Gold Purity- A simple guide

Gold has long captivated humanity with its lustrous beauty and enduring value. However, not all gold is created equal. From 10K to 24K, the purity of gold is measured in karats, each grade offering its own unique characteristics and suitability for various jewelry pieces. In this blog, we delve into the differences between 10K, 14K, 18K, and 24K gold to help you make informed decisions when choosing the perfect piece of jewelry.

The purity of gold alloys is indicated by the unit of measurement known as a karat. “K” or “KT” stands for “Karat,” a fractional unit of measurement denoting the percentage of pure gold relative to other metals in an alloy. There are 24 parts in a karat, which means when we talk about gold purity in terms of karats, we’re essentially dividing the gold alloy into 24 equal parts, with each part representing a karat.

In the case of pure gold, for instance, the symbol 24K indicates that all 24 parts of the metal alloy are 100% gold. However, it’s essential to note that, the purity level of 24K gold is typically around 99.9%, as it’s almost impossible to achieve absolute purity. If the carat weight is less than 24, additional metals, such as silver, copper, or bronze, are added to the gold to make it more robust and long-lasting.

Pure gold, also known as 24-karat gold, is indeed highly malleable and soft. It can scratch easily and may not be suitable for daily wear in jewelry as it may lose its shape or get damaged easily. That’s why gold is often alloyed with other metals to increase its durability and hardness for everyday use. This process not only strengthens the gold but also allows artisans to create jewelry pieces that are both visually appealing and able to withstand everyday use.

•Appearance: 10k gold is light yellow. Because it contains the least amount of gold, it is the least yellow of the karat varieties.

•Advantages: One major benefit of 10k gold is its durability. This is due to its greater alloy content than gold. Among the most common gold alloys, it is also the most affordable.

•Disadvantages: The alloy used to make this gold could cause allergies on some people. Also, the lighter shade of gold isn’t as striking as the more vibrant varieties.

•Appearance: If one is looking for a yellow gold that’s a little brighter than 10k but still pale compared to 24k, go no further than 14k.

•Advantages: 14k gold is well-liked by consumers and jewelers because of its attractiveness, affordability, and longevity. One can wear this dazzling gold piece every day without any problems.

•Disadvantages: One possible drawback is that similar to 10k gold, the alloy could cause allergic reactions on some people.

•Appearance: 18-karat gold has a somewhat brighter sheen than 14-karat gold.

•Advantages: Given the high concentration of gold, it is unlikely to trigger any adverse responses.

•Disadvantages: Compared to 10k or 14k gold, 18k gold is more expensive and has a much shorter lifespan. Scratches and scuffs are inevitable results of regular wear and tear. This is why rings made with it are rarely common.

•Appearance: A 24-karat gold is a brilliant shade of yellow. Because of its rarity in American jewelry, 24-karat gold is easily identifiable.

•Advantages: When it comes to 24KT gold, its purity shines through in more ways than one. Not only does it exude elegance, but it also holds its value over time. Whether adorning yourself for a special occasion or enhancing cherished family heirlooms, 24KT gold adds a touch of timeless luxury and prestige.

•Disadvantages: The fact that 24k gold is so malleable is one of its major drawbacks.

In the world of design, gold isn’t just one shade but a spectrum of radiant hues evoking luxury and elegance. Achieving these varied tones involves precise alloying techniques:

•Yellow Gold: The classic choice, achieved through alloying pure gold with metals like silver and copper, radiating warmth and timeless elegance.

•White Gold: A modern alternative, created by blending gold with white metals like palladium or silver, offering a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic.

•Rose Gold: Combining gold with copper and sometimes a hint of silver, this romantic hue exudes a soft, pinkish glow, perfect for adding a touch of warmth and femininity to any design.

Each shade of gold brings its unique allure, providing endless possibilities for creating exquisite pieces that captivate and enchant.

10 Jewelry Safety Tips to Avoid Damage to Your Jewelry

Jewelry hazards exist year-round. From falling down drainpipes to flinging off with a winter glove, there are opportunities for a lost ring at every turn.

But summer brings a host of unique challenges.

In honor of rings resting on the ocean floor, bracelets ruined from gardening and gems fallen victim to a wicked game of beach volleyball, here are 10 jewelry safety tips to avoid damage to your jewelry this summer:

When to Remove Your Jewelry

• Before swimming and strenuous activities. Salt water and chlorine can damage your jewelry. Add sweat to the list when it comes to sterling silver.
• Before applying sunscreen and bug spray. Lotion can get into the crevices of chains and prongs, and both lotions and sprays create a film on your jewelry, making it dull and dingy.
• In direct sunlight. The sun can bleach certain materials, especially natural elements and some plastics.
• In cold water. Cool temperatures cause your fingers to shrink, creating room for your ring to slip off. And when in water, you may not even notice until it’s too late. R.I.P. ocean-bottom-dwelling jewelry.
• Before going into a hot tub or swimming pool. Chlorine can damage and discolor metals (like gold and platinum) and can slowly erode the finish and polish of gemstones.
• Before gardening. Dirt and small rocks are abrasive. If not cleaned right away, your jewelry can be permanently damaged. Beware the dangers of gardening gloves too.

How to Care for Your Jewelry

• Clean your jewelry regularly. Your own sweat and body oils can dull the shine of your jewelry. DIY cleaning calls for warm soapy water and a toothbrush.
• Store your jewelry in a clean, dry place. Keep your pieces in a fabric-lined jewelry case, or in a box with compartments and dividers to prevent pieces from scratching each other. Invest in a safe place to store your jewelry on-the-go, too.

• Watch for warning signs of vulnerabilities in your jewelry. From symptoms of a loose stone to bracelet, necklace and earring red flags, there are six major signals that your jewelry’s about to break.

• Visit your jeweler to check for loose gem stones, prongs and clasps. It’s easy to lose a piece of jewelry or individual stones if you’re not giving your jewelry regular check-ups. Your jeweler will deep clean your pieces for a brilliant shine, too!

• Get your favorite jewelry insured. You’ll have the peace of mind that regardless of your surf and turf adventures, your jewelry is protected.

The only way to guarantee not losing or damaging your jewelry this summer is to simply take it off and leave it at home!

 

5 Ways to Make Your Diamond Ring Look Bigger

the addition of Pintrest, people are becoming more design conscious.  With all of the drool worthy pins out there, it can make a diamond ring you received a decade or so ago look tiny.  Thus, the need for an upgrade.

Not everyone has the budget to replace a diamond with a larger one.  If you do, I usually recommend you go up by at least a full millimeter so you can SEE the difference since you are paying the difference.  A 1/4 carat to a 1/3 carat is hard to tell apart unless you have your calipers on you…  Remember, carat refers to weight, not size, so not all 1 carat diamonds are the same diameter.  Old diamond (they are all old technically) can be moved over as a side stone or made into a pendant.

It may be that you do not WANT to replace your original diamond at all.  It has been my experience that men are many times more sentimental about keeping the same diamond throughout the marriage.  Not necessarily because they are being cheapo, but because they believe in “luck” and “streaks.”  Ask a man to tell you about the time he wore the same socks to every ball game for an entire season without washing them…

To preserve the peace without breaking the bank, there are several ways to boost your original diamond’s “presence.”

• 1. Add a halo.  It adds approximately 2-2.5mm of sparkly to the center of your ring.  I personally don’t like this term–I like “booster ring,” which sounds way more Star Wars–but who can argue with DeBeers?  The final look will depend on your original diamond size.  The diamond in the center can be situated above or level with the other stones.  For those of you in the healthcare industry, a low bezel set center can reduce the normal snagging on latex gloves.  Lifestyle matters too!  There are halo versions with varying stone sizes (usually .01-.03ct each)  This new setting can usually be added to your original engagement ring with some slight modifications.  By adding the halo in white, you can update the look of a yellow gold ring and help your jewelry “blend” in more with your other sterling and white gold/platinum pieces.  Also look for expanded halos and double halos.  I personally find the triple halo to be too much…  An expanded halo means there is empty space between your center stone and your diamond making it look even bigger.  Also check into different prong styles.  Exposed mini prongs have a very different look than the channel set and cocktail setting of the past.  Also there are faux channels with mini milgrain that can lend a vintage look to your ring.  Some halos have stones on the sides of the halo as well.  These add cost, but can be super pretty as well.  Have a fancy shape diamond?  Don’t worry…they make halo heads for them as well!    Estimated cost $600 (depends on stone size and style of course).
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• 2. New head.  Usually a thicker one, perhaps with double prongs or tulip prongs.  Some people don’t like the look of halos, so they opt to boost their center diamond by thickening up their prongs.  8 prong heads (octet heads) give a designer finish to the ring that isn’t available “off the rack” at most stores.  Tulip heads are named for their obvious resemblance to the flowers.  Another advantage to the thicker prongs is more durability for everyday wear and tear.  By the way, if you have had your ring for a decade and never had your prongs retipped or at least checked, you may want to consider a replacement head or service work (retipping) anyway.  Its like getting your oil changed–not glamorous, but necessary for the longevity of your ring..Wide and narrow bezel settings also boost the “spread” of your ring, but I find they tend to make an engagement ring look more casual that its prongy cousins;) Estimated cost $150
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• 3. Have an old set of diamond earrings?  Add them as side stones.  Different shapes?  Doesn’t matter!  This one is a little more tricky as there are three options.  Option one: reset original diamond and two earrings into a new setting.  There are a lot of combinations to three stone rings (some of which have way more than three stones lol).  If your original stone and earrings fit into a standard configuation, an off the rack mounting will do the trick.  Estimated cost $750.  Option 2: Add a wrap to your original ring.  This usually only works with solitaires (no side stones).  The wrap extends over the solitaire shank making it look (kinda) like one ring.  It may need to be soldered together to prevent slippage.  Estimated cost start around $400.  Option 3: Add smaller earring diamonds in a custom bridge.  This one is more tricky to estimate a price on since every ring is different.  Adding them in a bypass style can also affect how your wedding band (if you have one) will fit next to your new altered ring.  Estimated cost <600, but talk to our pro’s about the feasibility of this one.  Fun alternative to this is adding a pair of gemstones instead.  Sapphires, blue topaz, etc all look gorgeous next to diamonds!  Same price for labor.
• 4. Illusion head/plate.  This used to mean white gold diamond cut plate that was used to accent a teeny diamond in a pretty noticeable setting.  There are more modern options to this!  One option is to recreate the vintage box setting.  This illusion setting makes a round stone look bigger, more square, and more vintage.  Estimated cost: Starts at $150.  A free form ring doesn’t make your diamonds look bigger necessarily but by combining it with other medium sized diamonds, it can make the impact of the ring look bigger.  The estimated cost depends on the finished weight of the free form ring (there are stock options and custom options) and how many heads/stones need to be seen.
• 5. Narrow or pinch the shank.  There is always more than one way to skin a cat, so now we will take our focus off the diamond and put it on the ring it sits in.  A good rule of thumb is this: the wider the band, the small your diamond will look.  Think about a shift dress.  It looks like a straight column.  If you were to add a belt, it would make your waist look much smaller.  The same thing holds true for rings.  If you use a razor (tiny narrow band) shank, your stone will look bigger no matter its size.  Your jeweler will be able to tell you if your original engagement ring shank can be slimmed down (without causing stability issues) or if you can simply transfer your center head and stone to a more narrow base.  Another fun alternative if you don’t want to give up a wider ring is to get a pinched shank that narrows near the stone.  Use caustion because narrow rings fit differently than wider ones so make sure you are fitted for the new ring style and width (there are different s sets of sizers for this reason).  Also, a narrow shank ring is more likely to rotate on the hand if you have big knuckles.  Most people do…A flared or European shank may help counterbalance to solve  this issue.
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A LEGENDARY GEM Thousand of years ago, long

A LEGENDARY GEM Thousand of years ago, long before written history, man probably discovered the first pearl while searching the seaside for food. Since that time the pearl has been treasured as a symbol of wealth and social status. It has been revered for its mystical powers, valued for its uniqueness and sought after for its rare natural beauty. Medieval knights wore them for protection in battle, Ancient Romans saw them as the ultimate symbol of power and wealth, Cleopatra is believed to have worn them and the Greeks esteemed the pearl for it’s association with love and marriage The pearl has made its mark in history and continues to be the cornerstone of classic style, culture and refinement.

Pearls are the foundation of the modern woman’s wardrobe. The elegance of fine pearls is a fashion statement in the work place as well as a night on the town. Fashionable, luxurious and adaptable, pearls enhance a woman’s style. WHAT IS A PEARL? A pearl begins its life when a grain of sand or other small foreign object accidentally enters into an oyster’s soft inner body. The oyster tries to expel the foreign object, but when it cannot, it becomes an irritation. To protect itself, the oyster takes a defensive action. It produces a smooth liquid called nacre, to cover the irritant. Layer upon layer of this silky substance continues to cover the irritant, which results in a lovely, lustrous gem called a pearl.

CULTURED PEARLS Cultured pearls are the same as naturally grown pearls. Oysters are collected and raised in a controlled environment to ensure their healthy growth. When they are mature, an irritant is intentionally introduced. Like all pearls the nacre is produced and the natural process takes its course. In cultured salt-water pearls, a bead of crushed and compacted mussel shell is places inside the oyster to serve as the irritant. These pearls are referred to as Akoya, (A-coy-ya) which means “salt water” in Japanese. Akoya pearls are somewhat more lustrous and rounder in shapes. In cultured fresh-water pearls a tiny bit of tissue gathered from a donor oyster, is placed inside the oyster to serve as the irritant. Unlike the round bead of compacted mussel shell, this natural irritant dissolves into the oyster, leaving behind microscopic nuclei. This means the pearls produced are composed almost entirely of nacre. They are not coated bead, but a nearly solid composition of nacre. Cultured freshwater pearls are available in much larger sizes from their saltwater counter parts. Although available in white, they have the unique quality of all natural colors including apricot, orange and plum purple. These brilliant gems are grown largely in China, where the process of fresh water cultivating has been practiced since the 13th century.

12 Things We Learned About Love from our Customers

1. Men want the fairy tale just as much as women. Yes, it’s true. Men come in with stars in their eyes and plans on how they are going to propose and they also want the fairy tale wedding and proposal with the perfect ring.
2. The anti-dote to couple over-share is to share with them. I have found that couples love to share their stories, but not only that; they also love to hear our stories. I often hear Men coming in and  recounting their love story to other couples that are on the verge of starting their own love story.
3. Men are as visual as women. Men need to see and feel the diamond, the wax prototype of their ring and then the actual ring itself. It makes it real to them.
4. Texting is for lovers. We are so busy these days and texting has become the ever-popular way to show and tell when it comes to diamond buying. Snap a picture of the diamonds, text it to your girlfriend, mother, best friend and dog.
5. Another key to making it last: matching Wedding Bands! This has been a trend this year with our customers. They order custom wedding bands made to match, then each are engraved with special sayings for the other on the inside.
6. There’s one more reason to be glad you’re not 22. As much as I love to watch the starry eyes as they see the ring for the first time and the hope for the future, I am so glad that I am in my future already and settled!
7. Never doubt a woman who says she wants a big diamond. When a woman says she wants a Big Diamond, listen to her. I can’t tell you the times the fiancé has come back to reset the ring to make the diamond look bigger or has even come back to exchange the stone for a larger one. It’s a good thing we have a good exchange policy in place!
8. Good lover = Good Spouse. Don’t believe me? Just ask all the happy couples that we have seen get married over the past year!
9. Marrying for money is on the downswing. We see all kinds, but what we see more and more are couples who are marrying for love and life instead of want and need.  We love the new trend of marrying because you can’t live without that person instead of marrying because you can’t live without their wallet.
10. It’s cool to spell out your commitment. When I say spell it out, I don’t mean a prenuptial agreement, I mean spelling it out by saying I love you with words and gestures.
11. There’s no such thing as traditional partnerships. Sometimes it’s the girls who come in to buy their guys rings. That’s right. Tradition is great, but it doesn’t always work for everyone, we have learned to keep an open mind.
12. A little patience can go a long way. The key to love is patience. When you sit across from a couple, you watch as they navigate patience with each other during what can turn into a three-hour diamond extravaganza.  When you sit across from a nervous young man buying his first diamond, you must be patient and sit back quietly as they contemplate every detail.  When you sit across from an older man buying his wife of twenty years an anniversary gift, you must be patient as they recount the past twenty years. Patience is what keeps that love together and alive and that is what we have learned most from our customers about love in 2012.

How to pull off The Perfect Marriage Proposal

Source: pinerly.com via Perfect Circle on Pinterest

” title=”The Perfect Marriage Proposal”>The Perfect Marriage Proposal

Great Ideas on making the Perfect Marriage Proposal

How to Properly Understand Symmetry Grade

How to Properly Understand Symmetry Grade

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Buy Like A GUY

Unmanly, Unromantic and Completely Unnecessary

ENGAGEMENT RINGS, Man-to-Man

I sat down and had a few conversations with some regular guys to find out what men think about when they’re on the diamond/engagement ring hunt.  I have to be honest…I didn’t expect the conversation to focus on “salespeople” and “trust” as much as it did.  I thought for sure the #1 topic would be price, but I found out that guys want real, live help at the counter and are willing to pay for it.

That’s really cool because the people behind the counter(the good ones) can and do help give you something that you can’t buy online in most cases: peace of mind.  They are your Hired Guns and when a true professional is there to help it speeds up the process and takes some of the pressure off.  So…kudos to the guys in the vid and thanks again!

Under Pressure…Not!

Which brings me to the topic at hand: A lot of men feel pressure when it comes to buying the “right” ring and really not as bad as all that.  I know how it goes…I’ve seen it a million times and it goes something like this:

• You are in love and spent some time talking to her and looking at ring styles she says she likes.
• You’ve found a beautiful ring that fits her style and the price is something you can live with.
• You’re standing in a store that speaks your language and you like the salesperson.
• All you need to do now is pull the trigger and buy the ring.  Instead you say something like:”I think I’m going to bring her in to make sure she likes it.”

No…no…no…no and NO.  You can and should buy the ring because bringing her in to look at yet another ring is unromantic, unmanly and completely unnecessary.  How do I know?  I asked women who are/were in the market for an engagement ring.  Seems like a no-brainer, huh?

The Survey…

I wrote a very casual survey and submitted it to women with the help of several jewelry store buddies and Facebook fans.  This is the question I asked:

How would you like the ring purchase to go down?

• I want to pick out the ring and that’s the ring I expect to see when I open the box. (10.1%)
• I want to show him the general style I like and as long as it’s in the ballpark I’m good. (61.6%)
• I’ll provide a laundry list and expect him to fill it. (Not in a mean way.  I have to wear this ring the rest of my life!)(6.9%)
• I want it to be a complete surprise.  I’ll take anything.(21.4%)

Nearly 62% of respondents said as long as you buy a ring that is similar to the style she picked out, you’re good.  If you add the other 21.4% who want the ring to be a complete surprise then you have an 8 in 10 shot at being the man she expects you to be.  Seriously…you know if she’s one of the other 17% so act accordingly.

But still…what if I pick the wrong ring?

There you go again…making it harder than it needs to be.  That’s OK because I have this to share with you as well.  The follow up question to the above was:

If he came home with something different than what I told him to get or hinted at I would:

• Be disappointed but OK. (54%)
• Be disappointed and mad. (4%)
• Love it just the same. (42%)

Only 4% of women will be “mad” if you propose with something she’s not expecting so the risk factor is extremely low.  See?  This is easy.

Go for it!

I grant you this is not the most sophisticated survey on the planet but it is telling.  Feel free to take your own casual surveys as you’re out and about.  Ask women what they think, combine those answers with my results and come to your own conclusion.  Something tells me you won’t feel the need to “bring her in” anymore.

Personally I’d take this info and run with it.  There are so many more important things to do than push off buying a ring with manufactured excuses.  (For example…you can start planning your proposal.)

Beth Owens
Owner/Skatell’s Jewelers

864.576.6434

http://www.skatellsjewelers.com