Humans have used one of the rarest metals on the planet for various purposes throughout history, from using it as currency to exuberant jewelry made out of gold that becomes a status symbol in society to ornaments with religious value. Gold has been present with humans for a long time, and it has been woven into the community so that it is almost impossible to take it out.
Here we will learn about the types of jewelry made from this luxurious commodity.
Gold is a very malleable metal, making it one of the best choices for jewellers and designers to work with. They can craft it into shapes and sizes of their preference, be it traditional designs or more exotic ornaments representing something.
Solid gold jewelry: these kinds of jewelry are the most valuable when it comes to gold jewelry. Gold is very malleable and hence cannot be used to make jewelry in its pure form. It is combined with different metals, usually copper, to form an alloy and provide it with some strength. Solid gold jewelry retains the value for a more extended time be it the monetary value or the sentimental value associated with the piece. An example of solid gold jewelry would be Gold fingerprint jewelry. It is one of the most personalized forms of jewelry that is made as a remembrance for someone. Solid gold jewelry can be worn around the neck or on your hands like a ring or bracelet.
Gold plated jewelry: these are the most affordable form of gold jewelry; you can have a base metal coated with a thin layer of gold done by electroplating. This jewelry has a lustre that is the same as any gold jewelry, and nobody will be able to tell the two apart just by looking at them. Most of the time, costume jewelry is made using this process, where the thickness of the gold plating is one micron. If you want to ensure that the colour lasts longer, you can have a higher consistency of gold plating; this is usually 2-3 microns. This jewelry can’t stand the test of time, unlike solid gold jewelry, so you need to put in extra care to save these pieces from wearing.
Gold-filled jewelry: this type of jewelry is made with a similar process involving two different metals to make the jewelry. However, the difference lies in the process and the quantity; unlike gold plating, gold-filled metal is made by bonding metal with gold under very high pressure. These are affordable jewelry that can be worn for many years with proper care. One condition that has to meet for a piece to be classified as gold-filled is the quantity of gold for the metal, which has to be 1/20th of the metal’s total weight. These are similar to gold plated jewelry and needed to be handled with care.
Leave a Reply