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Before the invention of the American Dollar, the British Pound, or the Indian Rupee, what did people use to denote currency? One of the timeless ways to denote one’s wealth was often by how much gold he/she owned. Heavy and rare, it’s been used as a status symbol and symbol of wealth throughout the ages. This is our free gold guide, and we hope you enjoy our journey into the world of this precious metal. Enjoy…

Gold is one of our most valuable and precious metals. It’s also very malleable and soft. Did you happen to know that? A mere ounce of the stuff can be stretched into a fine wire about 5 miles long. If you were to pound that same ounce of gold, it would form a thin sheet that could cover 100 square feet. It won’t corrode or rust, so it will last almost indefinitely. It’s also all around us. It’s in our seas and rivers and bodies of water. It’s in the crust of the earth that is beneath our feet. It is also in our plant life. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to locate and extract, so it’s very expensive as well. It takes about 2.5 to 3 tons of gold ore in order to make 1oz of pure gold.

Jewelry’s Most Popular Metal

Do you happen to know what metal is the most popular in our modern day jewelry? Gold is the answer, and you can find many different forms of heart jewelry that use gold. In terms of a single jewelry item, it is without a doubt the simple gold wedding band. Since gold is so malleable and soft, it can’t really be utilized in its pure form. It must be mixed with other metals in order to make it more durable and strong. Do you know what combining two or more metals is called? The result is called an alloy, and most of the gold that we use in our jewelry is found in the form of an alloy. What types of gold jewelry are there you ask? How about: (1) White gold jewelry, (2) Gold jewelry, (3) 24k gold jewelry, (4) Wholesale gold jewelry, (5) 22k gold jewelry, (6) 18k gold jewelry, (7) 14k gold jewelry, (8) Indian gold jewelry, (9) Rose gold jewelry, (10) Gold body jewelry, (11) Gold horse jewelry, (12) Gold plated jewelry, (13) Gold charm jewelry, (14) Other fine gold jewelry items.

The word karat is derived from the word for the fruit of the carob tree. For example, in Arabic the word qirat, in Greek the word keration, and in Italian the word carato. The seeds of the fruit from the carob tree were used in ancient times for measuring precious gems. Since the pure gold Byzantine coin called the solidus weighed 24 karats, the 24 karat mark (24 KT or 24K) became the mark used to indicate that an object was pure gold.

Carats or Karats?

When we talk about gold we often hear the term carat (or karat). Bugs bunny preferred to be paid in carrots, but that’s another item all together. When you are paid in carats, well, then you are really talking about some major money. In jewelry terms, the carat has a double meaning. It is used as a measurement of weight for gemstones (one carat is usually equivalent to 1/5 gram), but in some countries it can also be used to denote the amount of pure gold in a piece of gold jewelry. In the United States, when we want to indicate the gold content rather than the weight, we use a “k”, such as “karat”, to avoid any confusion that may arise.

In most instances 24K gold is too soft to be used in jewelry. In some parts of the world they prefer to use 18K or 20K because of its brighter yellow color and the simple fact that it is closer to being pure 24K gold. In the United States 14K or 18K is preferred because it is more durable.

Ever Heard of Gold 990?

Gold 990 is on its way. It is an alloy of pure gold and only a small amount of titanium. And this means? This means you can have “almost” pure gold, but with greatly increased durability. This “straw colored” alloy is very similar to the look of 14K gold, so if you are looking for that 24K gold look should look a bit further. If color is not that important to you, and if you are looking for a way to have “almost pure” gold but with better durability, this alloy may be just what you were looking for.

This brings us to the question “In order for something to be called gold, how many carats must the item be?” The rules for this vary, depending upon the country. In the United States, in order for an item to be called “gold” it has to be at least 10K. In France and Italy it must be 18K, while in Canada and England the number is 9K.

Does Gold Have To Be Yellow?

Gold is mostly associated with the color yellow, but not all gold is yellow. Why is this? For starters, pure 24K gold is always yellow in color. As mentioned earlier, since pure gold is too soft and malleable for jewelry use, and since countries have different standards for what “gold” means, you can change the color of “gold” by exchanging the alloys that you happen to add to it. Here’s the formula: Yellow gold is made up of gold, copper and silver. Green gold is made up of gold, silver, copper, and zinc. White gold is comprised of gold, nickel, silver, zinc, palladium and platinum. Pink (or red) gold is composed of gold, copper, and sometimes a tiny amount of silver.

Ever Heard of Underkarating?

There is one more thing that we should talk about before we leave this subject of carats and karats. When you are purchasing a piece of jewelry you should be concerned about underkarating. This is a serious problem in many areas around the world, so be sure to purchase your jewelry from a reliable jewelry store or reliable jewelry outlet. Underkarating means that although the jewelry item is marked to indicate a certain amount of jewelry content it can contain less than the amount indicated. Jewelers who sell underkarated jewelry will sometimes boast about the fact that you are “getting a bargain” In actuality you are not getting anything of the sort. Since the jewelry item they are selling you contains less gold and more alloy than what is indicated, what kind of a bargain is that? As always, the buyer must beware. Only purchase jewelry items from reliable sources.

What is the Manufacturer’s Registered Trademark?

You should always look for a manufacturer’s registered trademark on any gold jewelry item you purchase. It is located near the karat mark, and manufacturers take this trademark very seriously. In addition, as more and more jewelers get concerned about being held liable, they are willing to only purchase jewelry items from manufacturers who are willing to stand by what they sell. This trademark can be traced back to the very people who made this jewelry, and their reputation is on the line. They won’t dare mess up in this particular area.

How To Resolve Skin Discoloration

Have you noticed that sometimes when you wear your gold jewelry you have skin discoloration? What is that? It’s not the pure gold that is causing this reaction. Pure gold does not tarnish, and so it will not discolor the skin. It’s the alloys that are added to the pure gold that are causing this strange discoloration effect. This situation happens mostly under moist or damp conditions. These alloys mix with the fatty acids (that are present in your perspiration), and this can set up a corrosive reaction. This problem can be even worse in those areas with salt air, so if you plan a trip to the beach (with your gold jewelry)…beware.

Oh and one more thing we should talk about. Metallic abrasion that is caused by some makeup is another common cause of discoloration. Some makeup contains compounds that are actually harder than the jewelry in which they are coming into contact with? Did you know that? As these compounds rub and grind against the jewelry you are wearing they can cause some of the gold to flake off. The result is a dark looking “dust”. When this “dust” makes contact with your sweaty skin, a black smudge is what is left over.

So, What’s the Solution?

So now we have identified the problem. So, what is the solution to discoloration resulting from jewelry? You should get into the habit of removing the jewelry often and washing the skin that it is coming into contact with. Use plain soap and water (the preferred solution). Remember to keep your jewelry clean. You should wipe the jewelry from time-to-time with a nice soft cloth (to remove any tarnish that may “build up”). It is also a good idea to use a body powder that is free of abrasions on those areas of your skin that will be in contact with the jewelry you wish to wear.

If you happen to like a certain piece of jewelry, why not see if a similar piece is available from another manufacturer? You may find that one piece causes discoloration while another does not. This doesn’t mean that one piece is inferior to another. Jewelry manufacturers often use different alloys, or different combinations of alloys. This means that although the look may be the same, one piece of jewelry will cause discoloration while another may not.

Why not switch to a more pure form of gold jewelry? This could resolve the problem entirely. After all, it is these alloys that are causing the problem, and if remove more of these alloys, “problem solved”.

Our Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed our Free Gold Guide Tour into the World of Gold Jewelry and Skin Discoloration. If you would like to learn a bit more, please visit our blog on www.BeautifulHeartJewelry.com. We do focus on heart jewelry primarily, but we also provide general information regarding the history of jewelry, and where you can purchase other great jewelry items.

Betsy Johnson has a site on beautiful heart jewelry and one on fine horse jewelry if you would like to learn more.

The “heart shape” often conjures up thoughts of love and romance. It has worked its way into our treasured annual holidays like St. Valentine’s Day, into greeting cards and gifts, and into our jewelry designs as well. As we all know, jewelry is often made out of precious metals like gold and silver, and precious gems like diamonds and emeralds, and by incorporating the “heart shape” we are produce an object that displays the eternal ideas of romance, love, caring, and belonging. We will now explore the origins of heart jewelry, the “heart shape symbol”, and the world’s most famous heart-shaped diamond.

The “heart symbol” has been around for years, used to refer to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and intellectual core of humans. It’s often depicted as “red” as this symbolizes blood (as it is the heart that pumps blood through the body) and strong emotions…and what emotion can possibly be stronger than that of true love?

Heart-shaped diamonds are very rare in nature, but they do exist. The “Blue Heart” (also called the “Eugenie Blue”) diamond is perhaps the most famous of these. In fact, many people consider it to be the best example of a blue diamond that has ever existed. Rivaled in fame by only perhaps the Hope Diamond, it is the unique heart shape that makes the “Blue Heart” really stand out from the crowd. From the standpoint of simplicity and pure elegance, it’s hard for any gem to compare with the “Blue Heart”.

Weighing in at 30.82 metric carats, it’s debatable whether the “Blue Heart” diamond is of African or Indian origin. Antanik Ekyanan cut the rough diamond in Neuilly, Paris in either 1909 or 1910. The dimensions of this beautiful gem are: 20mm x 19mm x 12mm.

In 1910 Cartier purchased this diamond from an Argentinean woman named Mrs. Unzue. Mrs. Unzue had the diamond set into a corsage. It was in this corsage when the diamond was purchased by Van Cleef and Arpels in 1953.

Next stop…an European family. They then sold this heart jewelry gem to a gentleman named Harry Winston in 1959. He put the diamond into a ring, and then sold it to Marjorie Merriweather Post, who eventually donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. This wonderful example of heart jewelry is currently on display at this institution today. Want a bit of trivia? At one point the “Blue Heart” Diamond, the Hope Diamond, and the Heart of Eternity were all on display at the Smithsonian.

You can read more of Betsy Johnson’s Heart-Shaped Jewelry Articles and see examples of some affordable Heart-Shaped Jewelry Items by following these links.