CHARACTERISTICS OF GOLD
Pure gold is essentially a very soft metal. Being both malleable and ductile, gold is too soft to be used for jewellery on its own. Therefore, gold is typically combined with other metal alloys, giving it extra strength and durability, making it perfect in the use of jewellery.
Alloys which are combined with gold include copper, zinc, silver and nickel.
GOLD KARAT
The percentage of gold in jewellery varies and the unit of measurement is referred to as karats or ‘K for short. 24 karats or 24K gold is a reference to 100% pure gold. Generally, most of our jewellery pieces are manufactured using 18K gold which is 75% gold and 25% metal alloys. However, 14K and 21K gold are also used for jewellery production.
GOLD COLOR
The natural color of pure gold is rich yellow; however, gold can also be offered in different tones including white and rose when combined with different amounts of metal alloys. The hue of this precious metal results from the type and percentage of metal alloys used. For obtaining white gold, silver metal alloys are added in a higher percentage. As for rose gold, copper metal alloys are added in a higher percentage.
The yellow color of gold can also differ in accordance to the type and percentage of the metal alloys used. 21K and 18K gold have a more intense yellow hue compared to 14K gold, which may be a little softer in tone.