Have you ever wondered what these markings on jewelry mean? They are there for some reason so let find out and understand what these markings mean.
Whether you are an owner of a fine jewelry or just interested in getting one, you will notice that there is marking on it. What is this for? These markings show very important information about the jewelry,
It is best to know these markings and understand them so that if it is our time to buy a jewelry, we know exactly what to buy. These markings will give us an idea of how much this jewelry cost or what is the metal content and who manufacture this piece of jewelry.
Gold Hallmarks
Hallmark gold is a gold certification. This certification will certify the fineness and the purity of your gold jewelry. The purity of gold is all that matters when it comes to jewelry.
Hallmarking shows that the gold present in the jewelry is within the international standards of purity. So before buying a jewelry, make sure that you know exactly the meaning of the markings in the jewelry.
Karat or “KT” for short is a mark to describe the purity of the gold in your jewelry. The most common markings used in gold jewelries are 24kt, 18kt, 14kt and 10kt, where the 24kt is the purest gold and that is also the softest jewelry.
Sometimes 24kt gold jewelry breaks easily because it almost does not have any combination of other metals. One of the few common metals used to combine with jewelries is copper, silver or palladium. When you combine these other metals to gold, the jewelry becomes strong.
So in gold jewelry, 24kt is the softest and 10kt is stronger because of the metals present in the jewelry.
Moreover, the Gold is considered to be long lasting and impressionable metal because it does not discolor. However, pure Gold is rarely used to create jewelry because of its characteristics – it is elastic.
In fact, it twists easily and therefore if you were to create jewelry, it should be mixed with other metals to enhance its permanence and potency.
Purity of Gold
There are two methods to know the purity of the Gold. These methods were used from the very beginning and found to be very accurate in testing the purity of the Gold.
These methods are X-Ray Fluorescence and the Touchstone Method. Let us get to know these methods so you will be guided to buying the pure gold jewelry for you.
X-ray Fluorescence
If there is a need for you to maintain the integrity of your jewelry, then use X-Ray Fluorescence method. This is a non-destructive method to test the purity or the fineness of the gold jewelry.
This is also the fastest method in identifying the purity of the gold in jewelry. What is good about this method is that it does not only measure or assess the transparency of gold, but it also evaluates the amount of the other metals or impurities in the jewelry.
Another benefit of this method is that this is inexpensive. The initial cost and the operational cost are very low.
Touch-tone Method
This method is a little bit destructive. This involves scratching your jewelry to get some sample of gold and to use different acids to determine the purity or fineness of the gold.
To come up with the accurate results of the pureness of gold, a destructive method is needed. The method that is considered to be a perfect method is called “Fire Assay” or “Cupellation”. This method requires dissolving of the gold jewelry.
Not All That Glitters is Gold
Now that we know what the markings mean on the jewelry, you would probably know exactly what to buy. Without looking at the markings, it is hard to tell if the jewelry is genuine or not. Remember that not all that glitters is gold.
Just because the jewelry displayed in the store looks like it is made of pure gold, does not mean it actually is. There are only few gold jewelries that are made of pure gold.
But there are also gold plated and genuine gold or gold-filled jewelries and you need to know the difference. Here are few of the differences to know which jewelry is gold-filled or gold plated.
Like we noted above, to increase the permanence and the potency of the jewelry, gold is mixed with other metals. And this combination is preferred by most customers rather than buying gold-plated.
Gold-filled is considered to be the second most valuable jewelry next to 24kt gold. This jewelry will not tarnish, fade or change color for a long period of time.
Although, they need occasional cleaning, this gold-filled jewelry is considered to be lifetime products since they do not wear-out.
On the other hand, gold-plated jewelries are made up of non-gold based metals that are coated with molten gold to make it appear as gold.
This is a cheap alternative to gold-filled jewelry because the coating or plating is very thin and will fade or tarnish easily. Gold plated jewelries are available almost anywhere.
Gold Colors
When buying gold jewelries, you might have noticed that there are varieties of colors available in the market. They are not limited only to yellow. Other gold colors are yellow gold, white gold and rose gold to name a few.
Yellow Gold
This is the natural color of gold. Even when silver and copper are mixed with gold, it will still hold the bright color and will show the color of gold. Please remember that not all jewelries in yellow color are gold because it might be a gold plated jewelry.
White Gold
White gold jewelries are definitely not silver. They are brighter in color than silver. White gold jewelries are very popular, especially in engagement rings. There are times that white gold is combined with yellow gold.
This combination is called two-toned and they are as popular as gold. White gold is made up of strong metals such as palladium or nickel, which is why when combined, it is considered as harder than gold.
Rose Gold
This color has captured the market by storm. This pinkish gold jewelry is as popular as gold. To achieve rose gold or its pinkish hue, the gold is mixed with copper. It is said that the highest version of rose gold is called as Crown Gold which is made of 75% gold and 25% copper.
With the popularity of rose gold, jewelry designers have come up with multi-colored gold jewelry. It is a combination of yellow gold, white gold and rose gold.
Gold Usage and Maintenance
When you are deciding which karat and color of gold jewelry you want to buy, you will also have a responsibility to take care of your gold jewelry.
Remember that jewelries do not depreciate, instead the value appreciates over time. So here are some of the tips you can follow to take care of your previous gold jewelries:
- Pure gold such as 24kt gold is malleable and can easily be damaged. So use this pure gold jewelry, occasionally or less frequently.
- Chemicals found in swimming pools or soaps and detergents are harmful which can cause discoloration in your gold jewelry. So please remove jewelry when you take a bath or swimming in the pool or in the beach.
- Store your jewelry in proper storage. Jewelries when not in use should be kept in a separate jewelry box. If you do not have any boxes, it is best to wrap each jewelry separately in a cloth to prevent the jewelry from friction or scratching each other.
- Finally, before you will put them in its jewelry box, clean them. You can do this by simply rubbing the jewelry with clean cloth gently to remove the oil and dust. This is done so the build-up of grime in the jewelry may be avoided.