Gold has always been alluring. Indeed the symbol for gold - Au - is
an abbreviated form of the Latin word for gold (Aurum) meaning 'glowing
dawn'.
Because of its beauty, the fact it doesn't tarnish or rust and because
it's so malleable, gold has been used for jewellery for at least 5,000
years. The most notable and most extravagant ancient use was for the burial of
Tutankhamen - his coffin alone was lined with 100 kilograms of gold.
In some countries gold jewellery is sometimes thought of as an investment or
indication of wealth, in western cultures it is often given as a token of love
or bought as a fashion accessory.
Nowadays nearly 80% of European gold jewellery is manufactured in Italy - the
Italians are the masters of style and produce some of the most stunning gold
jewellery designs in mainly 14 and 18 carat gold.
What to look for
Besides the design of the item of jewellery, which is down to taste and your
own judgement, you should consider two main things:
Carat - This denotes the percentage of real gold in any item. Pure gold
is 24 carats, but this is generally unsuitable for jewellery because it is soft
and vulnerable to scratching. At the less expensive end of the scale in the UK,
9 carat gold (37.5% pure) is used, however, the optimum tends to be 18 carat
as this is purer (75%), wears better and keeps its lustre. Your assurance of
the purity is given by the item's Hallmark, which shows it has been tested
(assayed).
Colour - Pure gold is naturally yellow. Other colours, most notably white,
are achieved when gold is mixed (alloyed) with other metals like silver of palladium.
Nickel is now no longer used to create white gold as it can be an irritant. Alternative
colours are created with other metals. For instance, red or rose coloured gold
contains copper and some silver. Although white gold has in recent years been
extremely fashionable there is now a resurgence of yellow gold and rose gold
is making a particular comeback with some intricate and interesting designs coming
on line.
Caring for Gold
The dos and don'ts are as follows:
- Do keep each item separately in boxes with soft linings such as satin or
velvet.
- Do use specialist gold cleaning liquid
- Do use a soft cloth or chamois leather
© Susannah Chenevix-Trench
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