GOLD: Everything you need to know to buy

Gold is one of the precious metals, along with silver, platinum, etc. It is a chemical element which is dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal in pure form. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions. Moving past the boring science stuff, it also has a rich artistic and cultural history!

In 6000 BCE, it was discovered in the Middle East and is the first metal to be employed by the human race. Used for shrines and idols, plates, cups, vases and vessels of all kinds, and of course, jewellery!

Since it is so soft, gold is often mixed with alloys to allow for harder wear and longer lasting in jewellery. The most popular ratios are 9ct, 14ct, 18ct. With 24ct being solid gold. 

Gold can be mixed with alloys to create three distinct tones: yellow gold, white gold and rose gold.

Yellow Gold

This is the natural colour of the precious metal, with the most common alloys being silver, copper, and zinc which when mixed will have no huge effect on the tone of the metal. Because it is mixed with silver (another noble metal) it is hypo-allergenic, meaning it is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. This is partly why a lot of cultures only use yellow gold (or silver) for baby jewellery, as it's safer for a new born!

I wanted to leave a few suggestions for jewellers with the best range of yellow gold pieces:

                              Hatton Jewellers                                                   Astrid & Miyu

    

White Gold

White gold was originally developed to imitate platinum (a naturally white metal). It usually contains lighter alloys like nickel and zinc. But with just alloys, white gold still has an off-white, yellowish or even grey colour. It needs to be plated with rhodium, a white metal similar to platinum. It polishes to a high shine, resists oxidation and corrosion.

Here are a few places for stunning white gold jewellery:

                                    Blue Nile                                                        Chisholm Hunter

      

Rose Gold

This is a more subtle, romantic form of gold, which can only be made with a mix of pure gold and copper. 

In the 19th century, rose gold was popular in Russian jewellery due to it's 'rarity' at the time.

This form of gold is making somewhat of a comeback, as creativity for engagement rings and precious metals and stones bubbles over. 

My best suggestions for rose gold jewellery:

                                 Brilliant Earth                                                        Glimour Jewellery

I hope you can now take this knowledge and go forth! Spreading geeky gold facts to everyone!

Stay shining, 

Grace xoxo