Anywear Jewelry: Gold 101

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Gold 101

     Pure (24K) gold is way too soft for everyday wear. That's why gold jewelry is made of a mixture of gold and other metals; silver, copper, nickel and zinc. The K (karat) number tells us what fraction of 24 parts of the alloy are pure gold. For example 14K is 14/24 or 58.33% or a little over half pure gold.

     The metals (silver, copper, nickel or zinc) used in the alloy also determine the color of the gold. A high percentage of nickel gives white gold its color. A high percentage of copper provides the reddish tone to rose gold. Gold itself does not tarnish but these alloying metals can sometimes cause a piece to darken with time, or leave a dark residue on the skin.

     Gold is marked differently in Europe. It's marked with a number indicating the gold content as parts per thousand. This means 18K gold, which is 75% pure gold, is stamped 750. I actually found a couple of rings marked with 496 in a box of "junk jewelry".  The gold buyer confirmed them as 10K gold, a little less than half pure gold. See how that works?

       With all the attention gold has been getting these days, I've heard some folks asking if they can melt and then re-cast their gold into another piece of jewelry. They want to hold on to the memories, not just the gold. I am not a jeweler but I ask a lot of questions and have done a lot of research on the subject. It is possible to melt the metal and reform it, but the alloys that are present may not "re-form" with the gold for a good result. You never know for sure how it will turn out. What I have been told is, many times the gold shows porosity and is not as strong. They don't advise mixing it with "new gold" either.

The best procedure is to refine it, which means stripping the alloy from it and then recasting the gold with new alloy. A jeweler usually can't do this. A refiner works with such large quantities that just wouldn't be possible to get your gold back. If the sentimental value of your gold is important, consult a jeweler with design and manufacturing experience about turning your gold into a nugget to be worn as a pendant. It never hurts to ask and that's where you'll get some good advice.

I hope this information will help all those "gold diggers" out there. Listed below are some other articles you might find of interest on the subject.