Gold, the sun colored metal which dates back to the dawn of mankind and which all great civilizations have treasured, is still revered today in our most important secular and religious rituals.

It is estimated that all the gold mined in this world to date would only be slightly more than 100,000 tons or a cube slightly larger than 36 feet on each side. If gold wasn't recycled, it would be much more rare and expensive than it is currently. Actually your simple wedding band may contain a few molecules from Queen Cleopatra's golden crown or even some from the Ark of the Covenant itself.

So, what is 14 Karat gold?

• Pure gold or 24 Karat is actually an element from the earth. Although most mined gold today is microscopic in size, most of the historical gold was found in its native state and could be held and easily seen.
• Pure gold is generally considered too soft for use in jewelry except in a few countries where the populace places gold in a very high cultural or religious esteem. Therefore gold is alloyed with other metals such as silver, nickel, copper and zinc. Eighteen karat gold or 18Kt is 75% pure gold and the remaining 25% alloys. Fourteen karat gold or 14Kt is 58.5% pure gold and the remaining 41.5% alloys. Ten karat gold or 10Kt is 41.7% pure gold with the remaining 58.3% alloys. Anything less than 10Kt gold is not legally considered "gold" in the U.S. However, many countries recognize 9Kt as "gold" although some countries will not permit anything less than 18Kt to be sold as "gold" in their country. Cultural attitudes often set the purity of gold standards.

What is "Real Gold"?

• Real gold is nothing other than 10Kt gold or better.

My article of jewelry does not contain a gold quality mark. Is it still gold?

• In the U.S., if an article of jewelry is stamped with a gold quality mark, then a manufacturer's trademark must be present. The jewelry article does not have to have a quality mark present unless the article is imported and then the country of origin must be identified as well. There are many rules and regulations which can circumvent the country of origin content law. So even if it does not say "India" or "China", it may still be made there and not in the U.S.
• In addition, quality marks often disappear from rings during repair or sizing and sometimes there just isn't a location for the manufacturer to place a quality mark and a trademark. So you should always trust the jeweler and his supply chain for performing their due diligence in your interest. Remember, anyone can stamp a brass article of jewelry with a 14Kt mark. When this is done it is called a counterfeit. So remember this the next time you are on a beach or a big city street corner.

What is "Solid Gold"?

• Solid gold can be any karat of gold but the article itself must be solid without any hollow sections which are closed off from view.

The Europeans use what marking system?

• The Europeans use a system sometimes called the metric marking system. They simply stamp the percentage of the gold content on the item. 750 is equal to 18KT, 585 equals 14Kt and 417 equals 10Kt.

What is "White Gold"?

• Although pure gold is always yellow, it is too soft for durability so it is alloyed with other metals to increase its strength. These alloys have the ability to change the color of gold. Yellow gold is created by alloying the gold with copper and silver. Using copper only creates pink gold. Green gold contains silver, copper and zinc. White gold contains nickel, zinc and copper. Different shades of all the colors are also available by changing the percentages of the alloys and changing the alloys used. Please note that nickel can be found in many colors of gold which is an allergenic problem for a portion of the population.

Why does my finger turn black when I wear my ring?

• The short answer is the ring is reacting to a chemical reaction or to abrasion. To understand this problem in more detail, see the article in our original newsletter.

Why do I break out with a rash under my rings?

• This is usually caused by being sensitive to certain chemicals found in liquids your hands get into. Even soap can produce this problem. What is happens is the agent wicks into and under the ring and remains there even after drying your hands. Then as evaporation occurs the concentration increases and a rash can result. The fix is rather simple if the problem is reoccurring. Identify the chemical agent and keep your ring away from it.

What is "Gold Filled" and does it look like real gold?

• The "Gold Filled" process is a procedure where a layer of 10Kt gold or better, is mechanically bonded forever to all significant surfaces of a foundation metal before the article of jewelry is fabricated. Gold filled jewelry looks the same as real gold or karat gold jewelry and with reasonable care will last a very long time. Articles must be marked as gold filled. An example of a stamp is "14KTGF" or "1/20 14K" which means the article is gold filled, the gold quality used was 14Kt, and the gold weight is 1/20th of the gross weight of the article.
• When the gold content is less than 1/20th of the gross weight of the article, then the term gold filled cannot be used and the term "Rolled Gold Plate" or "R.G.P." is used. You do not see much current jewelry made of rolled gold plate but better old pocket watch cases were usually gold filled. However, lesser qualities were rolled gold plate.

Is "Gold Filled" the same as "Gold Overlay"?

• The answer is yes. Gold filled and gold overlay are interchangeable terms and mean the same thing.

How is "Gold Plated" jewelry different than "Gold Filled"?

• The "Gold Plated" process is a procedure where a coating of 10Kt gold or better, is electroplated onto the finished article of jewelry. The thickness must be at least 10 millionths of an inch thick. "Heavy Gold Electroplate" is a layer at least 100 millionths of an inch thick. The stamp "14Kt H.G.E." on the inside shank of a ring means the article is gold electroplated with 14Kt gold and the layer of gold is at least 100 millionths of an inch thick. Does it last? Well, watches are usually only plated with a gold layer of a thickness from less than 1 micron to as much as 20 microns (1 micron equals 1 millionth of a meter).

Silver has captivated civilization nearly as long as gold and has been used to mark historical milestones, celebrations, achievements and special occasions. No one knows when silver was first used but ambassadors from Crete were bringing silver vases to Egyptian rulers as early as 3100BC.

Today, silver, in the form of sterling silver, is the favorite medium of some of the worlds most creative and innovative designers due to its affordability and malleability.

What is "Sterling Silver" and is it the same as "Silver"?

• "Silver" is a natural element and is generally considered too soft in its pure form for practical use in the production of jewelry. "Sterling Silver" is 92.5% pure silver alloyed with usually 7.5% copper to increase its hardness and durability. .925 is the European or metric stamp mark for sterling silver.

Is "Coin Silver" and "Nickel Silver" the same as sterling silver?

• "Coin silver" is not sterling silver since it contains only 90% pure silver. .900 is the European or metric stamp mark for coin silver.
• "Nickel silver" contains no silver at all and is simply the metal nickel which can be polished to look very much like silver.

Can silver be elctro plated and can the article look like sterling silver?

• Silver can be plated onto any object and the durability will be based on the thickness of the plating.

My sterling silver neck chain looks like gold. How can this be stamped sterling?

• Your neck chain is sterling vermeil. Vermeil is the term used for an article made of sterling silver and then electro plated with at least 10Kt gold to a minimum thickness of 100 millionths of an inch.

Does all sterling silver tarnish?

• All uncoated sterling silver will tarnish or oxidize with time. If it is coated with a transparent chemical treatment, tarnish is prevented until the coating wears off. Much of the sterling silver made in the U.S. is electro plated with the platinum group metal called rhodium which prevents tarnishing until the very durable layer wears away. However, rhodium plated sterling silver looks like white gold. Many people prefer their sterling silver jewelry to look like silver and not white gold. In addition, silver is being alloyed with other elements which are producing tarnish resistant sterling silver. The best known of these new sterling silver names is argentium sterling.
• To prevent or reduce tarnishing, store the jewelry in tarnish proof cloth bags or containers lined with tarnish resistant strips. When it does tarnish stop into the store. We can very easily restore the original look.

Platinum is one of the rarest of the precious metals and is found only in a few locations around the world. It is one of the world's strongest metals, is hypoallergenic, tarnish-resistant and extremely durable.

Platinum has a rich and noble history and dates back in use to the ancient Egyptians nearly 3000 years ago. However, the first use of platinum in European jewelry appears around 1780. All the platinum recovered from the earth would produce only a cube slightly larger than 15 feet on each side.

What is "Platinum"?

• Platinum is an element and one of the metals in the platinum group. The group consists of the metallic elements: platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, rhodium and ruthenium. Rhodium is usually electroplated onto white gold to give it a whiter look and electroplated onto sterling silver to inhibit tarnishing.

Is platinum harder than white gold?

• The answer is no. White gold is generally twice as hard as platinum, so platinum scratches easier. However, it is very difficult to polish and requires much more time to polish than gold and silver.

Is stress corrosion a problem as it is in gold, especially white gold?

• No, platinum jewelry does not suffer from stress corrosion from exposure to chlorine or other chemicals harmful to gold. It is the perfect metal to consider for prongs if the design of the jewelry item permits the option. However, platinum prongs due bend much easier than gold prongs.

What is the purity of platinum jewelry?

• In the U.S. platinum jewelry generally contains anywhere from 85% to 95% pure platinum with the remaining percentage usually a platinum group metal such as iridium or cobalt. If the article is stamped "Platinum" then it must be at least 95% pure platinum. Today there are many combinations of platinum and alloys with some platinum contents as low as 50%. Always look for the quality stamp which will give the percentage of platinum content and ask the jeweler what each one means. The amount of platinum will greatly influence the price.

Titanium is probably the first of the "New Age" metals to reach the market in recent years. Not all titanium is equal. Most titanium jewelry manufacturers produce their products using the "commercially pure" grade of titanium because it is softer and places less wear on their machinery. The more expensive titanium contains 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This titanium alloy is two times stronger and up to five times harder than the commercially pure grade. This is sometimes referred to as military spec grade or aeronautical grade titanium.

Tungsten starts out as several types of powdered carbon and other elements. These powders are then mixed in the desired proportions and under extreme pressure pressed together to form a solid blank, for example a ring. The blank is then placed in a high temperature furnace and fired at 2400 degrees Fahrenheit to become a solid metallic metal. The resulting ring blank has the hardness comparable to a sapphire and next to a diamond's hardness. As many as thirty polishing steps using diamond wheels and compounds are required to bring out the final luster and polish. Please note: To remove the ring from a swollen or injured finger a diamond saw is required. The quickest method is to break it off using a vise to squeeze and break the ring but be careful not to pinch the finger.

Black Ceramic, a Zirconium composite ceramic material, is about as hard as a sapphire, and is scratch resistant under normal wear. The color is usually black and penetrates through the ring. Also, ceramics of different composites can produce white, blue and pink colors as well.

Damascus Steel was a very well kept secret known to only a few civilizations in the past. Legends surround the metal's strength, sharpness and the unique patterns seen on the surface. The secrets of producing true Damascus steel have only recently been rediscovered after being lost for nearly 200 years. The Damascus process marries two distinct types of steel in variegated layers for a very unique pattern using heat and pressure. Similar looks using slightly different processes and different distinct metals are known as Mokume Gane and Shakudo which are produced usually as inlays. These inlays can be combinations of gold, silver, platinum, and copper, as well as other metals.

Stainless Steel, which is available in many different grades, is now showing up in high end designer jewelry. Although some grades of stainless steel can in fact rust, the grades used in jewelry are higher grades which can take on a beautiful polish.