Have you ever brought a necklace which you thought was real gold but ended up changing colour after a few days?
You would be surprised how common this is for many people looking to purchase high quality gold jewellery. Some dishonest retailers have passed gold plated or even roll gold also known as gold filled as real 9ct gold just to make a quick profit.
It's important as a buyer to know the difference between the 3 to avoid getting ripped off.
It's important to understand what real gold is and why not everything that glitters like gold is the real deal.
Real Gold
Natural gold the type you would normally find in mines are very soft to the touch, fragile and easy to pull apart, which is why jewellers don't use 100% real gold in their 9ct gold jewellery.
It's also easy to get damage and wears out very quickly so to counteract this problem, jewellers mix other metals with natural gold to make it stronger and sustainable.
Another reason why jewellery designers don't use pure gold to make jewellery is the allergy aspect of it.
Most people would be allergic to the particles found in pure gold and plus it's too soft for creating resilient jewellery.
Some of these base metals which are commonly used in gold jewellery products are, brass metal (because of it's strength and long-lasting abilities.) alloyed and copper.
In terms of jewellery anything over 24 karat- the method used to measure the difference between gold, plated gold and gold filled.
The amount of real gold present in jewellery is determined by the karat value. The higher the karat present, the more gold can be found in a product. If it's more base metal than it's considered to be gold plated.
Another thing to note is that gold is not magnetic, if it sticks than it's not gold.
Gold which is considered to be real around 24k, has a natural brilliant shine to it which it's counterparts do not. It's also more denser, than traditional plated metal.
Gold Plated
Gold plated is any metal with a tiny bit of real gold incorporated into it.
Most of it is comprise of brass,
copper or other alloyed metal and wears away pretty quickly.
Another problem with gold plated, is that it doesn't last long. After a few weeks or months, the colour starts to change, the gold film rubs off especially if cleaning incorrectly.
Gold plated often loses it sheen very quickly, becoming dull and rusty.
It's susceptible to rust from continued exposure to the elements, easy to get scratched or chipped and can cause skin allergies in certain people. This is true for pregnant women and people with skin conditions.
Plated metal is often used as a substitute for real gold due to it's wide availability and affordability.
Gold Filled
Most people can't tell the difference between gold filled and 9ct gold. The reason for this is that gold filled unlike gold plated doesn't change colour, the quality is better due to the amount of gold present within it and it can stand the test of time if cared for properly.
So what is gold filled?
Simply put it, it is real gold overlaid on brass or some other metal, making it ideal for people with sensitive skin types.
Depending on the actually jewellery, gold filled also known as (roll gold or gold overlay) can contain anywhere from 14k to 5k gold.
It's less expensive than 9ct gold and more long-lasting than gold plated.
You can even go swimming and it won't fade or fake.
Gold filled is more common in the USA than in Britain.
Now you can make an informed decision when buying your next jewellery item.
Don't forget to check out our affordable
gold plated jewellery and
9ct gold necklaces.
