- Gold Characteristics -

Men have always been fascinated by gold since the discover of it. Throughout the civilization, gold has been a symbol of wealth and prestige. Its scarcity and beauty has made it extremely valuable commodity. Gold is not only used in fine jewelry, but also utilized in various other products as well. For example, today almost everyone has a computer. Do you know there are chips in your computer's CPU that are electro-plated with gold?

Gold is primarily mined in South Africa, which represents about half of the world's total gold supply. Other significant regions include, China, Russia, Australia, Brazil, and US.

Gold's quality is measured in "karat", and the purity content is expressed in fraction of 24 points:

• 24 Karat is 100% pure (24 / 24)
   

• 22 Karat is 91.7% pure (22 / 24)
   

• 18 Karat is 75% pure (18 / 24)
   

• 14 karat is 58.3% pure (14 / 24)

And so on.

Pure gold may be too soft for use in jewelry. That is why pure gold is usually alloyed with other materials to make it more durable. By mixing with other materials can also create different colors for innovative designs. However, it does not mean pure gold can't be used for jewelry. In Asia, 24 K nearly pure gold jewelries are highly demanded.

You may have been told that always look for quality stamp mark on a piece of fine jewelry. Marks such as "18K." However, what most consumers do not know is that a stamped purity does not necessary mean it really is 18K pure. A jewelry marked as 18K in purity may actually only be 14K or less in purity. "How can it be?" anyone might ask. It is because there is no strict policy in place or authority that would enforce the accuracy of purity declaration. So buyers be aware.