Gold is an incredible metal for jewellery for the following reasons. It is lustrous. Gold is durable. Gold doesn’t corrode, rust or discolour over time with deterioration.
Gold is not just another commodity for Indians. It is a part of their heritage and culture. The country is the major consumer of gold in the world, though most of its populace is beneath the poverty line. Here are certain things that you need to understand about gold, such as colour, purity, hallmark, Karat etc before you buy gold jewellery.
Purity
The content of gold content in metal is calculated using karats. 100 percent pure gold is known as 24k Gold. When someone says 24k Gold jewellery, they indicate that all the 24 parts are just pure gold with no traces of other metal. When it is alloyed with metals like copper, silver or nickel, the percentage of the gold will drop. For example, 22 karat gold jewellery means that 22 parts of the gold are pure gold and the remaining 2 parts are other metals. In other words, it equals 91.3 percent of gold and 8.6 percent of other metal alloys. When the pure gold percentage decreases, the metal strength increases.14k Gold is much stronger compared to 18k Gold.
Difference between Karat and Carat
Carat and Karat are not the same. There is more to these words than their somewhat different spelling. Carat is linked to diamonds, and it is related to weight. Karat is linked to gold and it indicates percentage of Gold.
Carat is a measure in which precious stones are weighed. This word originated from the word “carat seeds” which were utilized for measuring since they were constant in weight, for the most part. 1 carat= 200 milligrams or nearly 1/5th of a gram. For instance, a huge 5-carat diamond piece is just 1 gram in weight.
Colour
Gold has a moderate yellow colour when it is in its purest shape. Even when gold is alloyed with metals like palladium, nickel or silver to create 14k or 18k Gold, it will still retain its yellowish colour. The richness of the colour is affected by the gold percentage in its alloys: thus, 18k Gold will have a richer colour compared to 14k Gold. However, the addition of some metals can alter its colour; for example, if copper is added to an alloy then the gold would seem reddish, instead of the regular yellow or if some white metal was to be added to the alloy it would make the gold look white. That’s why you often hear of green gold, rose gold, green white gold etc.
Hallmark
A Hallmark signifies that the gold content in your jewellery has been assessed and that you can trust your jeweller to be genuine. A standard mark or a Hallmark for gold jewellery is presented by the BIS [Bureau of Indian Standards]. BIS imprints the hallmark logo together with fineness number (matching given karat), jeweller’s identification mark, hallmarking centre mark, and the year of marking indicated by a code letter determined by BIS.
BIS Hallmark includes 5 parts. The first one is the BIS standard mark logo. The next one involves the fineness mark. The third portion is the mark of the assessment centre that does the certification process that is signified by a logo. The hallmarking centre list along with its symbols can be located on the official BIS website. The fourth portion is the jeweller’s logo and the final part involves the marking year, signified by a code that the BIS grants. The Jewellers have to get a licence from BIS and hallmark any jewel they craft with the BIS logo. At every outlet, you can locate a figure of the Hallmark that explains the components. Gold jewellery, extensively, has been considered one amongst the safest ways to invest your money. You can check gold price, acquire gold jewellery, show it off, and then even sell it during difficult times.
