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Things to
Know When Buying Gold Jewelry
Author: Shelia Foster
For thousands
of years people have recognized gold as a precious commodity and have
cherished it. The Aztecs thought it was tears from the sun and
gathered huge hoards of gold. As societies evolved over the eons gold
was used as a universal trade currency as virtualy all societies and
governments cherished it and recognized golds value.
In the not too
distant past gold jewelry was something that was only worn by the
wealthy and it was only the industrialization of western society that
led to working people being able to afford more then a wedding band
with regards to gold jewelry. So, now people everywhere are buying
and wearing great gold jewelry
that there ancestors would have not dared to dream of ever owning and wearing.
What is it
about gold jewelry that separates one piece from another and why is
some so much cheaper then other pieces that are so similar to it. To
start with the carat weight of gold doesn't refer to the actual
weight of the gold itself such as it does in a gemstone. The carat
weight of gold jewelry only refers to the amount of gold that is in
the gold itself.
For instance,
24 karat gold is pure 100% gold and if you ever have had chance to
see it, it has a very rich gold color. Gold jewelry is almost never
made from 24 karat gold, because it is far too soft and will dent and
scratch very easily. 24 karat gold is often used to decorate wine
glasses and table ware. On the other end though 10 carat gold is only
48 percent gold and it will contain other metals such as copper and
silver to make up the other 52 percent.
This is why 10
karat gold jewelry is so much less expensive, tends to have a lighter
look and can tarnish. Buying gold nugget jewelry can be a tricky
business. To start with, you must be sure that the actual nuggets are
genuine and not manufactured. Odd or interesting shaped nuggets tend
to be more expensive then others. |
