If you’re going to buy gold jewelry, understanding the different types of gold will help you make the best investment choices. You ask us about this all the time so we wanted to drop some knowledge about the 3 most common types of gold jewelry on the market today to help you make the best decision.
Here’s the breakdown:
Gold Plated: Gold plated jewelry is made by coating a very thin layer of gold (only 0.05% or less) over a base metal - usually brass or copper. The gold plating is very light so the surface of the jewelry is more likely to tarnish. This type of gold jewelry is the most affordable, however it is not suitable for everyday wear so we don't use this type of gold in any of our pieces.
Gold Filled: Gold filled jewelry is made by mechanically bonding a layer of gold (5%) to a core metal which makes it much more durable and prevents the gold from wearing away quickly. With heat and pressure gold is fused on top of the core metal. At Token, we love working with this type of gold because not only is the quality stunning and durable, we're also still able to keep our pieces affordable!
Solid Gold: Solid gold jewelry is made of pure gold. The purity of gold is measured by karats and the higher the karat the more gold there is in the piece. 24 karat gold is 99.9% pure gold. However, pure gold (24k) is not commonly used in jewelry because pure gold is a soft metal so it cannot hold the shape and therefore needs to be mixed with other metals (alloy) to make it stronger. Common karat measurements in jewelry are 22k, 18k and 14k. Token's newest line of solid 14k gold jewelry is going to last a lifetime and beyond!
No matter the material or the price point, we all want to get the most out of our jewelry investments. With proper care, our handmade jewelry will keep you shinning for years to come!
xo
