Karat Gold
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Sometimes, as jewelers, we are asked if our jewelry
is made of pure gold. Technically speaking,
only gold with no additives can be called pure. Pure gold (24K) tends to be too soft to be
used for jewelry. So various metals that acts
as hardeners such as silver, copper, nickel, palladium or zinc are added to make gold
suitable for jewelry use. Once these metals
are added at a refinery, the entire mixture is called an alloy. Almost all gold used in jewelry is an alloy to
varying degrees.
If your skin turns black underneath gold jewelry that does not mean that it is not real gold. The problem is not that uncommon and is known to jewelers as gold smudge. It is commonly caused by a chemical reaction between the piece and the wearer, or from tarnish. While 24K gold does not tarnish, some alloys will. Although 10K is legally the lowest karatage that can be called gold in the U.S., England manufactures 9K gold jewelry and Germany has 8K gold. Lower karat gold pieces will go dull or even turn black merely from exposure to chemicals in the atmosphere. They will also discolor in contact with perspiration, some fabrics, bleach and other household chemicals. Both 18K and 14K jewelry are less likely to smudge than 10K, due to the fact that the higher karatages contain less base metal. Buying jewelry with a higher karatage will help. Upgrading to a better alloy such as 18K usually solves the problem.
Our Hours:
Tues-Fri 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sat 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
5121 Center Street, Suite 103
Williamsburg, VA 23188
(757) 229-7333
American Gem Society
For generations of jewelers, those three simple words have embodied three complex ideas to which the society has always been dedicated:
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Ethics
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Knowledge
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Consumer Protection