| Finishes Gold Weight Alloy Karat Gauge Care & Cleaning |
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| Finishes |
| Surface treatments for gold jewellery that create patterns and designs. Often finishes are mixed to create contrasting effects. |
| High Polish: |
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Bright, shiny, highly reflective. |
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| Satin Finish: |
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Light parallel lines sharply reduce the metal's reflections. Has a soft lustrous appearance. |
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| Matte: |
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"Velvet-like" finish, without shine but having a soft luster. |
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| Brushed: |
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A light "satin-like" finish, produced by a stiff metal brush. Can be applied in a linear or circular pattern. |
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| Florentine: |
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Parallel lines are engraved in one direction, then lighter cross hatchings or curved strokes are made in the opposite direction. The lines are deeper than on a brushed or satin finish. |
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| Hammered: |
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Design created by hammering directly onto the surface. Can be light or deep depending on the type of hammer used. |
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| Engraved: |
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A design is cut with a sharp-edge tool. |
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| Diamond Cut: |
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A faceted, bright look is achieved by making tiny angled cuts into the surface. |
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| Filigree: |
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Consists of fine wires that are twisted together and then flattened and bent into intricate designs. These delicate patterns are surrounded by a framework of sturdier gold. |
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| Diamond Laser: |
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Highly reflective finish created by hammering the surface with a faceted, diamond-tipped tool. |
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| Granulated: |
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Small, rounded gold particles placed by hand on a gold surface and fastened by a heating process. |
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| Enameled: |
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Fusing coloured glass onto metal surface. |
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| Embossed: |
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Shaping a pattern in relief in sheet metal. | |
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| Gold Weight |
| For centuries, the troy system has been used for weighing gold and other precious metals. Internationally quoted gold prices are based on 24K gold and the troy once. For example, the gold price you read in the newspaper reflects the price of one troy ounce. |
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| Troy Weight |
| 24 grains (gr) |
= 1 pennyweight (dwt.) |
= 1.5552 grams |
| 20 pennyweights |
= 1 ounce (oz. t.) |
= 31.1035 grams |
| 12 ounces (troy) (t.) |
= 1 pound (lb t.) |
= 373.2417 grams |
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| 1 ounce (troy) (t.) |
= 1.09714 ounces avoirdupois |
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| 1 pound (troy) (t.) |
= 0.82286 pounds avoirdupois |
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| Weight Conversion |
| pennyweights to grams: |
pennyweights |
X 1.5552 |
= grams |
| ounces to grams: |
ounces |
X 31.1035 |
= grams |
| grams to pennyweights: |
grams |
X 0.6430 |
= pennyweights |
| grams to ounces: |
grams |
X 0.0322 |
= ounces | |
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| Alloy |
| Gold in its purest state, 24 karat, is often considered too soft for use in jewellery. Gold is mixed or ALLOYED with one or more other metals to produce optimum strength and colour characteristics. |
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| How alloys affect the colour of gold: |
| Colour |
Elements |
| Yellow Gold |
Gold, Copper, Silver |
| White Gold |
Gold, Nickel or Palladium, Zinc, Copper | |
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| Karat |
| A measurement of fineness (purity) equal to 1/24 pure gold in an alloy. Pure or fine gold is 24 karat. 18 karat gold means 18 parts of 24 are pure gold, mixed with 6 parts of other metals. |
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| Karat Gold |
| A gold alloy of not less than 14 karat fineness. |
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| Karatage |
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Gold content |
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Fineness |
| 24K |
= |
100% |
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= |
999 |
| 22K |
= |
91.67% |
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= |
917 |
| 21K |
= |
87.5% |
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= |
875 |
| 18K |
= |
75% |
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= |
750 |
| 14K |
= |
58.3% |
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= |
583 | |
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| Gauge |
| The thickness of metallic sheets (including gold and silver) are measured in Gauge. The lower the Gauge the thicker is the sheet. The measurement of gauge with respect to millimeter is given below: |
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| Gauge |
Millimeter |
| 1 |
7.62 mm |
| 2 |
7.01 mm |
| 3 |
6.40 mm |
| 4 |
5.89 mm |
| 5 |
5.39 mm |
| 6 |
4.88 mm |
| 7 |
4.47 mm |
| 8 |
4.06 mm |
| 9 |
3.66 mm |
| 10 |
3.25 mm |
| 11 |
2.95 mm |
| 12 |
2.64 mm | |
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| Gauge |
Millimeter |
| 13 |
2.34 mm |
| 14 |
2.03 mm |
| 15 |
1.83 mm |
| 16 |
1.63 mm |
| 17 |
1.42 mm |
| 18 |
1.22 mm |
| 19 |
1.02 mm |
| 20 |
0.91 mm |
| 21 |
0.81 mm |
| 22 |
0.71 mm |
| 23 |
0.61 mm |
| 24 |
0.56 mm | |
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| Gauge |
Millimeter |
| 25 |
0.51 mm |
| 26 |
0.46 mm |
| 27 |
0.42 mm |
| 28 |
0.38 mm |
| 29 |
0.35 mm |
| 30 |
0.32 mm |
| 31 |
0.30 mm |
| 32 |
0.27 mm |
| 33 |
0.25 mm |
| 34 |
0.23 mm |
| 35 |
0.21 mm |
| 36 |
0.19 mm | | |
| Back to top |
| Care & Cleaning |
| Just as gold itself has been a treasure for many years, so too should every piece of gold jewellery you buy last a lifetime. Please learn to care for gold jewellery and pass the information on to others. |
- Gold is a soft metal and contact with hard surfaces can scratch and destroy its luster. Gold jewellery should be stored safely and whenever possible, wrapped in a soft cloth. This will protect the jewellery from scratching and tangling.
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- Bathing with gold jewellery will not harm it, but ordinary soap and water can cause a film to form on the surface of the jewellery, making it appear dull and dingy.
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- Keep jewellery free from dust, moisture, perspiration and makeup. After applying makeup, cleanup hands before putting on jewellery.
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- The most common ways to clean gold jewellery are with a jewellery-recommended cleaning solution or with an ultrasonic machine. A solution of mild detergent, warm water and a small amount of ammonia can also be used. After cleaning and rinsing, dry and polish with a chamois or other soft cloth.
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| Some of the above facts are supplied by World Gold Council. |
| Finishes Gold Weight Alloy Karat Gauge Care & Cleaning |
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