I began to realize I lacked proper knowledge of gold when it was time to purchase it with my funds. The information I present is for the basic consumer to use without becoming overwhelmed by jargon and many options available on the market. I had always thought gold was gold until I became educated on the various karats, colors. Undeniably, differentiating gold-filled, plated and solid jewelry is a significant factor in quality I recommend consumers consider when purchasing gold jewelry within financial means. Continue reading for a brief overview of gold.

Solid gold being the purest and most expensive, can be manipulated into many forms and will sink in water no matter the amount of structure. Gold is extremely malleable and can require additional alloys to provide durability, hardness, and color. Gold-filled and gold plated are similar because pieces manufactured this way contain only a fragment of real gold melted on to other solid metals. Brass and copper are common metals used as bases for wrapping gold, which results in budget-friendly products compared to metal bases made of sterling silver, also known as gold vermeil. For gold jewelry that isn’t solid but has some gold can be considered plated or filled, with at least a layer of 10k gold adhering to another metal. The significant difference between gold plated and filled jewelry is the amount of gold used or the number of layers. Gold plated pieces will always have the least amount of gold but is most affordable out of the types.

However gold becomes affordable when pieces are mixed with alloys requiring lesser amounts of pure gold. 18K gold is mixed with on average e 25% other metals, 14k has about 41% alloy and 10k gold has 58% of other metals is mixed with other metals. To the eye, jewelry with high amounts of alloy appears as a softer gold yellow tone. Also, alloys provide a variety of colors. Yellow gold the most common type of gold accent is created when combined with copper, silver, or zinc. White gold, which can be mistaken for silver is formed by mixing pure gold with palladium, nickel, or zinc. Rose gold, which appears as a faint pink is an alloy with majority copper, some silver, and gold. This information is helpful for any consumer buying authentic jewelry with quality and costs in mind. Here, the FTC details what qualifies as authentic gold by legal terms.