Discovering Gold Jewelry’s Beauty
Posted on | November 10, 2009 | No Comments
Gold can last forever, will not corrode or rust and can be found anywhere. Gold exists in plants, rivers, oceans, mountains, it’s nearly everywhere but it is extremely difficult and costly to extract this amazing metal. Did you know that a single ounce of gold can be pulled into a thin wire that stretches nearly five miles long? An artisans hammer can work that same ounce into a very thin sheet that can cover a 10ft x 10ft(100sq. ft.) area. Also, it takes nearly 3 tons of gold or to extract a single ounce of pure gold. Well if you didn’t now you know!
Gold Basics
The word Gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it’s usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.
The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.
Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you don’t see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece.
Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark.
Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.
Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay.
Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate.
Vermeil (ver-may), a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.
Urban Fashion Trends For Today
Posted on | September 7, 2009 | No Comments
In urban fashion there are many trends and fads. For years baggy jeans were extremely popular. Since the 90s have past that style has all but faded. Even further back in the 80s bright colors were in style. You would see people wearing multi-colored striped hats and purple track jackets.Today, youth from all cultures are discovering the attraction of current urban fashion trends, as a way to break with the mainstream fashion with this teen fashion design and still fit in well in the academic and professional world.
Characteristics of Urban Style The urban fashion trends of today lean toward comfortable style with a touch of spirit. Bright colors and tailored pieces with a cleaner, more professional look have come into vogue. While flashy jewelry is still worn by some, others have moved away from these sorts of urban fashion trends to protest the materialism that the looks suggest. The designer labels that used to be a must in urban fashion trends are not as important as they used to be, and some of fashion followers even find them a pretentious reminder of days gone by. Instead, urban outfitters are looking for separates that are basic, inexpensive and fit well.
The Rise of Celebrity Wear Many celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon of urban fashion trends by offering their own lines of this clothing. Kimora Lee Simmons came out with the Baby Phat brand that is popular in many specialty boutiques and department stores right now. Russel Simmons introduced Phat Farm, Diddy offers Sean John and Damon Dash and Jay-Z offer Rocawear. This has become a popular urban fashion trend that many youngsters have joined, since they were familiar with the names behind the lines long before the clothing ever came into vogue. However, it isn’t cheap to boast a celebrity name on your clothing tag, so get ready to spend a hefty amount to dress like your favorite stars.
Urban fashion trends have come and gone over the past decade or two, but on thing is for sure. This fad has become more than just a fad; it is an entire culture and way of life for many of our youth today. Whether you like the urban fashion trends or would prefer to see them run their course, it appears that this style is going to be around for a good long while.
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