Gold Jewelry

Home > Learning Center > Gold Jewelry

Gold Jewelry

Gold jewelry, as a precious metal, has been highly valued since before recorded history. This element is dense, soft and shiny. It is also the most ductile and malleable pure metal known.

Gold originates in both veins and alluvial deposits. A vein is a finite volume which occurs within a rock and has a distinct shape. They form when fluids containing minerals flow within a rock. Alluvial deposits, on the other hand, occur as sediments are deposited by river or another form of running water. This particular metal may occur in the form of a nugget or grain.

When gold jewelry is created from pure forms of the element, it has a bright yellow color and luster. This appearance has been considered an ideal in terms of attractiveness for many, many years. It is naturally maintained without oxidizing in water or air.

In general, however, pure gold jewelry is not made. This is because it has such a soft quality to it. For that reason, it will be alloyed with one or more types of base metal. Both its hardness and ductility are affected by this action. Other qualities are also affected, such as the melting point of the material and its color.

The pure form of gold jewelry is represented by the denotation 24k. 22k, 18k, 14k, and 10k are all alloys of a lower caratage. These contain higher percentages of such things as copper, silver, or palladium. The most commonly used of these is copper. It adds a red hue to the material.

A particular copper alloy known as rose gold was very popular in antique and Russian jewelry. Other terms for this include pink or red gold. It may also be known as Russian gold because it was popular there at the beginning of the nineteenth century. However, this term is becoming more and more rare.

The most common composite scale of the vintage rose variety was eighteen carat gold with seventy-five percent gold and twenty-five percent copper. Today, four percent of silver is often used to create the rose variety. The use of the terms red, rose, or pink generally refer to how much copper is used in the alloy.

An alloy of copper and gold of fourteen carats is almost identical in color to some bronze alloys. Both of these forms of alloys may be used to create badges for the police force or other purposes.

Plenty of other colors for gold jewelry exist. For instance, iron may be used to create a blue form. Aluminum may be used to create a purple version, however this is rarely done. That is because these colors are more brittle and difficult with which to work.

Green options are created from fourteen and eighteen carat gold alloys which make use of silver only. White alloys on the other hand make use of palladium or nickel. Nickel is also used with gold alloys to create a more silver look. Nickel is toxic however, making certain uses unwise or even illegal.

Gold Jewelry

Silver

Diamond

Body

Sterling

Costume

Handmade

Pendant

Charm

Childrens

Design

Amber

Contact Us

Site Map

Gold Jewelry | Silver Jewelry | Learning Center | Site Map | Links | Contact | Home

Copyright © 2010

Gold jewelry, as a precious metal, has been highly valued since before recorded history. This element is dense, soft and shiny. It is also the most ductile and malleable pure metal known.

Gold originates in both veins and alluvial deposits. A vein is a finite volume which occurs within a rock and has a distinct shape. They form when fluids containing minerals flow within a rock. Alluvial deposits, on the other hand, occur as sediments are deposited by river or another form of running water. This particular metal may occur in the form of a nugget or grain.

When gold jewelry is created from pure forms of the element, it has a bright yellow color and luster. This appearance has been considered an ideal in terms of attractiveness for many, many years. It is naturally maintained without oxidizing in water or air.

In general, however, pure gold jewelry is not made. This is because it has such a soft quality to it. For that reason, it will be alloyed with one or more types of base metal. Both its hardness and ductility are affected by this action. Other qualities are also affected, such as the melting point of the material and its color.

The pure form of gold jewelry is represented by the denotation 24k. 22k, 18k, 14k, and 10k are all alloys of a lower caratage. These contain higher percentages of such things as copper, silver, or palladium. The most commonly used of these is copper. It adds a red hue to the material.

A particular copper alloy known as rose gold was very popular in antique and Russian jewelry. Other terms for this include pink or red gold. It may also be known as Russian gold because it was popular there at the beginning of the nineteenth century. However, this term is becoming more and more rare.

The most common composite scale of the vintage rose variety was eighteen carat gold with seventy-five percent gold and twenty-five percent copper. Today, four percent of silver is often used to create the rose variety. The use of the terms red, rose, or pink generally refer to how much copper is used in the alloy.

An alloy of copper and gold of fourteen carats is almost identical in color to some bronze alloys. Both of these forms of alloys may be used to create badges for the police force or other purposes.

Plenty of other colors for gold jewelry exist. For instance, iron may be used to create a blue form. Aluminum may be used to create a purple version, however this is rarely done. That is because these colors are more brittle and difficult with which to work.

Green options are created from fourteen and eighteen carat gold alloys which make use of silver only. White alloys on the other hand make use of palladium or nickel. Nickel is also used with gold alloys to create a more silver look. Nickel is toxic however, making certain uses unwise or even illegal.