Buying Gold Jewelry Jewelry can be a fun and fulfilling experience. However, there are many things to watch out for since not all jewelry is as advertised. Use some of these tips to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to spending your hard earned money on the best quality jewelry on the market.
Gold
For durable gold jewelry, make sure to look for 18k gold. It is better looking and more colorful than 14k but stronger and more durable than pure 24k gold. Many 18k or 24k gold may include 14k accents, clasps or parts where strength is essential.
The karat quality tells you what proportion of pure gold is used in the jewelry piece. For example, a 14k gold band has 14 parts of gold, mixed with 10 parts of base metal. This is where the strength comes from.
Be very careful as not all pieces are solid gold. Some may be hollow, and others can be coated with gold. This means that as time goes by and wear increases, the gold can wear off.
Solid gold just means that the piece isn't hollow.
Karat is a measure of gold's purity. Gold used in jewelry is mixed with harder metals so it is stronger and more durable. The higher the percentage of pure gold, the higher the karat.
Karat is a measure of gold's purity. Gold used in jewelry is mixed with harder metals so it is stronger and more durable. The higher the percentage of pure gold, the higher the karat.
Tip: A karat marking is the imprint on gold pieces indicating its composition. If there are no markings, the piece is likely less than 10 karats and cannot legally be marked or sold as gold jewelry in the U.S.
- 24 karat is 100% pure gold; very soft, so it is impractical as jewelry.
- 18 karat is 75% gold; mixed with copper or silver, appears "lemony" in tone and is strong enough for rings.
- 14 karat is 58.3% gold; a lightly reddish hue comes from added copper alloys, which increases durability.
- 10 karat is 41.6% gold; this is the minimum karat that can be called "gold" in the US.
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