Whether you're in the market to buy or sell, understanding the precious metals can inform your decisions. From visual assessments to the purity of your jewelry, take a look at what you need to know about gold, silver, and platinum.
What Are the Aesthetic Differences Between Precious Metals?
Visually identifying precious metals is the first step to finding the piece of jewelry that speaks to you. If you have your heart set on silver but mistake it for platinum, you may end up with the wrong ring, bracelet, or necklace.
When it comes to distinguishing one metal, color is a major cue. To better understand what you need to consider, look for these colors:
- Yellow:
Gold has a distinctive yellow tone. But mixing gold with other metals can change the color, giving the metal a different hue. Other gold colors include rose (a pinkish hue), white (a silvery color), and green.
- Gray:
Silver has a characteristic light gray color. If not cared for properly the metal can oxidize, giving it a yellowish hue.
- White:
Platinum has a natural white color. This light hue often mimics a light silver.
Color doesn't always equal cost. While platinum often fetches a higher price, the specific metal content can influence its value.
What Does Gold's Karat Number Mean?
24 karat gold is 100%, pure gold that hasn’t been mixed with any other metals. The lower the karat number, the more other metals are mixed with the gold. This lowers the value and the sales price. For example, an 18 karat ring has more gold than a 14 karat one.
Pure gold is extremely soft, making it challenging for jewelers to shape. Mixing gold with other metals adds hardness and durability. Even though a ring, or other bauble, isn't 100 percent gold, it can still have a high value. The smaller the percentage of other metals mixed with gold, the higher value the jewelry has — with 24 karat gold at the top of the list.
Are Silver and Platinum Measured in Karats?
Like gold, silver and platinum are often mixed with other metals. But they aren't rated by karat. Instead, these precious metals are measured by percent. The percentage rating measures the pureness of the metal. The higher the percentage, the higher the purity factor. As more metals enter the mix, the percentage (and often value) goes down.
Platinum is always labeled with the percentage unless it contains less than 50 percent platinum. If the item is advertised as platinum, but it doesn't have a percentage, it's most likely not a real precious metal.
What Other Metals Are Added to the Mix?
The answer to this depends on the jeweler's choice. Common metals that jewelers mix with precious ones include cobalt, copper, and rhodium. Some jewelry is a mix of precious metals, such as gold and platinum or silver and gold.
What Does Plated Mean?
You may see or hear the word plated after the metal name. Plating is a thin layer of the metal over another metal. Plated jewelry is marked with an identifier. The specific identifier depends on the metal and the thickness.
Mechanically gold-plated items with an overlay of 10 karat or higher plating bear the karat number plus the word overlay
or the karat number plus RGP
(rolled gold plate). Gold plating that's less than 1/20 the entire metal weight will have the fraction of karat gold marked on it. Other types of gold plating include gold filled, vermeil (gold -plated sterling silver), and electroplated.
Are you looking to buy or sell a gold, silver, or platinum piece? Contact Gardena Jewelry and Loan Companyfor more information.
