24k Pure Gold Jewelry

In order to save money, some jewelers hollow out gold rings and other pieces of jewelry. The result is jewelry that is less durable and less valuable. No matter how or where a person buys their jewelry from, they need to make sure that the piece is real. Buy only from sellers and jewelers that are trusted and well known. A price based solely on gram weight does not reflect the work that has gone into the piece. It's important to remember that each piece of gold jewelry is unique and, if cared for properly, can last a lifetime.

While gold itself does not tarnish, these alloying metals can sometimes cause a piece to darken with time, or leave a dark residue on the skin. In Europe, gold is marked with a number indicating the gold content as parts per thousand; ie., 18K gold, which is 75% pure gold, is stamped 750. The gold necklace, however, seems to hold its own as an elegant, sought-after piece of jewelry. It is often thought by jewelers today that pure gold is too soft to be made into jewelry, and so to strengthen it, they combine it with other metals. During the 1870?s Queen Victoria had such a strong fascination and interest for exotic sterling silver pieces she is credited for having changed the direction of sterling silver jewelry styling. Rare sterling silver pieces are prized by collectors and often fetch prices in excess of $750,000.

Gold filled is designated by the karat measure of the gold layer followed by the proportion of the gold layer to the entire piece. For example, 12/20 gold-filled has a layer of 12 k gold that is 1/20th (or 5%) of the total thickness of the metal. When a piece of jewelry is stamped with a quality mark, law requires that it be stamped with a hallmark or trademark as well. In the United States, 14-karat gold is used most commonly for jewelry. Using 24K as a basis, the karats signify what proportion of pure gold to alloy is in the piece. It is approximately 40% pure gold.