14k Gold

What exactly is 14k Gold? Many people are not sure exactly how valuable gold is and how to value a piece of gold. It is easy to copy the color of gold and many people are indifferent to the type of jewelry that they pick. Besides, who is going to know the difference between a gold colored ring versus a 14k gold ring? The benefits of having pure gold or gold that is lower in karat is that high quality gold will never lose its shiny gold luster and it will not rust or be manipulated by the element. Pure gold always has the shiny attractive color and does not oxidize due to water submersion or because of long durations out in varying climates. Gold is very malleable and can be manipulated with ease. This is a positive and negative aspect of gold. Gold can be molded with jewelry to create unique shapes and art pieces. However, due to its moldable properties, gold is not a strong mineral and can be bent out of shape with relative ease (think of the gold prospector biting on a gold lump to determine how good it is). To ensure that gold jewelry does not become malleable after the final product is produced, another mineral is added to the gold to make it stronger. The gold jewelry that you own is probably a gold alloy and might be mixed with silver or nickel. When gold is mixed with other minerals, the gold will change color. White gold is not gold that is pure white, but is a mix of gold plus nickel or zinc. Usually 14k gold is mixed with a larger percentage of cooper, silver, or palladium. Copper is the most commonly used alloy and is the reason why many gold pieces contain the dark yellow luster.

So what is a carat and how does it relate to how valuable gold is? Carat means how pure a piece of gold is. Gold is measured with 1 carat as being the lowest purity and 24k as being the highest purity. The higher the carat, the fewer alloys are mixed within the gold. Pure gold is more valuable but gold lower in carat is much stronger and there they have higher alloy composition. So is 1 carat considered gold? Just because a piece of alloy or metal has gold within it, doesn’t mean that it can be called gold. To be considered “real” gold, the minimum carat that the metal has to be is 10K in the United States. Other countries have various requirements for minerals to be considered gold. So is there any elements or chemicals that can taint 14k gold? Remember, the lower the karat, the more alloys the metal has. Pure gold does not react as adversely to chemicals as lower karat gold. Some chemicals one should look out for when taking care of their jewelry are hydrochloric and sulfuric acid.

Pure gold does not lose its luster and the lower carats might fade with time. If you plan on purchase a 14k gold piece, you will have to take special care of your piece so that you can continue to wear you jewelry and have it contain its beautiful color. To get the most out of your 14k gold jewelry, try not to wear your rings and necklace against your skin and if you do, make sure to not wear your gold pieces in hot and humid area as the perspiration from your skin will discolor the gold. Other things that you can do to prolong the color are to clean the jewelry with a soft cloth after use. Also, you could try buying better quality gold so you won’t have to worry as much about gold discoloration and constant cleanings.  If you do not like your gold, you can always seel what type of money you can get for your gold scrap.  Make sure to check scrap gold prices before selling your gold off.

What type of 14k gold jewelry is out on the market? You can buy 14k gold rings, gold earrings, and gold chains, basically anything made of 14k gold on websites such as Ebay, Amazon and Nextag.