Comment on How to Shop for Gold Jewelry; & the Myth of Rose Gold by Jennie B.

Do you know how to shop for gold jewelry? I offer sterling silver necklaces, bracelets and rings but to keep an inventory of gold can get too expensive for a small business like mine. But, if you are looking for something special such as a wedding ring it helps to know something about gold if you hope to buy a quality product. Here are some general fun facts regarding gold purity: A Carat is a measure of purity.  For some reason, it was decided that 24 was going to be the measure of pure (or almost pure) gold.  So the formula works out as the mass of pure gold divided by the total mass of the object.  It sounds a little complicated but it works out like this; 1 pound of pure gold  mixed with nothing times 24 equals 24 Carat gold. Now let’s say we have 1 pound of pure gold mixed with 1 pound of copper.  1 divided by 2 (total mass) equals .5 times 24 which equals 12 Carat red-gold. Russian gold of the past was often called red-gold. This applies to Rose Gold which is popular today. Rose gold is a mix of sterling silver and gold and that is why it is less expensive than gold. You will note that many jewelers are offering more rose gold products today. They will tell you because it is popular and in higher demand, but the truth is the price of gold is too high to inventory and most customers do not want to pay the high price tag that pure gold is demanding right now. So when you shop for gold this is a way to remember it. Ask yourself, how many parts per 24 is gold? 24 Carat gold is 24 out of 24 parts gold.  18 Carat gold is 18 parts out of 24 of pure gold with the rest (the last 6 parts) of something else, like copper. Curiously, Carat and Karat are interchangeable, though the stamp for something in the U.S. of 10 carats or greater will always either be a “K” or “Kt” not a “C”.  And the origin of the word goes all the way back to ancient Greece.  Who knew?? For more information about metals used in jewelry follow this link: http://www.quirkygirlz.com/handmade_jewelry_blogger/sterling-silver-jewelry-precious-metal-prologue/ I love to hear your questions and comments! Till next time, Quirky Girl www.QuirkyGirlz.com