NEW ARTICLES  HOT ARTICLES  TOP RATED  ADD AN ARTICLE  UPDATE AN ARTICLE  GET RATED 
  HOME     MY ACCOUNT     POWER SEARCH     REGISTER     SUPPORT     SUGGEST CATEGORY  

Ten Carat Gold the Good and the Bad
58912 Society Dec 6, 2007 otaffy Ten Carat Gold the Good and the Bad Gold has captivated us for thousand of years especially when it comes to jewelry. The gift of gold has never fallen out of favor, considered an act of respect and love. Gold has started wars, helped build far flung empires and fueled great economies. The sparkle of pure gold helped to drive some of greatest human migrations in history, most notably in the Western United States. From the Black Hills of South Dakota to Sutters Mill in Northern California, thousands of people abandoned careers, homes and families is search of the precious yellow metal. Some became rich while many more did not. Today, gold jewelry is still as popular ever. There is so much gold jewelry available for sale that one might think that the supply of gold is inexhaustible. Gold ore is a finite resource and the world supply of pure gold is limited. Contrary to what many of us might think, pure gold is never used in a finished item of jewelry. There are several important reasons why you will not find pure gold jewelry that has little to with supply. The purity of gold and other precious metals, like platinum and silver, is measured in carats. The term carat refers to the purity of the metal. This is not to be confused with how the term carat is applied to gemstones. Gemstones carats refer to the weight of the stone and are not a reflection of purity. Precious metals are graded by purity. The purest form of gold is twenty four carats. Pure gold is very malleable and is much too soft to be used for jewelry. When gold is combined with other base metals, the carat purity is reduced. However, adding base metals like silver, palladium and copper, makes the gold more workable and the result is a harder, more durable piece of jewelry. Eighteen carat gold jewelry is considered very valuable since it is seventy five percent gold and twenty five percent base metals. For those of us who can not afford the high cost of eighteen carat gold jewelry, there are some less expensive alternatives. For example, fourteen carat gold contains fifty eight percent gold and twelve carat contains fifty percent gold. Even though the amount of gold is less, fourteen and twelve carat gold jewelry can be a good buy. Where the balance of gold to base metals really changes is in ten carat gold. Ten carat gold contains roughly fifty eight percent base metals. Despite the lower amount of gold, ten carat gold jewelry can still be a good buy. The value comes in knowing the type base metals that have been alloyed with the gold. Ten carat gold that has been made with more silver or palladium, and less copper, is a much better value. Low carat gold that has a high copper content will tarnish and blacken. Copper tarnishes and discolors very easily as anyone who worn a copper bracelet or other type of copper jewelry will attest to. Gold alloyed with palladium is far less likely to discolor. Palladium a white colored metal that is similar in content to platinum. The only retail standard in place for selling low carat gold is that it must be labeled as such. The average consumer does not have a way to assay the gold and must therefore rely on the honesty of the seller. So buying ten carat gold jewelry needs to be an exercise in information. When buying low carat gold it is important to know which base metals are present. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for this information. If the seller can not, or will provide this information, keep shopping. Mitch Endick is a short article writer for the popular jewelry site: http://www.jewelrysalesandservice.com. He provides informative advice on buying gold, jewelry, watches, and gemstones. www.jewelrysalesandservice.com send email to otaffy

Write a Review   Add to My Favorite   Refer it to Friend   Report Article  

Average Visitor Rating: 0.00 (out of 5)
Number of ratings: 0 Votes

Visitor Rating


Other links at Society
I remember back when reality television shows were first getting their start. Though I don't know which shows were first, I remember one of the first I ever saw was the Real World on MTV.
Category:

One of the biggest security issues these days is that of identity theft, people can get your vital information like your social security number, birth date, credit card number and other critical material from your home via your computer at home, your tras
Category:

Everybody enjoys holidays, as it is great opportunity to recharge your batteries after long workdays. Here is a list of Romanian holidays, when people feel relaxed because they can take their time to do anything they want.
Category:

Some reasons why affiliate marketing does not work for most people.
Category:

The challenge of working with a reluctant reader deserves careful attention. Reading is an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience much enjoyment. It's an opportunity that the reluctant reader misses out on. Consider helping a child to love reading.
Category:




Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics

Articles: 68285
Categories: 501

Yahoo Entertainment
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional   Valid CSS