Gold Jewelry is still the most popular
choice of precious metals.
Gold jewelry has been known and highly valued from earliest times, not only because of its beauty and resistance to corrosion, but also because gold is easier to work than all other metals. Gold jewelry comes in a variety of forms including, white gold, Black Hills Gold, rose gold, yellow gold, green gold, etc. Gold jewelry is affordable, plentiful and unique to all who love to adorn themselves with this most precious metal.
Today, gold jewelry can be faceted to glitter brighter than the most beautiful diamond, or fabricated to be as smooth as silk.
Many people prefer 14k gold jewelry as it has a rich buttery color but is not too yellow and it is very durable. It some cases, the higher the carat weight of gold jewelry, the more fragile the piece can become in terms of dent and scratch resistance. White gold is a terrific alternative to sterling silver because it keeps its luster, is much stronger and does not tarnish.
The purity of gold has been measured in carats stemming back to ancient times. Pure gold jewelry is defined as 24 carats. The purity of gold is also measured in terms of fineness, i.e.: parts per thousand. Thus, 18 carats is 18/24th of 1000 parts = 750 fineness -- or 75% pure gold. The higher the carat weight, the higher the cost.
Gold's chemical symbol, Au, is short for the Latin word for gold, 'Aurum', which literally means 'Glowing Dawn'. The earliest gold jewelry dates from the Sumer Civilization in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern Iraq around 3000 BC.
A major archeological find of early gold jewelry was in the Royal tombs of Ur, in Mesopotamia, dated to around 2,600 BC. In Egypt, gold jewelry and other artifacts have been found in Pharaohs' tombs dating to around 1500 BC and later.
Gold has always been recycled because of its inherent high value, ever since it was first discovered before the Bronze age. Your modern gold body jewelry or dental crown may contain some gold that was mined in prehistoric times and formed part of a valued gold artifact or gold jewelry belonging to royalty or other high placed official in ancient civilizations. Today, at least 15% of annual gold consumption is recycled each year.
Also see: [ Silver Jewelry ] [ Sterling Silver Jewelry ] [ Gold Charms ]
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