Gold won't tarnish, rust, or corrode, and though it's very strong, it is also the most malleable of all metals.
Pure gold is too soft to withstand the stresses of every-day wear, so it is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, nickel, and zinc to give it strength and durability. Karatage, noted by a number followed by "k" indicates purity, or how much of the metal in a piece of jewellery is gold. Karatage is expressed in 24ths, making 24k gold 100% gold.
The colour of gold is determined by two factors:
- The type of metal alloys included in it
- The percentage of each metal alloy
Yellow Gold
In jewellery at Blueamour.co.uk, you'll find 18k and 14k yellow gold. 18k gold contains more precious metal than 14k gold. It is composed of 75% gold, which is alloyed with other metals to make it strong enough to withstand every-day wear. Because 14k gold is composed of only 58.3% gold, and 41.7% other metals that give it strength, its gold colour is not as rich as 18k gold. 14k gold is most commonly found in cases where strength is most important, like in earring backs and bracelet clasps.
White Gold
Because 18k white gold is 75% gold, and 14k white gold is 58.3% gold, jewellery made from these metals has a slight yellow colour. To enhance the whiteness, almost all white gold is plated with rhodium, a shiny, white metal which is extremely hard. Depending on the amount of wear to a piece of jewellery, over time this rhodium plating may wear off, revealing the original metal colour. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done to restore your jewellery's whiteness if needed.
Rose Gold
Rose gold gets its colour from a larger proportion of copper in the metal alloy. This gives the gold a beautiful pink colour. |
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Gold, element Au, was one of the first known metals. The gold standard defines the world's currency system, whereby money represents a value in gold. 
24 karat = 100% gold
Too soft for jewellery
22 karat = 91.7% gold
Very soft — not recommended for jewellery
18 karat = 75.0% gold
Recommended for fine jewellery
14 karat = 58.3% gold
Recommended for jewellery
12 karat = 50.0% gold
Not acceptable for jewellery
10 karat = 41.7% gold
The legal karat limit considered as real gold in the United States
Much of our gold jewellery is made of the most beautiful and durable 18k gold, like these classic hoop earrings.
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