Gold

Gold, element Au, was one of the first known metals. Its beauty, versatility and unique physical characteristics, and scarcity, continue to make it a very valuable commodity.

24 carat = 100% gold - (Too soft for jewellery)

22 carat = 91.7% gold - (Hallmarked .917) (Very soft not recommended for jewellery)

18 carat = 75.0% gold - (Hallmarked .750) (Recommended for fine jewellery)

14 carat = 58.5% gold - (Hallmarked .585) (Recommended for jewellery)

9 carat = 37.5% gold - (Hallmarked .375)(The minimum standard in the UK)

Gold is designated as one of the noble metals. This means it will not tarnish, rust, or corrode, or be affected by any acids. Though it's very strong, it is also the most malleable of all metals. A single ounce of gold could be drawn into a wire 5 microns in diameter, more than 80 kilometres long and 1 gram of fine gold can be beaten out into a sheet of 10 square feet.

Yellow Gold

18ct gold is composed of 75% gold, alloyed with 25% other metals. Not only does this make the piece more valuable, it makes it strong enough to withstand daily wear while maintaining its traditional, rich golden colour.

White Gold

18ct white gold is 75% gold, alloyed with 25% white metals to produce a white metal with a slight yellow colour. To enhance the whiteness, almost all white gold is plated with rhodium, an extremely hard and shiny white metal in the platinum group. Depending on the amount of wear to a piece of jewellery, over time this rhodium plating may wear off, revealing the original metal colour. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done to restore your jewellery's whiteness if needed.

Purity

Pure gold is too soft to withstand the stresses of daily wear, so it is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, palladium, and zinc to give it strength and durability. Caratage indicates purity and is noted by a number followed by the letter "k". Traditionally Caratage is expressed in 24ths, meaning 18k gold is an alloy of 18 parts gold and six parts other metal. 24ct gold is 100% gold with no alloyed metals.

Colour

The colour of gold is determined by two factors:

• The type of metal alloys included in it
• The percentage of each metal alloy

Pricing

The price of gold jewellery is dependent upon the purity of the gold used or carat weight, as well as the design and construction of the piece of jewellery.

Care

Keep your gold jewellery away from harsh chemicals such as chlorine and cleaning fluids. This will reduce daily abrasions and prolong gold's lustre. To clean gold jewellery, use a solution of warm water and detergent-free soap and wash gold gently with a soft-bristled brush (a dull tooth brush works well). Store gold pieces separately in soft cloth bags or original boxes to protect them from the exposure to harsh daily elements.

Hallmarks

There are three compulsory hallmarks applied to precious metals as a quality control: a sponsor's (maker's) mark, a fineness mark, and an Assay office mark. These marks establish the origin and fineness of the precious metal and ensures it has been accurately and independently tested.

There are few exemptions to the hallmarking laws. One exemption is by weight; compulsory hallmarks are not needed on gold under 1g, silver under 7.78g and platinum under 0.5g. Also, the UK is required by the European Court of Justice to accept other European national hallmarks as sufficient hallmarking, providing those hallmarks represent an equivalent guarantee of quality.