Gold is a universal material that many different pieces of jewellery are fashioned from. It has been popular for this very purpose for thousands of years due to its allure and reflective qualities. Pure gold, that is twenty four carats in weight is quite soft and pliable and this is when the jewellery industry stepped in and now alloys are added to gold to make it more durable and less prone to scratching. This is the first step in the process of making gold jewellery.

All jewellery is special and beautiful and it can last a lifetime and this is another reason why gold is so popular. A gift of gold has always symbolised everlasting love and devotion. Gold has four basic characteristics that make it the valued material we know today. These are beauty, rarity, durability and workability. Gold will not tarnish or corrode
and will last forever. It is also very easy to work with, so much so that an ounce of gold can be stretched into a wire that can reach over 80 kilometres long or you can hammer it into a thin sheet that can cover over nine square metres.

The gold that we buy in the shops today is pure gold that has been strengthened with alloys. The amount of alloy in ratio to the amount of gold will produce the carat weight of the gold. This tells us how much pure gold is in the product. All gold should be hallmarked so that it can be easily ascertained how much gold is in the product, as this will have a knock on effect on the price. For example, eighteen carat gold is 750 pure gold and 250 alloys. In addition to the hallmark there may also be a manufacturers mark. If you are unsure what any of the markings mean, ask your jewellery to explain them before you buy the piece.