How much importance do we attach to caring for our gold jewellery? Gold is the softest of the precious metals. The greater the purity of gold, the softer it is. Hence a little care can go a long way in helping to retain its good looks and lustre for generation after generation.
Gold, although rare and difficult to obtain could be easily 'worked' -- just one ounce of gold can be beaten out to cover a surface area of over 27 square metres!
The pure gold is alloyed with silver, copper and various to make it suitably hard for jewelery making. The percentage of pure gold is denoted by its carat (k) weight. Pure gold is 24k (ie.100per cent gold), the other common alloy carat weights are 22k, 18k, 14k, 10k and 9k. 9k gold is the hardest alloy.
In addition to yellow gold, white gold and rose gold are also popular options. You can also find many two-tone styles, if you prefer a mix of colours.
How to care
It is not advisable to wear gold jewellery 24x7 throoughout the year because it will make them more likely to get damaged over time.
Store gold jewellery in a velvet-lined jewellery box or case that contains compartments for each item or better wrap each piece in tissue paper and keep them in small bags or pouches.
Do not mix diamond and gold jewellery together, because diamond being a hard stone can scratch your gold easily.
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Make sure your jewelry is dry when you put it away, because moisture can cause springs and clasps to weaken over time.
Gold is softer than sand. Sand will scratch your jewellery. Don't wear it on the beach. Remove your gold jewellery when swimming because chlorine will affect its lustre.
Ideally, keep your jewellery in the box with which it was supplied.
White Gold
White Gold was originally developed in the 1920's as an alternative to Platinum. It's not actually another type of gold; there's no such thing as 'pure' white gold, or 24k white gold. It's simply an alloy in which the choice of alloyed metals has been made to achieve a 'white' or platinum like colour.
Most white gold jewellery has a thin coating of Rhodium to enhance its 'whiteness' and reflective properties. Rhodium belongs to the platinum family of metals and serves as a good protective coating. It also enhances its colour.
But rhodium coating will wear through with time, which will expose the gold alloy underneath. As the white gold alloy will be a darker, less white colour, that wear will be noticeable.
Rhodium coating can be reapplied for which jewelers charge a fee.It is a simple matter to reapply the rhodium coating; most jewellers make a small charge for that.
Cleaning
You can clean gold jewellery with a soft toothbrush and some soapy water (dishwashing liquid works fine for this).
The liquid used for cleaning should be detergent free. Dip the toothbrush in the water and use it to get into all of the crevices.
Rinse the piece in warm water until the water runs clear.Buff your piece dry with a soft, lint-free cloth to make it shine.
If you prefer, you can also use a non-abrasive jewelry cleaner that you can buy at the store. If your gold jewelry contains gemstones, check to make sure that the cleaner is safe to use with them.
For deep cleaning of gold jewellery it can be immersed in a very weak (just a pinch), sodium bicarbonate/boiling water solution for a few seconds. Carefully dry the jewellery immediately with a soft cotton cloth. (Do not do that if your jewellery contains gemstones).
Remove your gold jewellery when working with chemicals.
