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Gold Learning Center
Gold Learning Center
Gold is widely considered the oldest precious metal. Its warm yellowish tones, its elegance and its luxuriousness, make it the most sought-after precious metal today. Man has been using gold to fashion jewelry for thousands of years, mainly due to its versatility and striking appearance. In its pure form, gold is rather soft, and is therefore alloyed with silver, copper, nickel or zinc to increase its sturdiness and strength. These alloys can additionally enhance gold's color and sheen. The different metallic alloys mixed with gold determine its purity, or karat weight, and its diverse tones which can range from black, rose and purple to grey, yellow and white.
View Zoara's beautiful collection of Gold Jewelry.
Gold Karats
The purity of gold is typically expressed in karats (k or kt), not to be confused with diamond carats. Real gold ranges in purity from 10kt to 24 kt, 24 kt being approximately 99% pure gold. Gold purity can also be expressed as "fineness" which measures the purity of gold in 1000 parts. 990 gold fineness, for example, indicates 99% pure gold.
Gold Color
Depending on the alloy mix, gold may take on a variety of different colors. The two most popular colors of gold are yellow gold and white gold.
Yellow gold
Yellow gold is the most common and familiar gold color on the market, typically alloyed with silver or copper. Lower gold purity creates a silvery tinge and higher purity brings out more of a yellowish glow. 18kt (75% gold) and 14kt (58.3% gold) are the most common purity grades. While 18 karat gold is considered to be more warm and radiant, 14 karat gold is valued for its durability and its relative affordability.
White gold
White gold is perhaps the most popular color of gold today. It gets its sleek silvery-white tinge from being alloyed with silver, nickel, zinc, or palladium. White gold jewelry is a great alternative to pure silver since it does not oxidize and therefore is tarnish resistant. Almost all fine white gold jewelry is plated with rhodium, a lustrous, highly durable, silvery-white metal from the platinum family. Rhodium plating enhances the luster and strength of the gold, and protects the jewelry's surfaces from scratches, scrapes and dents. Over time, rhodium plating may wear, exposing the alloy beneath. Re-plating white gold jewelry with a thin layer of rhodium is a relatively easy and inexpensive procedure.
Gold Care
To keep your gold jewelry looking like new, it is important to remove gold jewelry items when participating in any activity that could scratch, chip or damage your jewelry. Always store your gold jewelry in their original containers, soft pouches or cloth-lined jewelry boxes. To clean your jewelry, simply soak it in a mild solution of warm soapy water. If necessary, scrub with a soft-bristled brush such as a toothbrush. Then dry your gold jewelry with a clean, soft, dry cloth. Never use paper towel or rough, thready rags.
