As Good as Gold

Gold is rare—really rare and really beautiful. Its rarity is why gold makes such fine and valuable jewelry. How rare is gold? It’s been said that it’s rarer to find a one-ounce nugget of gold than a five-carat diamond. In fact, over 90 percent of the world’s gold has been already been mined, which means there’s not that much left. All of the gold that has been mined in the past 6,000 years would fit into a cube 60 feet tall.
Aside from its scarcity and beauty, gold’s value as a jewelry material comes from its composition and subsequent staying power. Gold resists tarnish and rust, and is immune to corrosion, oxidation and acids. A diamond might be forever, but gold, if cared for properly, will last an eternity.
Measurements –  Karats (with a “k”) are actually a measure of the percentage of gold to alloy contained in gold jewelry. Pure gold, the 24-karat variety, is too soft to make quality jewelry out of. Thus, in quality jewelry, gold is mixed with other alloy metals for strength, such as copper and silver. Often, you’ll see a piece of jewelry stamped “18k gold,” which means it contains 75% pure gold. The most common type of gold jewelry is 14k gold. Anything under 10k cannot be labeled or sold as gold.
Color –  You’ve got your yellow gold, the crowd favorite, which is usually mixed with copper and silver alloys. There’s the more recently popular white and rose golds, which are becoming more fashionable with the trendsetters. And then for those that can’t make up their mind, there are gorgeous accessories made of two or even all three.

Value – The value of gold jewelry is based on several factors: fineness or karat count, weight in grams and the workmanship reflected in the piece.
Going Platinum – Platinum is actually rarer than gold. It ranks amongst the rarest of metals. Consider this: for every 15 to 20 ounces of gold extracted, only a single ounce of platinum is mined.
Unlike gold, which doesn’t work well in its purest form, platinum is used in jewelry at 90 to 95 percent purity. Platinum of this fineness is stamped 900Pt, 950 Plat or just Plat. Like gold, platinum is tarnish and rust resistant and will last you a lifetime.
Platinum, which is white, differs from its white gold counterpart not only because it’s more expensive but also because it’s denser and therefore heavier than gold at similar sizes.
Ensuring Your Gold and Platinum Jewelry Has a Long Life
If you want to be able to pass down your fine gold and platinum jewelry to the next generation, or just make sure it stays stunning for your lifetime, you need to follow the following care tips:
Avoid harsh chemicals or abrasives.
Don’t wear rings, bracelets and other jewelry while working with power tools or playing certain sports.
Store each piece separately in a soft cloth pouch or in the separate compartments of a jewelry case.
Check regularly that gem settings are secure. If not, ask a professional jeweler to tighten them.
For more information please contact Ro Ma Jewelers, 24303 Town Center Drive, in Valencia or call 661-254-6414.