Gold Jewelery: All That Glitters Is Not Pure Gold!
If you choose to delve into the history of jewelry, you will realize that initially man and women in ancient civilizations used copper jewelry. After the discovery of alloys such brass and bronze, artisans making jewelry started using these alloys. Gradually, gold and silver ornaments gained popularity. In the recent past, pearl jewelry, platinum jewelry, and diamond jewelry have also become sought after. But gold remains to be the preferred material for fancy ornaments.
Gold is, however, quite costly. Because of this people on limited incomes, or generally the 'middle class', are not able to afford to buy jewelry made from pure gold. Generally some lesser material, such as copper or silver, is mixed in with the gold to create a less costly jewelry. This process does not decrease the visual appeal of the gold jewelry.
The actual gold content in an alloy which is a combination of gold and a less expensive metal is measured in carats. In jewelry stores, you will notice on each golden object a numeral and the little "K" which is the symbol for "carat". Solid gold is indicated by the number 24, while 18 tells you that the jewel consists of an alloy which is made of 3/4 gold and 1/4 of something else not as costly.
It is extremely hard to create 24 carat gold jewelry since gold is soft, bending and cracking quite easily. Due to this low tensile strength, little flakes can be abraded off an object made out of solid gold. Purchasers can only find gold "biscuits" or coins made of nearly pure gold. Aside from those, one has to settle for something made out of an alloy.
Don't be discouraged if you simply cannot afford to purchase expensive golden jewels. You can find room in your budget for ones of equally fine appearance, perhaps ones that look even nicer than 22 carat jewelry. Consider purchasing semi-precious accessories that combine gemstones like garnets, emeralds, amethysts, or turquoise with 14 carat gold.
You can also get silver jewelry that is plated with gold. This looks just like gold jewelry. With high quality plating and polish, it can be very difficult to distinguish the difference with the naked eye.
Fascination for gold jewelery has only grown over the centuries. 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. Another possible alternative is to purchase silver jeweler that has gold coating on it. Only a jeweler can claim to successfully distinguish gold plated silver jeweler from pure gold jewelry at all times. Yes, they look so similar to pure gold jewelry.
Published June 4th, 2008
Filed in Women