| All about gold Pure gold is what we call 24 karat | | | | Changing the type pf metal added to pure gold |
| gold, and is a bright yellow. It is also very, very | | | | changes the colour of the metal. Adding silver |
| soft- so soft in fact that it can be scratched using | | | | leads to green gold. Copper to red or pink gold, |
| your fingernail. It is also expensive- selling now at | | | | iron to blue gold, and aluminum to purple gold. Each |
| a near high point of over $1000 US an ounce. | | | | type of metal addition also brings with it new |
| For the reasons above gold is almost never used | | | | challenges. For example the silver in green gold |
| in jewelery in its pure form. Apart from the bright | | | | leads to gold that can tarnish like silver. Purple gold |
| yellow colour and the cost becoming astronomical | | | | is known to be very brittle and is better treated |
| very quickly, the fact that it is so soft does not | | | | as an accent stone rather than the metal to hold |
| lend itself to jewelery that will stand up to regular | | | | a piece together. |
| wear and tear. | | | | Each type of gold changes colour in much the |
| Explaining karats | | | | same way you would mix paints. Yellow gold plus |
| Pure gold is melted and mixed or alloyed with | | | | shiny copper equals a reddish toned gold. You |
| other metals to help make it stronger. The | | | | never actually remove the yellow colour- you just |
| amount of the other metals changes the karat. | | | | hide some of it with other hues. This is why a |
| Gold that is equal parts pure gold and some other | | | | true white gold with that gleaming platinum-like |
| metal (a 50% blend) will be 12 karat gold- or 50% | | | | finish does not truly exist. "White" gold is mixed |
| of 24 karat. | | | | mostly with nickel, an inexpensive white metal |
| This is why different places have different laws | | | | that helps to tone down that bright yellow colour. |
| as to what can legally be sold as gold. In most of | | | | When mixed the result is a lovely buttery grey |
| Europe and Asia, you can old sell it as "gold" if it is | | | | that is beautiful in it's own right. |
| more than 50% pure gold- so more than 12 | | | | Commercial white gold jewelery is often plated |
| karat. This is why 14karat is the most common | | | | with rhodium to give it that platinum like look that |
| gold available commercially in these places. It is | | | | is currently so popular. Be aware that this coating |
| hard enough to wear well, and mixed with enough | | | | almost always wears off of high traffic areas of |
| other metals to bring down the price substantially. | | | | jewelery leaving the grey yellow underneath it |
| In North America is is common to find 10 karat | | | | more visible. There are new white gold mixtures |
| gold which has, in reality, less than 50% gold | | | | being brought to market that use other alloying |
| content. | | | | metals, but they are not yet commonly available. |
| A rainbow of colours- but no white | | | | |