What are you made of? Your character is important and demonstrates to others what you are all about – your mettle. It is tested every day you face the world.
Today we want to test your metal - knowledge, that is! What is it about the substances that form your precious jewelry you should know? On the top of the list is gold, a precious metal used since ancient times for ornamenting the body.
First question on the “test” is - what term is used to designate the purity of gold? As you may have guessed, it’s the karat – good answer! A piece in 24K gold is 100% pure gold. If an item is 18K or 14K gold, it contains other metals as well. 14K gold is 58.3% gold.
What is this mix with other metals called? It’s known as an alloy, which allows the piece to be stronger and have better wear as pure gold is relatively soft.
Next question on the test – what affect does this mix have on the price of an item? As you may have guessed, the higher the percentage of precious metal content, the higher the price.
Last set of questions… What are the favored karats in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States? Answer is – 24K, 18K, 9K, and 14K respectively. Whatever your preference, now you know more about the precious metal of gold.
Next time – is platinum for blonds only? Stay tuned…
