Jewelry is special and it lasts a Lifetime. It has always been an emotional and a sentimental experience that evokes wonderful memories while still giving pleasure for years ahead.
For ages, Gold has been one of the most valued and sought after Precious Metals. It has been prized as a form of International exchange and a emblem of Royalty. A gift of gold has always been the symbol of lasting love and devotion.
Over Centuries of increasing sophistication and technology, gold has assumed many additional roles. Not only is it prized as an essential component of Jewelry, it also has many applications in contemporary modern day life.
Gold is most renowned in its ultimate form – Jewelry. Every day men, women and children continue the centuries old ritual of gold adornment. They are caught up in gold’s allure through the acquisition and purchase of Jewelry.
Of all te world’s precious metals, only Gold combines the four basic characteristics that make it a universally and eternally treasured possession – lustrous beauty, rarity, durability and workability.
Lustrous beauty: The natural intense colour and the distinctive luster of gold combine to give this metal its unique and lasting beauty. It’s beauty if further enhanced by the soft and exquisite shades of colour achieved by combining it with small amounts of other metals known as alloys. The many colours of gold include Yellow, White, Pink and green and to a lesser extent, shades of blue and purple.
Rarity: Gold is all around us – in the earths crust, in the seas, rivers and plants. The difficulty and expense of obtaining it makes it unlikely. Several tones of ore is required to extract just one ounce of Gold. The rarity alone is enough to bestow a certain symbolism and status to gold.
Durability: Gold Virtually lasts forever. It does not rust, tarnish or corrode. An example of its durability is evidenced in the gold coins found in galleons sunk centuries ago. Each Coin is as bright and shiny as the day it was made.
Workability: Gold has the best working quality of any metal. Thereby making it the ideal precious metal for fine Jewelry. It is so soft and malleable that one ounce can be stretched into a wire 80 kilometers long or hammered into a sheet so thin it covers well over nine square meters and becomes transparent. Gold can be remelted and used again and again and can be made into a vast array of Jewelry items
When purchasing an item of Gold, always look for a Carat mark which should be stamped on it. This is the quality mark and refers to the proportion of pure gold used in the item. Pure Gold, which is 24kt, is generally too soft to be used in Jewelry and hence is alloyed with other precious metals to increase it’s durability. Some of the common marks found on Jewelry, with their metric equivalents are:
22kt - 916
18kt - 750
14kt - 585
9kt - 375
Like all other Jewelry, gold should be periodically cleaned and checked for wear and breakage. You can clean it yourself with warm soapy water. Keep your Jewelry in boxes with separate compartments, stored in a secured place, so that the items do not scratch each other.
