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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. A single ounce of gold could be drawn into a wire 5 microns in diameter, more than 80 kilometers long.
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". Traditionally karatage is expressed in 24ths, meaning 18k gold is an alloy of 18 parts gold and six parts other metal. 24k gold is 100% gold with no alloyed metals. Blue Nile is proud to offer only 18k gold in all of our gold jewellery.
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Gold, element Au, was one of the first known metals. Its beauty, versatile and useful physical characteristics, and scarcity help continue to make it a very valuable commodity.
24 karat = 100% gold
Too soft for jewellery
22 karat = 91.7% gold
Very soft — not recommended for jewellery
18 karat = 75.0% gold
Recommended for fine jewellery
14 karat = 58.3% gold
Recommended for jewellery
12 karat = 50.0% gold
Not used in Blue Nile jewellery
9 karat = 37.5% gold
The minimum standard in the UK
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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.
There are few exemptions to the hallmarking laws. One exemption is by weight; compulsory hallmarks are not needed on gold under 1g, silver under 7.78g and platinum under 0.5g. Also, the UK is required by the European Court of Justice to accept other European national hallmarks as sufficient hallmarking, providing those hallmarks represent an equivalent guarantee of quality.
All products sold by Blue Nile comply with current Parliamentary nickel regulations.
The colour of gold is determined by two factors:
The type of metal alloys included in it
The percentage of each metal alloy
Gold
Our 18k gold is composed of 75% 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.
White Gold
The 18k white gold at Blue Nile is 75% 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.
The price of gold jewellery is dependent upon the purity of the gold used or karat weight, as well as the design and construction of the piece of jewellery.
Keep your gold jewellery away from harsh chemicals such as chlorine and cleaning fluids. This will reduce daily abrasions and prolong gold's lustre. To clean gold jewellery, use a solution of warm water and detergent-free soap and wash gold gently with a soft-bristled brush (a dull tooth brush works well). Store gold pieces separately in soft cloth bags or original boxes to protect them from the exposure to harsh daily elements.
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All prices are GBP and do not include VAT. |
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