Gold Jewellery- Care Advice

So you've been given a beautiful piece of solid gold jewellery? Here's how to look after it properly.

Gold is the softest of the precious metals. In fact the greater the purity of the gold, the softer it is. Hence the 'old' prospector's biting test for gold - pure gold is marked by a hard nibble! (Not to be advised without a dentist on standby!!)

This 'softness' property is one of the reasons why gold became so precious and desirable, to every civilisation. Gold, although rare and difficult to obtain could be easily 'worked' - Just one ounce of gold can be beaten out to cover a surface area of over 27 square metres!

Pure gold is too soft to be of any use in the making of Jewellery. The pure gold is alloyed with silver, copper and various other metals in order to render a material hard enough for jewellery. The percentage of pure gold, in a Jewellery alloy is denoted by its carat (k) weight. Pure gold is 24k (ie.100% gold), the other common alloy carat weights are 22k, 18k, 14k, 10k and 9k. 9k gold is the hardest alloy. Obviously, this means that 9k gold will scratch all the softer k weights. This is the reason it's advisable to always wear items of the same gold carat weight, if your jewellery is likely to come into contact (rings etc). Gold is resistant to oxidative corrosion - it won't tarnish, rust or corrode.

A few 'golden rules':

* Remove your gold jewellery when using chemicals and engaging in manual work. Gold will scratch abrade reducing its lustrous appearance.

* Remove your gold jewellery when swimming - Chlorine will affect its lustre.

* To clean gold jewellery use warm water and cotton wool. For heavy soiling use a weak solution of warm water and detergent-free soap.

* Gold is softer than sand. Sand will scratch your jewellery. Don't wear it on the beach!

* Always store your gold jewellery separately in a soft stable-temperature environment. Ideally, keep your jewellery in the box with which it was supplied.

* To give your gold jewellery a deep clean it can be immersed in a very weak (just a pinch), sodium bicarbonate/boiling water solution for a few seconds. Carefully dry the jewellery immediately with a soft cotton cloth. (*Do not do this if your jewellery contains gemstones).

White Gold:

White Gold was originally developed in the 1920's as an alternative to Platinum. It's not actually another type of gold; there's no such thing as 'pure' white gold, or 24k white gold. It's simply an alloy in which the choice of alloyed metals has been made to achieve a 'white' or platinum like colour.

Rhodium Coating: Most white gold jewellery has a thin coating of Rhodium to enhance its 'whiteness' and reflective properties. Rhodium is a member of the platinum family of metals and serves as a good protective coating to the jewellery, as well as enhancing the colour. Rhodium is harder than gold and will wear much better as a consequence. However, this rhodium coating will wear through with time, which will expose the gold alloy underneath. As the white gold alloy will be a darker, less white colour, this wear will be noticeable. It is a simple matter to reapply the rhodium coating; most jewellers make a small charge for this.