The different qualities of gold jewelry
There are so many different names for gold qualities that it's easy to get confused. The quality of the gold jewelry plays a major role, especially with regard to the longevity of the piece of jewelry. In this blog post, we'll give you a quick overview of the three commercially available qualities on the gold jewelry market.
SOLID GOLD JEWELRY
Solid gold jewelry, also known as genuine gold jewelry, real gold or Gold Alloy jewelry, is the most valuable form of gold jewelry. Solid gold jewelry is often specified with a number (18K, 14K, 8K). The "K" stands for carat (ct), which indicates the purity of the gold.
- 100% gold (24K) has a very yellow color and is very soft, which makes it rather unsuitable for making gold jewelry. In order to be able to process the gold well, other materials (silver or copper) are mixed into it. The resulting mixtures, the alloys, are divided into the three commercially available qualities based on their percentage gold content.
The three most common alloys:
- 18K or 750 gold : 75% gold / 25% silver or copper
- 14K or 585 gold : 58.5% gold content / 41.5% silver or copper
- 8K or 333 gold : 33% gold content / 67% silver or copper
Solid gold jewelry is very durable, and gold as a material is still one of the most valuable raw materials in the world. Gold jewelry can be melted down again and again and made into new pieces of jewelry. However, it should be noted that the alloys are split into their components during melting. An 8K ring contains significantly less gold than an 18K ring, which also explains the price differences.
GOLD FILLED
In the area of costume jewelry, you often find "gold filled" as the material used. This term can be particularly misleading because, contrary to what you might expect, this is not solid gold jewelry. Gold filled jewelry usually has a brass or copper core that is covered with a layer of solid gold (usually also specified in karats). This layer of gold must make up at least 5% of the total weight of the piece of jewelry.
The gold coating is pressed onto the core under high heat and pressure. The result is a material that, if processed well, lasts longer than simple gold plating, but is not made to last forever. With regular wear, the material underneath becomes visible.
GOLD PLATED / GOLD VERMEIL
Gold-plated jewelry, or gold plated, consists of a very thin layer of gold applied to the core material. Again, copper or brass is often used. Gold-plated jewelry is often also indicated by the karat number, e.g. "14k gold plated." However, in this example, the karat number (14k) refers only to the very thin layer of gold applied over copper, brass or metal blends or sterling silver.
When purchasing a gold-plated piece of jewelry, the number of microns (1 micron = 0.001 mm) can provide information about the quality of the material. The higher the number of microns, the thicker the gold-plated layer.
Gold Vermeil : Even if the name sounds romantic, this is not solid gold. Gold Vermeil refers to gold-plated jewelry whose core material is not made of copper or brass, but of sterling silver. The carat number in the product name provides information about the gold content of the solid gold layer above the sterling silver.
Gold vermeil jewelry has the advantage that it can still be worn as sterling silver after the gold plating has worn off.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
At All About Articus, we have decided to make our jewelry exclusively from solid gold. We only use recycled gold from the Spanish jewelry industry for our jewelry. By using what is already available, we help to close the loop on this valuable material. In our factory in Spain, we only work with 18K solid gold. The high gold content naturally comes at a price, but it helps ensure that the jewelry remains valuable for a lifetime (and beyond).
CONCLUSION
Choosing the right gold depends on several factors, including personal preference, budget and the intended use of the jewelry. Whether you choose 333, 585 or 750 gold, it is important that you make informed decisions and appreciate the beauty and value of your jewelry.
If you have any further questions or would like to learn more about our gold alloys, we look forward to hearing from you!
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