Three Considerations For Buying Gold Jewellery

Gold jewellery never goes out of fashion. People love wearing it, from the prehistoric ages to modern times. This love for it that we have is something that will endure for all the ages.

Jewellers love working with it; fine silver jewellery only comes as a far second. The reason why they have a preference for working with it is that it can be easily shaped into anything that the jeweller fancies. It is also so durable that it is guaranteed to last beyond one's lifetime.

It would not be surprising if you love gold as well. But as much as you do, do you know how to buy jewellery made from it? Buying pieces at jewellery shops actually goes beyond just looking at what jewellery for sale are available and then making your purchases using your credit card or a signed cheque. Some knowledge about the piece that you are buying, such as its purity, its colour and its solidity, will help you ascertain if you are buying a good piece.

The Purity

The purity of the metal used to make a piece of gold jewellery counts a lot towards its value. Gold purity is measured in karats in the United States, and ranges from 24K to 10K, with 24K as the purest. However, it would be rare for you to find a pure gold piece as part of jewellery for sale because in it's purest form it is too soft, and therefore too impractical to use.

•18K is made up of 18 parts gold and 6 parts of other metals, or 75% gold. European jewellers would mark this as "750" instead of 18K.

•14K is made up of 14 parts gold and 10 parts of other metals, or 58.3% gold. European jewellers would mark this as "585" instead of 14K.

•12K is made up of 12 parts gold and 12 parts of other metals, or 50% gold.

•10K is made up of 10 parts gold and 14 parts of other metals, or 41.7% gold. European jewellers would mark this as "417" instead of 10K.

The Colour

It is typical for gold jewellery to come in bright yellow; after all, bright yellow is the colour long associated with gold. However, it also comes in other colours. The change in the colour is the result of other metals being mixed into the alloy. It is important that you know just what metal is mixed with it when you experience allergic reactions to some metals.

Gold mixed with palladium or nickel yields white gold. Rose gold is gold mixed with copper, and it has a pinkish tone. It can also be mixed with silver to create a greenish kind of colour.

The Solidity

Solid gold jewellery pieces are ones that have a purity of 10K or higher. Sometimes you will see pieces at a jewellery sale that are marked as either gold-filled or gold-plated. This means that the piece is not solidly made of gold but rather a jewel that is made from a less precious metal but is only coated with a layer of gold. Gold-filled jewellery pieces are coated with thicker layers of gold than those on gold-plated ones. Such pieces are cheaper, less durable and less valuable.

These are just some fundamental knowledge about gold jewellery, but they will help you a lot as you shop for them.