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Gold won't tarnish, rust, or corrode, and though it's very strong, it is also the most malleable of all metals
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Purity
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Pure gold is too soft to withstand the stresses of daily wear, so it is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, palladium, and zinc to give it strength and durability. Karatage indicates purity and is noted by a number followed by the letter "k". 24 karat represents 100 percent gold; 18 karat has 75 percent gold, and 9 karat has 37.5 percent gold.
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Hallmarks
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There are three compulsory hallmarks applied to precious metals as a quality control: a sponsor's (maker's) mark, a fineness mark, and an assay office mark. These marks establish the origin and fineness of the precious metal and ensures it has been accurately and independently tested.
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Colour
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The colour of gold is determined by two factors:
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The type of metal alloys included in it
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The percentage of each metal alloy
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Yellow Gold
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Our 18k Yellow gold is composed of 75% of pure gold, alloyed with 25% other metals.
Not only does this make the piece more valuable, it makes it strong enough to withstand daily wear while maintaining its traditional, rich golden colour.
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White Gold
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18k white gold is 75% of pure gold, alloyed with 25% white metals to produce a white metal with a slight yellow colour. To enhance the whiteness, almost all white gold is plated with rhodium, an extremely hard and shiny white metal in the platinum group. Depending on the amount of wear to a piece of jewellery, over time this rhodium plating may wear off, revealing the original metal colour. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done to restore your jewellery's whiteness if needed.
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How many karats? |
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24 karat = 100% gold
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Too soft for jewellery
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22 karat = 91.7% gold
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Very soft — not recommended for jewellery
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18 karat = 75.0% gold
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Recommended for fine jewellery
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14 karat = 58.3% gold
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Recommended for jewellery
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12 karat = 50.0% gold
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Not used in Diamonds n Diamonds jewellery
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9 karat = 37.5% gold
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This is the minimum standard in the UK.
This is used for heavy jewellery to reduce the cost.
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All our Jewellery is hallmarked
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