yellow gold ring

The yellow gold ring is probably the most purchased piece of jewelery in the world.

Although it is pretty straight forward it is still important to practice some due diligence when purchasing even this simple piece of jewelery.

Using a reputable jeweler or dealer is the first step. Especially if you are going to purchase online. Is the dealer easily contactable? Do they have a contactable phone number and is their address posted on the web site? It is a good idea to read their terms of service. Do they have a returns policy. What if you buy a ring and it does not fit or is not what you ordered or is not what you expected? Can you return it?

Deciding what karat gold is going to be used is the second. Obviously the more karats the gold ring the more it will cost and the more it is worth because there is more gold within the ring.

A 24 carat gold ring is just about pure gold. 18 carat is about 80-90 percent gold. 14 karat is just over half gold and half other metals.

A few factors to take into account here. Gold is a soft metal so if it is going to be worn continuously then purse gold is going to wear away faster. A lower karat will have other metals, such as silver, nickel, copper and zinc to improve its hardness and durability. A few people get a reaction to constantly wearing lower gold karat rings due to the nickel content. However most rings these days has less nickel content so a new ring is less likely to cause any problems.

Getting a certificate to show the value of the ring especially if it contains gemstones or a diamond is vital. Not only for insurance purposes but also you want to be sure the ring is genuine and you are getting what you have paid for.

These above are just a few simple points to keep in mind when buying a yellow gold ring and by doing so you are likely to get a ring with which you are very satisfied and which will last a lifetime.

Gold Anklets

Gold anklets are very much an individual taste. Gold anklets come in a wide range of styles, colors and designs.

The gold used us usually 10 karat or perhaps 14Karat. This means that you have about 50 percent gold or less in the anklet. The balance is made up with nickel, copper and other metals, mainly to increase the hardness and durability of the anklet but also to save money. Gemstones and charms are often included and even beads for decoration.

There are many places one can get gold anklets including local jewelers, online from dealers and jewelers as well as many auctions on line.

It is important to ensure you are dealing with a genuine seller of course. Mostly common sense is sufficient, such as checking the seller has contact details available on their site or if by auction are a power seller (on eBay) or the equivalent on other auction houses. Ensure they provide a secure page for credit card details and have a returns policy.

Read the description of the gold anklet carefully and ensure you know what you are buying. Compare the gold anklet when you get it to the description and ensure it is correct. Avoid gold plate as the gold used is of the cheapest kind and although it may state 14 karat gold, the coating will be very thin and wear away very fast and will look pretty awful.

Check the description of the gem stones if they are included. Are they genuine?

Cleaning and maintaining gold anklets are important. They will tend to collect more dust and grime than most jewelery as they are close tom the round and feet will kick up duct a lot.

A gentle wash in warm soapy water followed by a thorough rinse will get rid of the grime that collects with everyday use. Avoid chemicals and detergents as they can react with the other metals alloyed or 'mixed' with the gold and turn the anklet dark or black.

Ensure it is completely dried so it does not attract dirt again and store safely away when not in use.

Keeping in mind the above will ensure you have many happy hours with your own gold anklets.

24k Gold Jewellery

24k gold jewellery is pure gold as distinct to 22,18,14 and less karat gold jewellery.

There are some important factors to consider when wearing 24 karat jewellery as well as the lesser karats.

Here is a breakdown of the karats

24K gold is pure gold.

18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75 percent gold.

14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.

12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50 percent gold.

10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7 percent gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called "gold" in the United States.

Where additional metals are used this is usually nickel, copper, zinc and sometimes silver or palladium. It is important to know this as some people seem to develop allergies to 'gold jewellery'. It is not the gold to which they have the allergy but one of the metals to which it is alloyed. usually nickel.

The advantage therefore of using 24Karat gold in your jewellery is that one does not develop allergies to it.

The disadvantage of course is that gold is a soft metal and wears away easily. Hence the addition of harder metals to give it some durability as well as the obvious cost savings.

So you have to weight up the pros and cons when it comes to what karat jewellery do you want. If you have no allergies to other metals then lesser karat will suffice, will give you a longer lasting jewellery piece and of course be a lot cheaper as well.

In this case probably 18 karat would be ideal. 14 and the lower Karats do not have much gold at all and their resale value is correspondingly less.

Keep this in mind when you are buying 24k gold jewellery and you are likely to get the jewellery you want at the price you want!

Fathers Day Gold Jewellery

What could you get for Fathers Day gold jewellery? Perhaps a gold signet ring? Or even a gold key ring, some cuff links, tie pin, a pendant, or even a bracelet. All can make a great gift for Fathers Day.

It is a very good idea to know before you go, so understanding what sort of gold is available and the sort of gold jewellery is important. Your budget will be the first factor followed by what sort of jewellery does your father like? Also what size, especially with rings and bracelets, is important.

Whatever you buy it is wise to look at the quality of gold of the jewellery and what type of gemstones are used.

18 karat gold is most likely to be the best. 22 and 24 karat gold tends to be too soft for jewellery, especially for a man, and 18 or 14 karat is better for jewellery worn a lot. 10 and 9 karat jewellery is mostly other metal and gold plated is going to wear off after a while so really should be avoided.

It is worth while browsing the various jewelers and looking to select something your father would really appreciate. Ensure that the specifications of the piece are clearly show. The karat of the gold, type of gold, yellow, white etc. Also if there is a gemstone in the piece, check the setting. Is it a good fit? Is the stone lose in the setting?

If there is a gemstone, what sort of stone is it? Diamond? Emerald? Ruby? What are the quality and characteristics of the stone. Does it come with a certificate of appraisal to show that it is a) genuine, and b) of good quality?

All these are important points to keep in mind.

It can be fun getting Fathers Day gold jewellery and, with some careful thought and patience, it can be a gift that will last a lifetime.

Gold Allergies

Some people think they have a gold allergy. There is no documented case of any gold allergies with pure gold so it is likely, if anyone has an apparent gold allergy, that it is not the gold but one or more of the other metals alloyed or 'mixed' with the gold that is causing the problem.

Any gold under 24 karat has been alloyed with other metals. 14 karat gold, for example, is about 55 percent gold and 45 percent other metals.

The most common metal in alloyed gold would be silver, platinum, palladium, copper and zinc. These metals help the gold to be more durable as gold in its pure form is very soft and malleable.

Where a person complains of a reaction to wearing gold jewelery it is likely one of the other metals to which the person may have an allergy. This can be established as by having the person change to a higher karat value of gold which contains less other metal and, to which the remaining other metals are more tightly bound to the gold, noticing the allergy disappear or reduce.

Nickel is commonly used in white gold and some people have a reaction to nickel also. Nickel is used in white gold as it assists to give that 'white' effect so prized in white gold.

As well as nickel and other metals, there are other often overlooked reasons for a reaction to gold. Many people wash their gold or gold jewelery in detergent and soaps. If these are not thoroughly rinsed out well afterwards they can lodge in crevasses between the gold and the skin and even cause a reaction on the skin as well. Perhaps this is why 'cheap gold' such as the 9 karat, is so deplored. There is little gold and mostly other cheaper metal used in 9 karat gold and more chance of an allergic reaction.

Allergies are more likely cause by such things as not cleaning the jewelery adequately enough,. Getting oils and anti-perspirants on the ring and with the amount of chemicals contained within some of these preparations it is not surprising that reactions can occur.

One can reduce the likelihood of reactions by ensuring that one wears good quality gold and gold jewelery and maintains it well washing it regularly and keeping it in a clean sparkling condition. This will go a long way to reducing 'gold allergies'.

Gold Cubic Zirconia Ring

For those on a strict budget a gold cubic zirconia ring can be ideal. The cubic zirconia looks like a diamond, feels like a diamond and cost a lot less.

According to Price of Diamonds:

"Cubic zirconia was discovered by Two German scientists in 1937. However it was not until; the 1970's when the potential for cubic zirconia became apparent when a Russian scientist discovered process to create it in a laboratory."

"From then Swarovski & Co. started to make cubic zirconia in large quantities for the diamond market."

A cubic zirconia is made is a made up of zirconium oxide and yttrium oxide and, through a complicated process of melting together the two chemicals, a radiant crystal is created. 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit are required to melt the two chemicals together but the most important part of the process is the cooling. In order to create flawless crystals the cooling process must be done correctly otherwise cracks and inclusions result.

A gold cubic zirconia ring does have a little less sparkle than the real thing but has more color and fire. It weights in at about 75% more than a diamond but this is hardly noticeable until one actually weighs the stone.

In fact, most people are unable to tell the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconia but one way is to look at the cubic zirconia under a magnification of around 10x. You can see the facets do not point properly and where facets intersect, it is not a straight line, but the intersection is more rounded than the diamond's facets. Other ways to tell the difference are doing a specific gravity test on an un-mounted stone, marking ink on the top of the stone (the ink beads up on a cubic zirconia), when gem-printed a cubic zirconia photograph's reflective and refractive patterns, and when measuring heat conductivity, a cubic zirconia registers red on the indicator (a diamond is green).”

The gold cubic zirconia ring is an ideal substitute for a diamond for those that are in a limited budget but still like to see the flash and sparkle of an apparent diamond and can still give great pleasure for many years.

Gold Coin Jewellery

Gold coin jewellery is very popular with some people and one can get a great variety of gold coin jewellery to suit most tastes.

As well as purchasing gold coin jewellery one can also make ones own using real gold coins of course. One would not use Proof gold coins or collectors gold coins as, by using them as jewellery where they get handled and possibly some rough treatment, one would be reducing the value of the coins.

A lot will depend on the reason for having gold coin jewelery but if it is to wear then you would simply get a used gold coin and have that set in a bezel and mounted as a pendant perhaps, or set in a gold ring.

Often you will find gold coins can even be set in watches but here it is virtually impossible to see if they coin is real gold since you have no access to it so it is probably not wise to assume that the coin within the watch is all it seems to be or is promoted to be.

With gold coin jewelery it is probably easier to seek out and browse the many gold coin jewellery items available and find that which suits your taste best.

Having a coin mounted is going to cost a lot more and it is better to keep your gold coins in the container in which they came uncontaminated by the environment.

So then, browsing the various gold coin jewellery set you can select a piece that fits in with your budget as well as your taste. Maintaining the jewellery piece is important and, in this case, it might be better to take your gold coin jewellery to a professional jeweller who can clean it for you periodically.

When purchasing try to get a certificate that states the type and value of the gold coin and the gold content. If it is then later found to have less gold in it, such as the coin being 14 karat gold instead of the stated 24 karat, you will have a written statement to fall back on.