METAL BASICS
GOLD - pure gold is 24k therefore 14k is 50% gold. Doesn't sound very good does it ? Before you assume jewelers are ripping you off, or as my Latino friends say "Gringos use low quality Gold", consider this. Pure gold is spectacular and incredibly beautiful, but there is a big problem, it is very soft. Remember in the cowboy movies people would bite the gold to see if it was real, that's because high purity gold will leave a tooth mark because it is soft. Jewelers add alloys to gold to make it strong enough for everyday wear and to keep the price low. Even my 18k wedding ring has a problem with scratches. So remember high purity gold should be used for items that get less daily use.
SILVER - Silver is just like gold. Perhaps you have seen high quality silver items from Mexico, the color is almost white, this is because it is pure silver and very soft. Jewelers have used about 5% copper to harden silver, this is called Sterling Silver and is familiar for its use in Silverware and currency items. Sterling is very hard compared to pure silver
Pure silver and gold are often used for artistic accents. The most incredible gold and silver items I have seen come from Bolivia, Peru and Columbia where skilled artesans carve inricate scenes of animals and people in pure silver and gold. Often these sculptures are attached to a lower purity metal background in order to keep the item from bending. Siver tarnishes quickly compared to gold which will tarnish very slowly.
GOLD - pure gold is 24k therefore 14k is 50% gold. Doesn't sound very good does it ? Before you assume jewelers are ripping you off, or as my Latino friends say "Gringos use low quality Gold", consider this. Pure gold is spectacular and incredibly beautiful, but there is a big problem, it is very soft. Remember in the cowboy movies people would bite the gold to see if it was real, that's because high purity gold will leave a tooth mark because it is soft. Jewelers add alloys to gold to make it strong enough for everyday wear and to keep the price low. Even my 18k wedding ring has a problem with scratches. So remember high purity gold should be used for items that get less daily use.
SILVER - Silver is just like gold. Perhaps you have seen high quality silver items from Mexico, the color is almost white, this is because it is pure silver and very soft. Jewelers have used about 5% copper to harden silver, this is called Sterling Silver and is familiar for its use in Silverware and currency items. Sterling is very hard compared to pure silver
Pure silver and gold are often used for artistic accents. The most incredible gold and silver items I have seen come from Bolivia, Peru and Columbia where skilled artesans carve inricate scenes of animals and people in pure silver and gold. Often these sculptures are attached to a lower purity metal background in order to keep the item from bending. Siver tarnishes quickly compared to gold which will tarnish very slowly.
