One thing you can say about gold earrings is that they are timeless pieces that are always in style. They are not only beautiful, but also wear-friendly since, unlike sterling silver, they don’t tarnish. Another great attribute is that people with allergies to certain metals, or find they have a problem with staining from metals that have been combined with gold, don’t have a problem with gold itself.

Gold is a versatile metal, able to be worked in virtually any shape, whether it be small, but sturdy, strands to thin sheets. In fact, just one ounce has the ability to be hammered into an extremely thin sheet measuring at ten feet square. Artisans, especially makers of gold earrings, can manipulate gold into any desired shape.

When choosing gold earrings you need to look at the gold’s karat factor. Different karat numbers are what describe just how much pure gold is in the earrings. The percentage of gold in the earrings is higher when the karat number is higher.

For example, 24K earrings are pure gold, 18K is 75% gold with 18 parts of gold and 6 parts of another metal, 14K, the most common, is 58.3% gold with 14 parts of gold and 10 parts of another metal, 12K is 50% gold with 12 parts of gold and 12 parts of another metal, and, lastly, 10K, the minimum karat that can be described as gold, is a mere 41.7% gold with 10 parts gold and 14 parts of another metal.

Gold earrings made in Europe will have different markings. For example, 18K will be marked as 750, 14K will be marked as 585, and 12 K will be marked as 417. These marking stand for the percentage of gold the earrings contain.

Most gold earrings aren’t made of pure gold since it can be quite soft and not very practical for daily wear. In mot cases, other metals will have been mixed with the gold in order to heighten the durability, as well as lower the price.

When metallurgists add other metals to gold it allows them to change the gold’s color. To create white gold Palladium, also known as nickel, is added. The addition of copper products creates a rose/pink color, while adding silver can give gold a greenish tint.

When choosing the type of gold earrings that is right for you, you must decide how often you will wear them and what type of karat number will fit this need. If you are allergic to such metals as nickel, you should choose gold earrings that have a higher gold content. This means that gold earrings marked with 18K or 22K are best for you.

If you plan to wear your earrings only on occasion, and don’t necessarily have to have the best gold there is, then you have the option of choosing gold earrings that are gold filled or even gold plated. This would not be a good choice if you do plan to wear the gold earrings on a daily basis since a lot of use will reduce the gold layer, therefore exposing the metal that is underneath and possibly causing staining or even an allergic reaction.

If you plan to purchase gold earrings that you want to last a very long time, then make sure you buy a high quality item.

Related posts

• What To Look For When Buying Gold Jewelry (0)
• What To Look For When Buying Gold Jewelry (0)
• What to Consider When Buying Gold Jewellery (0)
• Gold Jewelry Do’s and Don’ts (0)
• About 15 Carat Gold Antique Jewellery (0)

Are you fascinated by Antique Jewellery and vintage jewellery or just want to buy a piece as a special gift or heirloom? If so you you need to know that the piece you are buying is a genuine antique and not a modern copy. There are many things to check and look out for such as the materials the piece is made from, the way the jewellery is made and the shape of the catches and hinges. All of these factors are just guidelines but with British Antique Jewellery you can sometimes tell the exact date of a piece from its hallmarks.

Hallmarking law is complex, it varied from city to city and has changed many times over the years since it was introduced in the middle ages. It takes a set of tables to work out the exact age of a piece but there are certain pieces of antique jewellery that it is easy to work out the age of. One of these is British antique jewellery made from 15 carat gold.

What is 15 carat Gold?

15 carat gold is gold of.625 purity, that is 625 parts of pure gold per 1000 parts. Pure gold is very expensive and also quite soft so it is mixed with other materials to give a harder and cheaper material that is more suitable and longer lasting than pure gold for use in jewellery. The other materials include copper, silver, iron, platinum and aluminium. The colour of the gold can be altered using different metals in the blend, for example rose gold is produced by having a high level of copper in the mix. 15 carat gold can theoretically be any colour that gold can be made in but normally you will find it as yellow or rose gold

How can i Identify 15 carat gold?

British antique jewellery which is made of 15 carat gold will be hallmarked with the number 15 and.625. If the piece of jewellery is quite light weight it may just be stamped 15ct. If there are the full hallmarks you would also expect to find a town mark, a date letter and the gold standard mark for the town which would help to give an exact date.

When was 15 carat gold used?

It was only a legal standard of gold in British jewellery between 1854 and 1931. During this time 12 carat (.5 or 500 parts per thousand) was also used. These two standards were replaced by 14 carat in 1932. Neither 12 or 15 carat gold were legal standards before 1854. This means tat any piece of antique gold jewellery from Britain with the 15 carat hallmark dates somewhere between 1854 and 1931 and you have a genuine piece of antique or vintage jewellery.

Anne Haile – Vintage Jewellery and Antiques Dealer and Blog Writer. You can find my shop at Vintage Jewellery and a wide selection of Antique Jewellery too.

Related posts

• Popular White Gold Jewellery (0)
• White Gold Jewelry is the New Standard in Style and Substance (0)
• What To Look For When Buying Gold Jewelry (0)
• What To Look For When Buying Gold Jewelry (0)
• What to Consider When Buying Gold Jewellery (0)