Gold Jewellery – Care Advice
So you’ve been given a beautiful piece of gold jewellery? Here’s how to look after it properly.
Gold is the softest of the precious metals. In fact the greater the purity, the softer it is. Hence the ‘old’ prospector’s biting test – pure gold is marked by a hard nibble! (Not to be advised without a dentist on standby!)
This ‘softness’ property is one of the reasons why it became so precious and desirable, to every civilisation. Gold, although rare and difficult to obtain could be easily ‘worked’ – Just one ounce can be beaten out to cover a surface area of over 27 square metres!
In it’s purest form it is too soft to be of any use in the making of Jewellery. The pure gold is alloyed with silver, copper and various other metals in order to render a material hard enough for jewellery. The percentage of pure gold, in a Jewellery alloy is denoted by its carat (k) weight. Pure gold is 24k (ie.100%), the other common alloy carat weights are 22k, 18k, 14k, 10k and 9k. 9k is the hardest alloy. Obviously, this means that 9k will scratch all the softer k weights. This is the reason it’s advisable to always wear items of the same carat weight, if your jewellery is likely to come into contact (rings etc). Gold is resistant to oxidative corrosion – it won’t tarnish, rust or corrode.
A few ‘golden rules’:
Remove your gold jewellery when using chemicals and engaging in manual work. Gold will scratch abrade reducing its lustrous appearance.
Remove your jewellery when swimming – Chlorine will affect its lustre.
To clean jewellery use warm water and cotton wool. For heavy soiling use a weak solution of warm water and detergent-free soap.
Gold is softer than sand. Sand will scratch your jewellery. Don’t wear it on the beach!
Always store your jewellery separately in a soft stable-temperature environment. Ideally, keep your alloy jewellery in the box with which it was supplied.
To give your jewellery a deep clean it can be immersed in a very weak (just a pinch), sodium bicarbonate/boiling water solution for a few seconds. Carefully dry the jewellery immediately with a soft cotton cloth. (*Do not do this if your jewellery contains gemstones).
Gold Jewellery Do’s and Don’ts | Review Guide Live
October 17th, 2011