Muriel Hurtis Jewelry

As a precious material, gold never goes out of fashion and retains its value very well, and so not only is this a beautiful metal that can be worked into almost any shape, it is also a practical investment.

Pure Gold
Gold is a very soft metal and so you rarely find totally pure gold in everyday jewelry such as rings and watches, as it scratches and dents too easily. Therefore gold jewelry is normally combined with trace amounts of other metals such as nickel or copper, which not only increase the strength and scratch resistance of the gold but can also change its colour slightly giving the different variations of white and rose gold. Gold jewelry is sold in karats, and this will let you know the percentage of pure gold that the item contains:
* 14K – this is a cheaper form of gold used in everyday jewelry and is around 58% pure gold
* 18K – this is the most common karat weight used in decorative jewelry as it combines strength with a high density of 75% pure gold.
* 24K – this is pure 100% gold, but can be easily scratched and dented so is not usually used for rings or items of jewelry that see heavy use.

The karat of the gold is marked on the jewelry, alongside a hallmark or trademark that identifies the maker of the jewelry, and in some cases the country of origin may also be stamped as well. Sometimes very old gold jewelry does not have any identification marks, and this may be because they have worn off over the years, but you can take it to a professional jeweller and get the karat confirmed, and they will be able to re-mark it for you.

Gold Plate
Some jewelry is made by applying a layer of gold over a much less expensive metal, and this reduces the cost whilst still giving a realistic gold appearance. However this layer of gold can often be quite thin and can wear away easily, and the value of this type of jewelry is not very high when it comes to resale.