelry. The fascination with gold has never diminished throughout the ages.
That said, we all know that gold prices are touching the sky. This makes it impossible for the salaried or worker class to afford ornaments made of pure gold. In order to reduce the cost of gold ornaments, a small amount of a less precious metal such as copper or silver is alloyed with gold to make ornaments.
The amount of gold that is found in an alloy of gold with another metal is called the carat of the alloy. If you go to any jewelry store, you will find a rating for the carat against each ornament. If it is pure gold, then the rating is 24 carat. On the other hand, 18 carat means that the ornament is 75% gold and 25% of another, less-valuable metal.
It is very difficult to make 24 carat gold ornaments because gold is a malleable but weak material. Because of its low tensile strength, small pieces can chip off from an ornament made out of pure gold. Only gold biscuits or coins made of almost pure gold are available for buyers. Other than these, you will have to choose from the alloyed gold jewelry.
If you are somebody who does not have a fortune to splurge on gold jewelry, do not be disheartened. There are several ways you can buy jewelry that looks equally good, if not better, than 22 carat jewelry. One way is buying semi precious jewelry that marries semi precious stones such as ruby, sapphire, and emerald with 14k jewelry.
You may also go for silver jewelry that has been plated with gold. This looks similar to jewelry made from gold. If the quality of gold plating or polish is good, it becomes extremely difficult to tell the difference with the naked eye.
With the discovery of gold and silver, designing and wearing jewelry became an expensive affair. Gold continues to remain the sought after material for ornaments. Fascination for gold jewelery jewelry has only grown over the centuries. If you are not one of those people who can expend a fortune on gold jewelry, don’t be dismayed. There are a variety of ways to buy jewelry that looks just as good, often better, than 22 carat jewelry. One way to do this is to buy semi precious jewelry that combines semi precious stones like sapphires, rubies, and emeralds with 14k jewelry.
- leslie saleson
