Pure gold, as I mentioned in the previous article is very soft and malleable. In order for the jewelry made of it to be in use longer, gold alloys were created with other metals - silver, copper, nickel, palladium ... They affect the physical properties of gold, but also the price of gold in products changes depending on their quantity. Most of the metals used as dopants are much cheaper metals - hence the alloys themselves are also cheaper than pure gold.
GOLD ALLOY: WHAT IT IS
It is the pure gold content in the alloy from which the jewelry is made. The gold alloy is defined by two measures: one is the thousandth test and the other is the karat test (not to be mistaken with carats, which is a measure of the weight of a gemstone). Pure gold is 1000 or 24 karat fineness. And now the gold fineness will change with the amount of admixtures.
VARIETY OF GOLD ALLOYS
The most common gold alloys used to make jewelry in European countries are:
alloy of 750 - 18 k
alloy of 585 - 14 k
alloy of 375 - 9 k
alloy of 333 - 8 k
What does it mean? Take a look at the diagrams below - they are the easiest way to show the amount of gold in a given trial. The yellow part is pure gold, the rest - these gray areas are silver, copper, nickel, zinc, or palladium.
In Poland, the marking of gold on jewelry products takes place at the State Assay Office. This is called strucking a product's hallmark. Each creator or importer is required to mark gold products weighing more than 1 gram. You can see the types of hallmarks here.
GOLD OF 18 k
In an alloy of 18 karat gold, you can create jewelry with a more intense shade of yellow. There is enough pure gold in it. I admit that I love this shade. This gold is softer and more malleable. I most often use this alloy to create custom-made jewelry, especially when setting precious stones in it. From 18 karat gold I also more and more often create unique author's jewelry. This amount of gold in the alloy emphasizes the uniqueness and value of the product. Wearing 18 karat jewelry, we feel the power and weight of gold.
GOLD OF 14 k
The most popular alloy go gold in Poland 14 karat. And you can find them mainly in my store. This alloy contains more than half of the solid gold. It is sufficiently plastic and resilient. At the same time, you can play with admixtures of other metals to create its various shades: from red to light yellow. It retains the noble properties of gold itself, and at the same time is hard and more resistant to abrasion. Hence, it is the best gold alloy for wedding bands to serve us for many years. I think that this is also the best gold alloy for a chain if we take its durability as the main criterion.
GOLD of 8 k
The lowest fineness, that is 8 carat gold, in my opinion can hardly be called gold, despite the fact that there is a huge market for jewelry from this alloy. It's like pouring two glasses of water into a glass of milk and convincing that it's still milk! I know from experience, having performed repairs for many years, that this is the most disturbing jewelry. Chains, bracelets, and earrings fasteners are very fragile and can break or crumble quickly.
Do you know that if a goldsmith gives jewelry made of 8 k alloy to the Assay Office and after checking it turns out that the gold content is slightly lower: for example 7 k, the information METAL is strucked on such a product the decision is that it is not a gold product?
You often ask if 333 gold is allergic? Yes. Due to the large amount of admixtures of other metals, the products from this test most often sensitize and color the skin to a dark color. Why does gold 333 darken? This is also due to the large amount of admixtures. Less precious metals react with the cosmetics we use, or to the compounds contained in our sweat (most often it is sulfur). This causes oxidation, i.e. darkening of the product.
The choice is yours :)
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