Yellow Gold
Gold has a long and fascinating history that dates back to about thousands of years. Since the beginning of time, gold has always been associated with wealth and power. Innumerable civilizations ranging from the Greeks to the Mesopotamians treasured yellow gold and wore them as bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings. They were also used in the making of crowns, ornaments of kings, threads and were used to adourn coffins. Gold’s monetary value could be discerned from the fact that they were used as coins and was considered a standard for global currencies. Today, they are considered an essential part of a wide array of medical and electronic devices. In short, they have played a key role in various aspects of history and in human development.
Rich and warm, gold are an ideal choice for those who loves the classic look. It is a metal which in its purest form is bright, with a slight tinge of reddish yellow, is malleable, dense, ductile and soft. Needless to say, gold is one of the most malleable of all the metals found and this makes it an ideal metal choice for crafting intricate and elaborate designs. 1g of gold, which is a size of a grain of rice can be made into a thin film stretching 1 square meter. It is also extremely heavy and has a density of 19.g cm-3. Other endearing features of gold are its resistance to touch, corrosion and tarnish. They are also the most hypo-allergenic of all the gold colours available. They are however, susceptible to easy scratching and denting. In addition, they need to be cleaned and polished on a regular basis, though it must be remembered that polishing removes a layer of metal.
Since pure gold is extremely soft for use as metal in jewelleries and other purposes, they are often mixed with other metals to make it more durable. While 24 karat gold is said to be pure gold (99.99% pure), 18 karat contains 75% gold, 14 karat contains 58% gold, 12 karat contains 50% gold and 10 karat contains 41% gold. The grades 18 karat, 14 karat or 10 karat is thus simply indicators of how much pure gold exists in the mixture. The 14 karat or 18 karat gold is used as wedding rings and engagement rings. The higher the amount of karat, the purer will be the gold. However, that also makes the metal less durable. In other words, the lower karat gold is more durable.
When gold is mixed with other metals it becomes an alloy. Gold is commonly mixed with copper, zinc, silver and palladium. Some of these alloys are created to obtain specific colours like white gold, rose gold, black gold, green gold, etc. White gold for example can be obtained when gold is blended with nickel, silver or other similar white metals. Rose gold on the other hand can be obtained when gold is mixed with copper. These alloys retain gold’s properties despite being mixed with other metals. They are resistant to tarnish, are still soft enough to be molded into designs and are also hypoallergenic.
The gold is available in a range of tones. The exact colour tone varies depending on the type of metal alloy used and their percentage. For example, the pure gold is rich, full of lustre and is yellow like the sun. The 18 karat gold has an intense yellow tinge though the yellow of the 14 karat gold is much lighter. Gold look nice on any skin tone, they particularly look great on olive and darker skin tones. They do not make an ideal choice for those with pale to rose skin tones. However, the preference may vary from person to person and individual choice.
Relatively a scarce metal on earth, gold can be found in many geological environments. Gold comes from places like South Africa, which produces two third of the world’s supply and from places like Russia, Canada, China and Australia. Gold makes a beautiful choice for contemporary and vintage inspired wedding and engagement rings. In fact, since time immemorial, gold has always been the most popular choice for wedding and engagement rings.
