What You Should Know 
About Karat Gold Jewelry

     The allure of gold...and the desire to own it...dates back as far as the history of mankind itself.  The position of gold has been extraordinary in every society.  In earliest time, it assumed magical importance.  All of the great empires of the ancient world used golden objects, mainly in their religious rituals.

     In the beginning, the glory of gold was in its fascination as adornment, as early man carefully hammered out the amulets and bracelets to which he often gave religious significance.  Over centuries of growing sophistication and technology, gold has assumed many additional roles.  Not only is it still prized for jewelry, it now has many additional applications in contemporary life.

    So how do you know if it's real gold? For all that glitters---isn't! When buying gold jewelry, always look for a karat mark, such as 18K, 14K, 10K, etc. plus the manufacturer's trademark.  Stamped somewhere on each piece, this trademark and karat mark of quality indicates you are buying real gold and that the manufacture is willing to guarantee with his mark that the piece is of the karat gold stamp.  The karat mark refers to the purity of the gold.  Gold in its purest state, 24K karat, is generally considered too soft for practical use in jewelry.  It must be alloyed with other special metals to increase its durability and workability.  Twenty-four karat is 100% pure gold, or 24 parts gold; 18K is 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy, 14K is 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy; and 10K is 10 parts gold and 14 parts alloy.  Nothing less than 10K can legally be marked or sold as gold jewelry in the United States.  Alloys of less than 10 Karat gold cannot be stamped with the karat mark and are not considered real gold.  For example, some jewelry is processed with a layer of gold which has been mechanically bonded to a base metal.  This jewelry cannot have a karat mark unless it is qualified.  In other words it must be marked "gold-filled" preceded by the karat fineness of the plating; e.g., "14K gold-filled."  Some of these processes are simply referred to as "gold-filled" or "gold-plated."

    To sum up, remember the old cliché.  If you are not familiar with the product you are purchasing, be familiar with whom you are purchasing the product from.