III. Gold Jewelry
A. Gold Basics
1. Karatage
Most jewelry sold today is not 100% gold (not even "solid gold" pieces). Pure
gold is too soft and easily damaged so it is alloyed with other metals for
strength and durability. Pure gold is 24-karat (abbreviated 24K). Here is a
handy table listing the amount of gold in each karatage:
|
24K
|
100%
|
|
22K
|
91.7%
|
|
18K
|
75.0%
|
|
14K
|
58.5%
|
|
10K
|
41.6%
|
In the United States, jewelry must be at least 10K in order to be sold as real
gold. However, in other countries, the karatage requirement is lower. In
Canada, the legal minimum karatage is 9K, while in Mexico, it is 8K.
2. Gold Colors
Silver, copper, nickel, and zinc are commonly used as alloying metals.
Different combinations and proportions of these elements are used to create
different gold colors, such as white gold, or less commonly, rose or green
gold. "Yellow" gold remains most popular, and the higher the karatage, the deeper
and richer the color will be. Naturally, the higher the karatage, the greater
the cost.
B. Underkarating
U.S. law requires that any piece of jewelry that displays the karat mark also
be stamped with the manufacturer's trademark or hallmark. Often, the country of
origin is stamped as well.
Although the presence of karat mark, hallmark, and origin stamps will give you
some assurance that you're getting the gold content you're paying for, be on
guard if the piece is priced very low, or you're buying from an suspect source.
Recently, 10K (and lower) karatage jewelry has been sold with 14K marks. The
absence of a manufacturers trademark should always raise a red flag.
C. Judging Gold Jewelry Value
Certainly, the amount of gold in a piece of jewelry is an important determinant
of its value and selling price; however, there are many other factors. After
all, you're not buying a small gold ingot. Design, fabrication, hand work, and
detailing all add value (and cost) to the piece. Even though most jewelry is
constructed using machinery, there are almost always steps that require hand
work. If its a custom piece, it'll probably be 100% hand work. The more there
is, the higher the price.
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