Discovering Gold Jewelry’s Beauty
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.
Celtic Jewelry, Symbolic And Beautiful
Today, Celtic jewelry is worn by men and women of all ages and all nationalities. Wearing this type of jewelry usually means that the person wearing it traces his or her ancestry to the Celts, an ancient European people.
These designs have a unique and very intricate beauty. The Celtic spiral is a symbol of eternity and is used in many jewelry items today. The Celtic cross is just as popular. This cross actually pre-dates the Christian cross by about two centuries. It is thought to bring greater knowledge and understanding to the person who wears it, as compared to the Christian cross, which is believed to protect the wearer from harm.
Celtic engagement rings are beautiful and can be perfect for any woman, whether Irish or not. The significance of this ring is really based on the beliefs, morals and principles of the Irish culture, but these ideals ring true to any couple that is to be wed. Unity, passion, love, and honor are absolutely necessary and important standards for every couple to embrace.
Celtic wedding bands hold a special meaning because they signify an important belief that most couples, will identify with. Claddagh rings are one example of this. Claddagh rings are used to express the different steps of the relationship with a special placement for each. The stages are friendship, engagement and last but not the least, absolute unity in marriage.
Jewelry with a Celt touch is beautiful and offers a message that should be embraced by the entire world. Many people will wear this type of jewelry for its meaning. Some will wear it for its beauty. However if you are giving this jewelry as a gift, you can be sure that you won’t go wrong with giving a gift that is beautiful as well as meaningful.
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