torek, 19. april 2011

What is 22 karat?

Karat is the unit used to quantify the purity of a gold alloy. The purest type of gold is 24k which possesses a metallic yellow color. Any alloy below 10k cannot actually be considered as gold. In jewelry accessories, 24k is 99.9% gold, 22k is 91.3% gold, 18k is 75% gold, 12k is 50% gold and 10k is 41.6% gold. Different people from different countries prefer different gold purities in their jewelry. In India, 22k gold jewelery is most liked.

Gold accessories come with various levels of purity and for a lot of people, determining the purity of jewelry can be a difficult task. Pure gold is soft and is not fit for most gold jewellery designs of accessories. In order for it to become suitable, it is combined with other metals such as zinc, silver, copper and palladium. This process is called “alloying”. Pure gold is then typically used for investments and exchange.

Other jewelry accessories are in the pure gold form while others are just gold plated. Gold plated and gold jewelries look precisely the same. A way to determine the purity of gold is to get its weight while holding it in your hand; but this is not accurate and most people cannot do this. As time passes, jewelry that is gold plated loses its luster and shine. On the other hand, gold filled jewelry remains lustrous as ever and never tarnishes. Gold filled jewelry is of course more precious and valuable than gold plated ones. Since anything less than 10k is not considered as gold, some jewelry items are made to look the same as 14k gold, thus a buyer would be deceived.

Pure gold or 22k gold has a metallic yellow color. With the exception of 22k gold jewelery and 24k, gold may be transformed into different colors after the alloying process; wherein different metals are mixed using different proportions of gold. A popular non-yellow gold is white gold.

Getting the Best 22k Gold Jewelery

The craving for gold and gold accessories among different people is common all over the world and has never ceased. In other parts of the globe like south Asia, giving gold jewelry as dowry is a very common practice. People wear different gold jewellery designs for different occasions for the mere feeling of pride, allure and to have a more exciting personality. These jewelries include necklaces, bracelets, chains, lockets, bangle, rings, watch or earrings which can give a sophisticated finish to any kind of outfit.

Gold jewelry can also be a perfect gift for any occasion and can create a sense of being special to the recipient. Investing in gold or anything made of gold is a good idea since it is one of the many precious metals and its value never depreciates with time. At present, 22k gold jewelery is very popular among investors and other people just wanting to possess gold accessories.

Gold jewellery designs are costly and vulnerable; as such, they need regular care, attention and cleaning. Water is not a good substance for jewelry. Therefore, they should be taken off while taking a swim especially in chlorinated pools or in the ocean which can cause erosion of gold.